Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
Strange happenings broke out this week after AT&T Mobility announced it was doubling the amount of data on some of its larger data buckets, which of course caused anarchy as rivals quickly followed suit. (All except T-Mobile US, which seems to be of the mind that following — of all carriers AT&T Mobility — is not “un-carrier.”)
The outcome of these shenanigans is that through the end of this month, customers signing up for big data buckets at AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Sprint will now get bigger data buckets. These buckets are also conveniently larger than the 10 gigabyte plans that have been combined with four lines to form the “4-line/10 GB/$160 per month” round of promotions.
I must admit that I am all for this super-sizing, regardless as to whether or not the “super” is needed. I can’t pass through a drive-through window at any fast-food joint without of course “wanting to super-size” whatever the hell numbered meal I have ordered. And that sort of super-sizing usually costs an extra $1. But, super-sizing data buckets for the same price? That’s a no-brainer.
Of course, this move toward larger data buckets also begs the question of where is the line between a large data bucket and “unlimited” data?
If analyst and carrier reports are to be believed, nearly all domestic mobile consumers tear through less than 2 GB of data per month, with 99.999% needing less than 5 GB. With these new super-sized buckets, it would seem that even the newly super-sized base model with 30 GB of shared data across the maximum of 10 lines would provide just about “unlimited” data for consumers. And, maybe that is something carriers need to tout when touting these new plans.
Customers want unlimited. Don’t think so? Witness this week how Verizon Wireless caved to pressure about “throttling” its unlimited data customers (see below).
Carriers don’t want to offer unlimited because of the .001% of crazy people out there that like to stream high-definition movies to their smartphones 24/7. But, with these new plans, the masses can get “unlimited” in a way that carriers want to offer it, so why not hype it?
Advertise the fact that all but the most mobile data fanatical out there will get “unlimited” data with these new plans. Throw in there that when combined with Wi-Fi, consumers can really, truly have unlimited data across their smartphone. People will flock.
All the better, tell them that this “unlimited-ing” of data access comes at no additional charge on these larger buckets. Unlimited and free!?! Where do I sign up!
This is even more important for Sprint, which is offering up nearly double the data of its rivals in this free-for-all and could do with some marketing that really targets what people want. Not that people don’t want hamsters or better voice quality, but they don’t. They just want unlimited data!
And, with T-Mobile US not participating in this madness, it would seem a perfect way to attempt at least to curtail that operator’s seemingly un-stoppable ability to poach your customers.
Plus, with the recent launch of Apple’s latest iPhone models, Samsung set to launch its Note 4 (see below) and heck even BlackBerry has rolled out a new device, people will be lining up outside retailers, clogging Internet channels and throwing parties to get their hands on/celebrate this new marketing push.
So, come on carriers. This is a perfect chance to profit from and promote unlimited data for the masses. And, best of all, this is unlimited data on your terms with that unlimited-ness capped at a certain point.
OK, enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Worst of the Week column. And now for some extras:
—Verizon Wireless this week buckled to “web-public” pressure by not going forward with its “don’t call it throttling” network optimization plan targeted at “unlimited” data customers accessing their “unlimited-ness” across the carrier’s LTE network. That plan was set to begin on Oct. 1, but the carrier that day announced it would not move forward with the program.
The initiative was to curtail network speeds of select “unlimited” data plan customers under certain conditions in order to preserve network sturdiness. Such a program is already used across the carrier’s CDMA-based network.
I guess we can now go back to just assuming it’s that damn “unlimited” data plan customer over there who is causing all this buffering of my awesome “cat-stuck-in-Kleenex-box” video.
—Samsung has become a bit of a card in terms of tapping into YouTube. I am not sure what is really different between the Note 3 and the Note 4, but I sort of want one:
http://youtu.be/cxpTFT7XxN4
And, of course Samsung couldn’t let Apple’s “bend-gate” saga go without at least a little zinger:
http://youtu.be/UrhCz6PnT78
—Finally, put away the rice.
TekDry, which claims to be an emergency electronic device rescue service, reported that a new “scientific study” has shown the use of rice to resuscitate a submerged electronic device is actually less effective than letting that device dry out naturally.
And, thankfully for TekDry, the “scientific study” also found that neither technique will get that device dry within 48 hours of its dunking, “which is the optimal window of opportunity to restore a wet electronic device.” (TekDry claims its system gets devices dry within 30 minutes.)
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