On: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

[bretpiatt]

For some perspective on how low 2GB is, this isn't just about video, it is audio streaming too...

Pandora uses 64 kbps for normal quality and 128 kbps for high quality.

   64 kilobits (Kb) = 8 kilobytes (KB)
   8 kilobytes = 0.008 megabytes (MB)
   0.008 MB per second * 60 seconds = 0.48 MB per minute
   0.48 MB per minute * 60 minutes = 28.8 MB per hour
   28.8 MB per hour * 8 hours = 230.4 MB per work day
   230.4 MB per day * 23 work days in a month (max) = 5,299.2 MB
   5,299.2 MB = ~5.3 GB

Double that if you are listing to the high quality stream.

[jonknee → bretpiatt]

True, but if you're at work it can just go over WiFi (or just use Pandora on your computer). I think it's a bum deal because the terms changed just a month in, but as an iPad owner I'd have to try hard to use 2GB per month outside the range of WiFi.

[jrwoodruff → jonknee]

Not where I work. We have approved devices and insanely secure wi-fi that, even when you are connected, has surf-block implemented. Which is why I bought an iPad with an unlimited plan.

[Terretta → jonknee]

Quite a lot of folks use 3G at work to avoid monitoring and/or the corporate firewall.

[what → bretpiatt]

Let's not forget about magazine apps either. There was a recent submission about Wired's app being 500MB for one issue. If all of the magazine apps end up being the same size, you could only get 4 mags per month and nothing else.

[muerdeme → what]

You can't get 500MB downloads over 3G. The App Store forces you to wait for wifi.

[what → muerdeme]

Ah, wasn't aware of that.

[kalid → bretpiatt]

8 kilobytes / second in hours until 2 gigabytes = 73 (http://tinyurl.com/3yrdjq)

Basically you get 3 days of streaming music per month. Wow, that's pretty low.

[blhack → kalid]

This is a perfect example of why tinyurl (or anything like it) is a completely worthless, harmful service.

What was the thing you were trying to link to? Tinyurl has no idea what it is supposed to be (at least for me).

[jeremymcanally → bretpiatt]

But who's using Pandora over 3G 40 hours a week? I would imagine that's a nearly infinitesimal number of people (i.e., not worth investing the money in a plan just for them).

Get on wi-fi, or pay the extra $30 a month and get over it.

[stanleydrew → jeremymcanally]

The parent is demonstrating how low 2GB actually is. It's not meant to describe a situation in which a user is actually likely to exceed the 2GB cap.