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TechSpot RSSApple
Apple to officially allow iPhone tethering
WWDC has revealed all sorts of interesting tidbits today, including Apple’s plan for bringing official tethering support to the iPhone. While the technical aspect of it has been known for a while, it wasn’t until recently that Apple revealed tethering would become a possibility on iPhone OS 3.0, and now AT&T themselves have confirmed the functionality will be available as an option for their customers in due course.
They don't make any mention on whether they will lock out older phones and only allow the newer iPhone 3G S model to use tethering, but we'll assume for now that any model running OS 3.0 will have this feature. Given Apple’s relationship with AT&T, we can also probably assume the carrier will want to sell tethering plans – they have long tried to separate data usage directly on your phone with data usage on a tethered laptop. Hopefully the companies will make a firmer announcement soon to clarify how tethering will work on the iPhone.
They don't make any mention on whether they will lock out older phones and only allow the newer iPhone 3G S model to use tethering, but we'll assume for now that any model running OS 3.0 will have this feature. Given Apple’s relationship with AT&T, we can also probably assume the carrier will want to sell tethering plans – they have long tried to separate data usage directly on your phone with data usage on a tethered laptop. Hopefully the companies will make a firmer announcement soon to clarify how tethering will work on the iPhone.
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User Comments (8)
Post a comment| mctommy on June 8, 2009 7:30 PM | This is why I hate AT&T so much. When I had a bb, tethering on tmobile US was already available at no cost. I'm already paying $30/month for my iphone 3G, why would i spend more $ for tethering (when a lot of things can be viewed on the safari on the iphone anyways - missing flash, and a few other things, etc) |
| Rick on June 9, 2009 12:33 AM | ... Especially with a 5GB limit |
| yukka on June 9, 2009 3:55 AM | Well, O2 have now published their tethering deals. http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html 15quid for 3 gig usage is the same as any other 3g mobile broadband provider but you dont already have to have a 35quid a month tarrif with them. 30quid for 10gig is again typical. What is being ignored here is the extra money spent on the original phone and the contract - the bolt-on is overpriced. i wont be using it. |
| nazartp on June 9, 2009 7:46 AM | Interesting. I was hoping to see tethering introduced, but not sure if I'd be willing to pay for it separately. I, primarily, need it when we go on vacation and stay in a hotel or rent a house without free wireless. Since vacations, by default, don't happen too often, paying constantly for access is not really cost-effective. Must say, however, that from the point of view of the telecom provider, it is completely justified to charge more for tethering. It will undoubtedly generate more traffic. Just judging by my wife's usage, she still prefers to write her e-mails on a computer rather than on the iPhone and to view Internet on a bigger screen. So now instead of waiting to get home to reply to e-mails and check the news or do some research or shopping on the net she would just fire up her laptop on the road. |
| Rick on June 9, 2009 8:33 AM | Must say, however, that from the point of view of the telecom provider, it is completely justified to charge more for tethering. It will undoubtedly generate more traffic. I guess that really depends on whether or not an "unlimited" data plan (Actually a maximum of 5GB and about $0.50 cents per MB thereafter) actually costs AT&T anywhere near $29.99/mo, let alone $60/mo. |
| nazartp on June 9, 2009 8:37 AM | Don't know. Telecom market is fiercely competitive and the margins they make on average are very slim. I would expect that they price these optional services at a premium but primarily to cover below cost pricing on basic stuff. Kind of like printers - it cost me less to buy a new Epson printer than to change a cartridge in my old Canon. |
| Guest on June 9, 2009 11:06 AM | Ha! Old news. I'm currently posting this from a netbook with a tethered iPhone. Big deal. |
| Rick on June 10, 2009 2:43 AM | Ha! Old news. I'm currently posting this from a netbook with a tethered iPhone. Big deal. Good for you. Personally, I'd much rather have bluetooth or USB. Anyhow, enjoy the convenience of fiddling with a GUI/CLI app, setting up an ad-hoc wireless network, assigning manual network TCP/IP settings and manually configuring proxy settings in your browser (Hopefully you're using something like PDAnet which doesn't limit you to a proxy-style connection). Also, if you are using the proxy method, there is no system-wide proxy setting you configure set without special software either... So you're limited to applications that actually let you assign proxy settings. Don't forget to change your settings back once you're done, so you can access the 'net from somewhere else other than your phone. But anyhow, good for you. |
