AT&T iPhone

AT&T is apparently making good on its promise to cut back on speeds for heavy data users.

Posted by tech enthusiast site CultofMac, a text message sent by AT&T to such a user says that "Your data usage is among the top 5 percent of users. Data speeds for the rest of your current bill cycle may be reduced."

The data restriction policy comes as no surprise. AT&T had announced back in July that it would throttle speeds for heavy data users starting on October 1. The policy affects only subscribers who … Read more

Apple's iPhone sales this holiday quarter could exceed even the most optimistic forecasts.

Yesterday, AT&T said it is poised to shatter its record for fourth-quarter smartphone sales, largely due to pent-up demand for the iPhone. As a result, a number of Wall Street firms have raised their already lofty estimates on iPhone sales for the quarter, with some warning that they may still be too conservative.

The raised estimates are a clear illustration that while the Android OS may dominate the smartphone world, the iPhone remains a massive draw for consumers. Also helping out are promotions, such … Read more

Some mobile users are so eager for Apple's latest iPhone that they'll break their wireless contracts to grab one.

Almost half (45 percent) of iPhone buyers recently polled by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) said they paid a penalty to cancel their contract just to pick up the iPhone 4S. Some switched carriers while others upgraded before their contract ended.

Among these iPhone buyers, 52 percent paid a penalty of $100 to $200, 28 percent paid a penalty of less than $100, and 20 percent shelled out more than $200. But the pain has been felt less by … Read more

Better raid the piggy bank, because AT&T just raised the price of its low-end iPhone 3GS to 99 cents.

The iPhone 3GS was free with a two-year contract, but MacRumors spotted the modest price increase today.

It's a curious move by AT&T, which gets little payoff for the price increase, yet loses the ability to tout offering a free iPhone. With a third-quarter profit of $3.6 billion, AT&T certainly doesn't need the extra pocket change that comes with the increase.

Apple still offers the phone for free on its Web site, … Read more

iPhone users have not fled AT&T in droves now that Apple's smartphone is no longer exclusive to the carrier--or at least that's how AT&T tells it.

Glen Lurie, president of emerging devices for AT&T, told MarketWatch that "churn has not moved at all." Churn is an industry term referring to customers who cancel services.

He added that AT&T has seen record sales of the new iPhone 4S, despite customers having to wait as long as two weeks for the new device to show up. Lurie credits part of Apple's seemingly boundless potential for growth to more IT managers allowing the iPhone into the enterprise for business use by employees.

Lurie refused to play favorites though, telling MarketWatch that other manufacturers like Nokia and RIM--maker of the BlackBerry--shouldn't be counted out in the battle for smartphone market share.… Read more

AT&T said it surpassed 1 million iPhone 4S activations on Tuesday, making it the most successful launch despite its availability on two other carriers.

The Dallas telecommunications giant hit the mark after five days of sales.

The figure underscores AT&T's continued strength even as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel offered the iPhone as well.

The company earlier reported third-quarter results that were in line with expectations. The iPhone 4S sales, however, aren't a part of the results because the phone launched after the end of the period. It activated 2.7 million iPhones in … Read more

Updating software on smartphones has become a scary proposition. It seems like you never know what glitch or bug might break your device.

But at the same time, new software updates promise all kinds of cool new features. And Apple's iOS 5 is no exception. So it makes sense that iPhone 3GS users, who aren't ready to upgrade to the iPhone 4S, would want to update their phones with the new software. But can two-and-a half year old iPhone 3GS handle the new software? In this week's Ask Maggie, I address this very issue.

I also offer … Read more

AT&T says that this morning's preorder session for Apple's iPhone 4S was its most successful iPhone launch yet, with the company grabbing more than 200,000 preorders in the first 12 hours the device was on sale.

"AT&T has seen extraordinary demand for iPhone 4S with more than 200,000 preorders in the first 12 hours alone, the most successful iPhone launch we've ever had," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The news comes despite a bumpy start for the carrier, which had trouble processing customer eligibility on its sales site, as well as through Apple's online store, shortly after preorders began after midnight Pacific time.

Last year's launch of the iPhone 4, the last iPhone to be released exclusively on AT&T in the U.S., saw 600,000 preorders on its first day, setting a record for Apple and its carrier partners. This year's version became available for preorder ahead of a simultaneous launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. planned for next Friday.

AT&T's data represents the first sign of how well Apple's upcoming device is selling. The topic has been of particular interest given that some people expressed disappointment following this week's iPhone event that the device did not get a complete overhaul. Apple has not released its own data indicating total preorder volume from all carrier partners.… Read more