MMS and Tethering — two features that have been readily available on many smartphones for years — are finally making their way to the iPhone. But if you’re in the United States, you won’t be able to use them for at least a few months. Because AT&T, the network with an exclusive lock on the iPhone in the US, couldn’t get it together in time to support them for the iPhone 3.0 software launch.
At launch on June 17th, MMS is going to be supported by 29 carriers, and tethering will be supported by 22 of them. So when can we finally expect these stateside? MMS is apparently coming “later this summer”. And tethering? A much more nebulous (and ominous) “later”.
This is ridiculous, plain and simple. AT&T has almost certainly known about Apple’s plans for many months if not years, and was probably involved in determining when these features would be launching in the first place.
AT&T has made it clear many times that it simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to support the millions of new iPhone users that are using their “unlimited” data plans far more than they would on other phones. It’s arbitrarily preventing data hungry applications from being deployed to the app store. It’s quickly becoming clear that AT&T is holding the iPhone back.
Unfortunately, AT&T still has the lock on the iPhone and you can be sure the network is doing everything it can to keep a firm grasp on its cash cow, like giving Apple a nice chunk of money for every iPhone sold.
yea, my E71 has been doing MMS and tether for the last 1.5 years on ATT.
I am leaving this comment from my laptop which is tethered via bluetooth to my Nokia e71 using AT&T. I have also been doing this for the past 1.5 years.
T_T
We would have loved if we could do tethering to our crunch pad.. crunch crunch…
Shell out $70
http://i.gizmod...g-plan-in-works
I have also been sending MMS for the past 4 or 5 years to and from AT&Ts network on my various Nokia, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericcson devices (most of which have captured video for just as long).
Been teathering on my iphone 3g since i bought it…its called PDANet
There is a great complaint letter posted at http://www.lion...it-with-at.html
Everyone should copy it and mail it to AT&T.
Will MMS and Tethering be available on a US iPhone if it is unlocked?
AT&T worse than 3rd world carriers. Plus coverage in bay area totally suckage. Try getting ‘more bars’ in front of appl hq you idiots!
Well done using the CPFP (Captain Picard Facepalm) graphic. It sums it up perfectly.
Thanks, we always keep it on hand for times like these.
By far, my favorite Picard mashup (an oldie, but a goodie):
http://www.yout...h?v=X6oUz1v17Uo
Maybe this will motivate Apple to break up that exclusive agreement and go with another provider.
Although the only other provider that can support iPhone right now would be T-mobile.
Oh well.
I agree, its time for Apple to open up talks with other carriers because clearly AT&T is not up to the task.
Very disappointing.
ATT FAIL
The iPhone looks nice, but I also want a phone that can do the nowadays features (MMS at least)…. It seems like I will go with Palm Pre – Sprint. Unlimited Everything
Whoooooo Ooooooh!
hasnt mms been around for donkeys years? or is this some new acronym?
really lame… I am a new iPhone user and I am really disappointed in AT&T… the Picard pic is PERFECT for how I am feeling right now…
As someone who works on building the AT&T network – I can say with certainty: you are right. The network is running way too hot; there is not enough capital to expand it. Please continue to call AT&T out so that the upper management will start upgrading and expanding this network. Right now, our hands are tied.
ATT customer service also knows that the network is overloaded with outages occurring with greater regularity. And, boy, do they get cranky fast when they realize they have a customer on the line who knows more than they do. It is exactly like having no cell phone at all except we still pay ATT $75 a month for it.
Looks like I’ll have to keep using Hook MMS to send MMS from my iPhone until AT&T gets its house in order.
when apple moves to verizon or sprint I’ll buy one
AT&T SUCKS!!!!! Specially their STUPID rules on not being able to get the new 3GS unless you break your contract and pay MORE. Booooo
This is typical Harvard Business School Philosophy:
Why should we give the customers what they want because it will only affect our bottom line. What are the customers going to do, we are the only carrier sells the iphone.
My question is this: AT&T allows other devices to MMS and tether on their network; so why not iPhone?
a. Apple is spiking AT&T to grow support for a carrier switch
b. AT&T is blocking tethering because Apple users hog bandwidth
c. RIM or other OEMs are twisting AT&T’s arm to screw Apple and its users.
c. Apple and AT&T are fighting over subscriber plan costs to enable the tether feature (AT&T wanting to charge a premium, Apple wanting to keep pricing low).
So Ridiculous. I HATE AT&T…they are worthless.
$10 says the MMS problem stems from an inability on Apple’s part to handle multiple simultaneous APNs with the iPhone OS, and isn’t simply an ATT gaffe.
Lots of operators use an MMS-specific APN, and I think ATT is one of those operators. It’s not their fault if Apple’s product planners didn’t see this requirement coming from 2 years away.
You owe me $10.
really? Uh, mms is available on iPhone on most of the other carriers. sounds like an ATT problem. that’s why my iPhone is… *ghasp* hacked. since the first one came out I’ve been with t-mobile with no problems, and a few questions *answered nice and quick thanks to their iPhone division (due to the high number of their customers with unlocked iPhones… yes, they created a department to serve their customers who have gone to lengths to stay loyal. Ask ATT why they haven’t bothered taking care of their customers… perhaps if they would then I wouldn’t have gone to such ridiculous lengths to not use them as a service provider.
$10 please. Multiple APNs and multiple APN configurations are supported along with simultaneous use. Indeed these are different for different carriers throughout the world. It’s AT&T plain and simple.
ATT is the only stumbling block for me and the new iphone. There’s absolutely no way I will be paying for voice, $30 for data and an additional $15 for more than 200 texts (and they arent even mms). I find the texting plans insulting enough that it is keeping me away from the phone.
I will continue to wait to purchase an iPhone until I can get one on either Verizon or T-Mobile.
And I know a lot of other people who are waiting for this very situation to occur.
Yeah, AT&T sucks big time. These are 2 of the coolest features of 3.0, and no one in the US can use them because the only iPhone carrier blows ass.
FAIL. Also another huge FAIL is no VIDEO RECORDING on the 3G iphone, you have to buy a new phone, even though Cycorder has CLEARLY demonstrated that you can get good quality video recording from the EXISTING phone, they are forcing you to buy the new one. In addition, voice activated will only work with the new 3GS, but yet developers have CLEARLY demonstrated it works fine on the existing 3G, I just don’t get it. Forget it, I hope the Jailbreakers will quickly be able to come out with a Jailbreak for 3.0….
Disappointed but understandably so. Apple pays decent salaries and it’s really always been about the software. Their hardware is second. That is why every mac out there is a year behind a leading edge PC. The key difference is that what an Apple does, it does really well, but people have a hard time justifying having to pay for ir respecting intellectual property. Software doesn’t grow on trees and I’m sure if enough people just forked over $199 you can a fully functional 3.0 sans the speed, performance, and new hardware.
http://www.appl...com/iphone/buy/
“For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).”
That fine print stings.
I think AT&T should get their heads out of their collective butts and improve their network. If it’s bad now, it’s only going to get worse, whether from iPhone users or from users of the next biggest thing. Mobile internet demand is only going to go up, and eventually will become a norm the way home internet is now.
AT&T should have been preparing for that years ago. If the guy on the street (me) can see that coming, then some chump that paid a lot of money for a good degree should be able to see it too.
This is dumb, I have AT&T and a HTC Tilt that has MMS and tehtering. Both have worked great for over two years. If this doesn’t work then I would blame Apple and not AT&T who already supports these features on MY phone.
Apple cannot manage to get these working right so they blame AT&T. And you clowns are eating right out of their hand
How many HTC Tilts have been sold in the US, compared to the iPhone.
The bottleneck is capacity, not technology.
How many HTC Tilts have been sold in the US? How many iPhones have been sold?
The bottleneck is capacity, not technology.
It’s obviously not Apple who can’t get it right, because it clearly is already said to work in other countries. AT&T doesn’t want to/can’t support it right now because of bandwidth and $$.
It’s obviously not Apple who can’t get it right, because it clearly is already said to work in other countries. AT&T doesn’t want to/can’t support it right now because of bandwidth and $$.
As a developer, I’ve been using the 3.0 software since it was announced. when I first installed on my iphone, mms worked great and I was able to both send and receive no problem. AT&T contacted me to say that the iphone was not supposed to have mms enabled yet and they would be turning off the feature on my phone until such time as it is “officially rolled out”. I just want to make sure that it is not a problem on apple’s end and the service is completely compatible with the cell network. AT&T is purposefully not enabling at this time. AT&T needs to lose their exclusive deal with apple. When every single iPhone user leaves them for another carrier, maybe then they will upgrade to a contemporary network… sigh…
+1
It’s so sad. Isn’t there a way Apple could break the contract with AT&T on the grounds that AT&T can’t hold up their end of the bargain? They’re failing to support features on the iPhone that I’m sure were discussed very much in advance. I mean come on. Of course the iPhone would have MMS, though I’m actually kind of surprised that it came this late, and that it’s touted as a great new feature. MMS is a basic feature that should have been there from the start. I never got around to buying an iPhone, so I didn’t know. I just assumed it was there, as standard technology. And that’s just it. MMS is and has been standard technology for quite a while. What kind of ass clown would think that the next gen smart phone wouldn’t support it… eventually? It should have been prepared for and it should have been ready for implementation whenever Apple was ready.
It takes two to tango. There is another name besides ATT on those contracts. Apple willingly signed them, knowing ATT was going to cripple the phone and services.
Yet no one has a bad word to say about that part of it.
Indeed.
Yes, but apple offered up the iphone to all of the carriers to begin with. AT&T was the only one to comply to begin with. Also it made it simple for them to make one GSM phone that could be used throughout the world. Unfortunately Sprint and Verizon are both CDMA. I’ll bet(and we’ll never know) that if Verizon and Sprint were GSM a different carrier may have been chosen.
If GSM is such a global standard (and I guess it is since I’m getting firsthand experience with it in Asia right now) then why are two of the biggest mobile service operators in the US running CDMA? Maybe I’m missing something here, but is there any advantage? Other than ensuring that phones bought through the provider can only be used with the provider?
Worse, AT&T wants to charge me $699 to upgrade my iPhone 3G to 3GS http://bit.ly/T3X5s
That’s insanely crazy!
Have you finished out the two year contract you signed up for to get the subsidized price on your iPhone 3G? If not, you still have an unpaid obligation to AT&T that has to be fulfilled, so it’s only fair that you pay a higher rate to be upgraded early. It’s the same as opting out of a contract and starting a new contract. There’s an early termination fee. This time it’s just hidden in the upgrade cost. Duh.
I’m feeling so thankful that I live in Europe. In addition to fewer constraints on the data usage, one can unlock the iPhone (or any other phone) after six months and use any SIM card, although the contract stays in place.
I think ATT is in committee deciding how best to GOUGE THE CUSTOMER for these shiny new features.
Wouldn’t want to improve the rate plan now would we? There’s nobody to compete with so they have the perfect audience to milk.
Maybe they have a feeling that theyr’e going to lose the exclusivity contract so they’re trying to get everything they can from it before their time is up. They know their network is shitty and none of their iPhone customers (well, almost none) are going to stay with them when iPhones are available on T-Mobile.
That being said, I hope T-Mobile is busting ass getting their network ready.
Why can’t AT&T get their act together. I have had experience with AT&T for 20 years as all customer types and with all services. It’s clear that AT&T has some serious underlying issues within the company. Like many big companies they have lost focus, have absolutely no concern for customers after the fact and only look for every opportunity to nickel and dime you to death. I can’t wait for the iPhone to be available on other networks, like Verizon and Sprint, and hope that there is a mass exodus from AT&T that will put their entire wireless operations on the chopping block. AT&T was handed an opportunity and blew it as far as I’m concerned. I still get dropped call, slow data and many, many missed calls when I’m in the middle of town with full signal. They told us that they fixed this with the 3G, but you could not prove it by me.
Fortunately, I use my phone for so many things that as an actually phone it has almost become a lower priority application.
With AT&T as my wireless carrier, I feel like a home run hitter trying to practice in the garage.
To make matter worst, the iPhone costs about $80 to produce. Add profit along the way and the phone should retail for no more than $399 and lets not forget the $30 for data that as far as I’m concerned is a donation.
Frustrated AT&T Customer, elated iPhone user.
Hmm, I am using an MMS app which seems to work fine on iPhone. There seem to be quite a few available for iPhone. For Facebook MMS uploads, I use the Facebook for iPhone app.
Hey i’ve been searching around for some of these apps to hold me over (ATT=FAIL). what are the names of the apps you use to MMS? How well do they work?
I like how everybody is doing damage control for Apple by blaming AT&T. Because AT&T held a gun to Apple’s head and forced them into an exclusive carrier agreement.
The failure of Apple fanboys to hold Apple accountable for their fuckups mean that you can expect to continue getting shafted in the future.
Well, more like a shotgun. No one wanted to take on the risk of the iPhone and no one thought it would be successful. AT&T, tmobile, and every other carrier demanded loading up the device with their own branded crapware. The fact that Apple even got a carrier, much less the largest carrier and an non exploited unbranded device on the network was amazing in itself.
1. Mobile phone manufacturers NEED the cooperation of service providers to get their phone to market and be profitable. They would fail if they tried to go it alone. They are at the mercy of the service providers, which was why mobile phones sucked for so long. Companies like Verizon are even able to dictate feature set! Nokia and Motorola would’ve released an iPhone years ago if they could, but that way of thinking is so entrenced in that market.
2. It’s well known that Apple approached Verizon first, but talks broke down because Verizon wouldn’t give in to demands from Apple. Verizon is notorious for controlling what hardware runs on their network. Apple was the first company to successfully push back against the service providers.
I have Verizon…and I’ve been patiently waiting.
One word…. LAME
FYI-Verizon was offered exclusive contract with IPhone first, but botched the deal through their demands. Apple then successfully negotiated with ATT. Both are reported to be very happy with each other.
In Canada, AAPL’s exclusivity arrangement is with Rogers. I am with another carrier and they’ll carry me out before I ever give Rogers my business.
Maybe one day Techcrunch can do an ‘Exclusivity 101′ post which explains to guys like me (who aren’t as knowledgeable as most of you but trying to learn) why on earth AAPL would structure their iPhone business in this way? What is the benefit? Surely there’s a way for them to make just as much money from the iPhone while allowing multiple carriers. Are the tech challenges involved in optimizing the iPhone hardware and software for multiple carriers that daunting?
I certainly agree that this sucks. I hate it too! However, you do need to realize that AT&T has a far, far greater number of iPhone clients than any other service provider in other countries. The iPhone has made things like MMS and tethering much more practical. While they may have been possible on other phones for a long time, they have never occurred in a high enough quantity for AT&T to have to worry about the strain on their network. With the iPhone, people actually know how to use the features. So if tether and MMS were available on the iPhone, people would use it; and AT&T would have trouble keeping their network up and running.
So, they need some time to build up their network before they can allow for a feature like this.
I am sure you would be more upset if you had to complain about that fact that AT&T has the slowest data speeds compared to other US providers, which would be the case if they didn’t get a chance to work things out.
I don’t think AT&T realises how many of their subscribers would switch to Verizon in a heart beat if the iPhone was available on that network. They’re not doing a good job of keeping their BEST customers happy–millions of whom switched from other providers! When their exclusive contract runs out, I hope AT&T is prepared to sleep in the bed they made…
AT&T will loose my business the minute Verizon gets the iPhone. All their branding is wasted money because the best advertising in the world is the craptastic service they offer…dropped calls constantly. They deserve everything they’re going to get.
It makes a nice change that it is people in the US having to wait for a service as opposed to those in other countries.
It wouldn’t have surprised me to hear that the release of tethering would be delayed worldwide until it was ready in the US, so it’s nice to see that they are going full speed ahead anyway, despite the fact that they’ll probably pick up quite a number of complaints from customers in the US.
Well if apple opened the iphone to all the carriers… for one they would be reelin’ in the dough from all of them and sell a lot more iphones because people hate at&t (hat&t) and it would also distribute the numerous amount of iphone owners across several services so there would be enough “bandwidth” for everyone. Definitely the best way for apple to do it
by the way i’m verizon and if they got the iphone i would get one immediately!!!!
So who didn’t know that Cingular was driven by bean counters and AT&T Wireless was a technology driven company? When Cingular (privately owned at the time by SBC and BS) purchased AT&T Wireless (Publicly traded – read bond market collapse), the first thing they did was to disband AT&T’s Technology Development Group (responsible for CDPD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS .. i.e. GSM in the US). Now it’s a game of catch up as existed before. Now AT&T Mobility, a company whose senior management totally lacks vision. Don’t count on AT&T Mobility to be forging the path to 4G any time soon. They still have to figure out IPV4. SAD times for the US mobile users.
AT&T this is total BS! I actually like(d) your service and support, but because of this complete lack of care for your customers I will leave as soon as you lose your contract with apple (which WILL happen). You have had plenty of notice to get ready for these features. I already pay you for unlimited text and MMS, but have been waiting for apple to launch their upgrade and now you tell me that even though I will have a phone that supports it AND I pay you for the service I won’t be able to use it! I left my blackjack (which I was able to teather and MMS on your network) for the iPhone as soon as apple released the news about the new updates. I never dreamed that AT&T would be the one to let me down!
I am a new iPhone user and I am really disappointed in AT&T. I’m sure AT&T knew MMS was coming, so why not upgrade. I pay them $190 a month and cant get the basics. I think someone would be a fool to buy a iphone 3gs while it is with AT&T. I got a year left in my contract, i need to see 3g coverage and more, or its off to another provider and phone. THE IPHONE KILLER IS AT&T AND APPLE. GOOD LUCK TO BOTH OF THEM……….THE NEW IPHONE IS GOING TO BE CALLED IGONE.
They just want to make people pay more for tethering but have not decided to tell us how much …
AT&T is a pathetic Dinosaur. They have a monopoly mentality, screwing their customers at every turn. I have the original Iphone, am a HUGE Apple fan, but probably won’t buy the new phone until they open up the phone to competition. It is time Apple did something for it’s customers here in the US, and create a competitive environment of carriers here. Apple may take an initial hit in revenues from the carriers, but it will create tremendous goodwill with it’s customers
If Apple cared about their customers they would add additional carriers besides AT&T.
Yeah this is definitely bull crap AT&T. You sicken me.
is at&t becoming the new comcast? you can’t stand them, but they are a necessary evil?