07.03.12
iPlan
Yes I am a fanboy, get over it. You need to get over that the same way I need to get over the old world/new world computing stuff. So here is my plan for the iPad and my current iPhone w/ AT&T service:
I have always thought that $80+ per month for phone service was expensive. Particularly since I don’t actually do a lot of voice calling. So this July when my two-year contract with AT&T is up, my plan is to return to a pre-paid cell phone, pick up an iPad, and use my iPhone sans SIM card. My thinking goes along these lines:
1) My primary laptop a Powerbook G4 is getting too long in the tooth with missing keys, a dying battery and a hinge that’s about to give up the ghost. Instead of getting a new laptop, I would like to give the iPad a try since it does most of what I need. For extra storage, I have my Mac mini at home and with a good VNC client I should be good to go. Since most of what I do is on the web, rarely do I deal much with files. I will still have my old PowerBook, but the Pad should cover most of my needs.
Having an iPad means I can get a pay-as-you-go data plan which removes half of my iPhone needs. The other half is voice service, which could daily be delivered by a Tracphone or VirginMobile service. Both of these (when you factor in minimum cost of service to keep the phone active) get down to about $7/mo.
So I get the smallest possible PAYG phone, my old iPhone as an iPod, and an iPad for most of my web stuff. I drop my monthly costs from ~$85/mo to $7 plus the occasional month’s worth of data service for about $25. I carry 2 smaller devices and 1 tablet. I need to keep track of charging them, but that should cover my needs until a cheap PAYG plan for the iPhone is available that includes data service and bridging service.