Target has today revealed its Black Friday deals for November 28 to November 30, which include some incredible savings on the latest Apple devices. Consumers will be able to pick up a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Air — usually priced at $499 — for $479 with a free $100 Target gift card.
The 16GB iPad mini (original model) can also be had for $299 with a free $75 gift card.
Back when AT&T first started rolling out its nationwide LTE network in late 2011, it was at least a year behind Verizon. In fact, when the third-gen iPad launched with LTE last year, we were hard pressed to recommend an AT&T model simply because LTE coverage was so lame compared to Verizon.
But things have changed. Thanks to aggressive pushes into new markets, AT&T and Verizon are now pretty much nose-and-nose when total number of LTE markets is compared.
While Apple hasn’t released any official sales numbers for the iPad Air yet, AT&T is reporting that it saw over a 200% increase in iPad activations during the last three days.
Today AT&T announced its plans to entice tablet customers with new data plan options. The most attractive plan for users will probably be a $5 day pass that offers 250MB for light web usage. A new $25 plan will come with 1GB of data that can be used at any time over the span of three months.
Today AT&T announced that it will be completely doing away with traditional data plans for new customers on October 25th. The carrier has been transitioning to its pooled, “Mobile Share” plan options since it introduced them last summer.
New and existing customers have still been able to choose from a Mobile Share plan or a traditional data package, but that luxury will be gone for new customers in two weeks.
AT&T has updated its U-verse apps for Android and iOS to add live streaming for over 100 channels, more than 20 of which can be enjoyed “outside the home.” The service is available at no extra cost for AT&T subscribers as part of their existing U-family or U-verse TV package.
AT&T has announced that it has extended its LTE coverage across the United States yet again, with 13 markets receiving new or improved LTE this time around. Eleven of them are getting LTE coverage for the first time, while the other two are promised faster and more reliable LTE speeds.
Some lucky folks at Verizon were recently able to upgrade to a new phone without losing their unlimited data plan. Color us totally jealous.
This was the result of a glitch, said Verizon, and not a change in policy like some may have mistakenly hoped for.
Verizon told AllThingsD on Monday that it would, however, honor the unlimited plans of customers that were able to upgrade without the dreaded limited data plan of doom.
The iPhone 5s was hard to find this weekend but Apple certainly had no problem with the supply of the iPhone 5c. Early estimates showed the iPhone 5s outselling the 5c by a considerable margin on launch weekend and it’s still outselling its cheaper sibling nearly 3 to 1 a week later according to the newest data from Localytics.
AT&T has decided that it wants to make its 4G LTE service available to over 270 million Americans by the end of 2013, but with limited wireless spectrum available in the areas it needs to improve, the company has decided to strike a deal with its archenemy Verizon.
To expand its coverage AT&T has purchased $1.9 billion worth of Verizon’s lower 700MHz band B block wireless spectrum. The extra wireless spectrum will give AT&T access to cover 42 million people in 18 states.
If you’re hoping to pick up one of Apple’s new iPhones next Friday, but you need a little cash to put towards it, then it might be worth heading down to your local Walmart with your old smartphone. The retailer is set to launch its own smartphone trade-in program, which will give you between $50 and $300 when you hand over your old device and sign into a new plan.
Apple has confirmed to CNBC that a new iPhone trade-in program will be available in Apple Stores across the United States today — less than two weeks before the Cupertino company is set to announce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.
Customers will be able to exchange their old Apple smartphone for a gift card, which can then be redeemed against a new device with a new two-year contract.
Yesterday it was revealed that T-Mobile isn’t letting its employees take vacation time on the weekend of September 20th. Vacation blackouts are usually how carriers get ready for a big iPhone launch, so it should come as no surprise that AT&T has reportedly done the same for the latter half of next month.
BGR says that AT&T won’t “be launching any other high-profile devices” during that time, so the blackout points to new iPhones. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at a September 10th event. Judging off past years, preorders will likely happen the weekend of the 13th, with in-store availability kicking off on Friday the 20th.
Now is an excellent time to sell your old iPhone with a service like Gazelle. Best Buy also has a nice trade-in deal going on this weekend.
Source: BGR
Image: CNET
Apple is no stranger to lawsuits and with all the cash its been making the past few years, the lawsuits from patent trolls have been piling up. According to a new study on lawsuits from non practicing entities (patent trolls), Apple got slammed with more patent lawsuits (171 total) in the last five years than any other company.
For the last four years, T-Mobile has been just battered by the iPhone. Unable to ink the same deals with Apple as AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon to get the Jesus Phone on their networks at a subsidized price, T-Mobile tried to sell itself to AT&T, only to have the deal killed by the FCC.
In desperation, T-Mobile tried a new approach: they decided to call themselves an “Un-carrier” and start offering untraditional no-contract, upgrade-anytime-you-want plans. And you know what? It’s really paying off for them.
AT&T has yet again expanded its super fast LTE network – by activating 4G in 6 new locations, as well as extending LTE coverage in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. The announcement was made today in a series of sequential press releases on the carrier’s website.
Since the dawn of time, Verizon has dominated customer satisfaction rankings thanks to its network reliability and customer service. Sadly, the king has been overthrown as AT&T topped J.D. Power’s latest rankings for wireless care satisfaction for the first time ever.
Thanks to Samsung and the International Trade Commission, Apple will be banned from importing the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 into the United States from Sunday, August 4. The Cupertino company has been trying to fight the ban since it was confirmed last October, but it’s had little success.
Now it is seeing unlikely support from Microsoft, Intel, and Oracle, which all agree that the use of standards-essential patents to ban products should not be allowed.
AT&T’s new early upgrade program is “calculating, sneaky, underhanded,” according to a new print ad from T-Mobile that will be published in USA Today.
AT&T Next is designed to let customers upgrade their smartphone more often — once every 12 months — and it is a direct competitor to T-Mobile’s new Jump plan. But T-Mobile has been quick to make its feelings about Next clear, accusing AT&T of trying to take more money from its customers.
Today AT&T unveiled two new Mobile Share plans. The carrier’s shared plans originally debuted last summer, and now two more options are being brought into the fold. For $20 per month, subscribers can have 300MB of shared data for $20 and 2GB for $50. The new plans will be available to all subscribers on Friday, July 26th.
As a response to T-Mobile’s new Jump plan that allows customers to upgrade their smartphone once a year for free, AT&T announced Next two days ago, which offers similar perks as Jump but at a much higher cost.
T-Mobile’s CEO, John Legere has already launched an AT&T Next bashing campaign to go along with the anti-AT&T rant filled keynote he delivered on July 10th. According to an email exchange with CNET, Legere views AT&T Next as just “a poor copycat” of Jump that’s designed to ripoff consumers more than ever:
AT&T announced today that it will rollout its own yearly upgrade program, in what seems to be a direct response to T-Mobile’s new ‘Jump’ program that was announced last week.
The new service, dubbed ‘AT&T Next,’ will begin nationwide on July 26th. Customers will be able to get a new smartphone or tablet every year without a down payment, activation fee, upgrade fee or financing fee. Sounds great, except just like with T-Mobile’s Jump plan, you have to pay a monthly fee for the perk for the first 20 months.
Here’s AT&T’s summary of Next:
AT&T plans to purchase Leap Wireless for $15 per share. Leap is the parent company of Cricket Wireless, a small U.S. carrier that sells the iPhone prepaid. In a press release issued today, both carriers confirmed the acquisition plans, explaining that “AT&T will acquire all of Leap’s stock and wireless properties, including licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 5 million subscribers.” Leap is currently over $2 billion in debt, so the AT&T deal will help rescue what has been a sinking ship.
“AT&T will retain the Cricket brand name, provide Cricket customers with access to AT&T’s award-winning 4G LTE mobile network, utilize Cricket’s distribution channels, and expand Cricket’s presence to additional U.S. cities,” notes the press release. The acquisition will also help bolster AT&T’s coverage in select areas around the country. More importantly, Cricket customers will have access to AT&T’s more robust 4G LTE network.
Apple has asked the International Trade Commission to postpone an import ban on the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 while a court considers its appeal. The ban is set to go into affect on August 5 — just under four weeks away — but Apple has argued that it will “sweep away an entire segment of Apple’s product offerings” and harm iPhone carrier partners.
Android has held a pretty sizable lead over the iPhone for a long time now, and in the United States, it would appear there’s little chance of that changing any time soon. But Apple’s smartphone is gaining ground on its rival, and it’s all thanks to T-Mobile.
