Apple iPhone MMS Delayed, Coming Sept, Tethering $55 Extra
EXCLUSIVE: We originally brought you the story last month stating MMS and tethering would be coming in July. AT&T responded directly to our story and stated it would be delayed. Well those stories are true as MMS and tethering are now coming in September.
Context & Ripple Effects
The timetable was already unsettled in June: AT&T had been described as withholding iPhone MMS until late summer, while reports of MMS and tethering working on some iPhone 3Gs suggested that handset software capability and carrier-wide activation were separate issues.
The September schedule resolves the near-term timing question by putting AT&T, rather than Apple’s June iPhone 3GS launch, in control of when these features reach all subscribers. The $55 tethering charge also makes availability a pricing decision, not just a software update.
First-order effects
- AT&T iPhone subscribers expecting MMS and tethering in July must wait until September for both services.
- AT&T sets tethering apart as a $55 extra charge, raising the cost for iPhone owners who want to use the phone as a data connection.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s iPhone 3GS sales push leaves a growing set of buyers dependent on AT&T’s provisioning timetable for advertised software-era capabilities.
- The gap between AT&T’s earlier late-summer MMS position and reports of limited functionality underscores that a feature can exist on the handset without being commercially available across the carrier’s network.
Third-order effects
- The episode reinforces carrier control over the iPhone experience: network operators can determine both the rollout pace and the price of data-intensive features after a handset ships.
- If carriers continue attaching separate fees and activation schedules to handset features, mobile software improvements will compete on carrier policy as well as device capability.
The trend: Smartphone features are becoming services governed by carrier activation and data pricing, not merely functions delivered with the handset software.