Will AT&T’s New Data Plan Strangle iAd?
Apple has $60 million in commitments for iAd mobile ads, the first of which will run on July 1 on the iPhone and iPod Touch devices, CEO Steve Jobs said during the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference. That same week, AT&T Wireless announced its move to tiered pricing, saying it will no longer offer new smartphone buyers a simple $30 plan for unlimited data use. Instead, customers will have to estimate how much data they are likely to use and buy an appropriate plan. Will the iAd’s potential be cut off just as it launches by consumers fearful of going over their data limits? Ads running on the iAd platform are embedded in apps that users can, in some cases, chose to run or not, after all. With the meter running on data usage, some – perhaps many – consumers may choose not. Conflict Certainly app markers fear there will be a conflict.” What created this lively app world we are in was the iPhone on one hand, and unlimited data plans on the other,” said Noam Bardin, chief executive of
