The Coffee Desk

Will AT&T Be Able to Handle The iPad?

The hyped up iPad is officially out and will start shipping in 60 or 90 days depending on if you want just the WiFi version or the WiFi and 3G version. So what will this iPad do? The 9.7 inch iPad looks like a giant iPhone and come in 3 flavors – 16, 32, and 64 gigabytes and includes WiFi and/or 3G cell reception sold by AT&T. It can last about 10 hours on a single charge and sit on standby for a month without a single charge. The basic iPad models start at $499 and ending at $699 and will be released in March. Apple will also sell a version with AT&T data plans. For $14.99/month you will get 250mb and for $29.99/month, you will have an unlimited data plan. The good part is that you will not be under a contract so you can quit anytime. These models will be a little more starting at $629 and ending at $829. The question is, will AT&T be able to handle the load once these models start shipping in April? Only time will tell.

AT&T has gotten a bad reputation ever since they signed that agreement with Apple to offer the iPhone 3G. The most common complaints seemed to focus on poor reception in areas that are known to have strong 3G reception. AT&T’s 3G reception is not as pervasive as its Edge reception, but AT&T’s website claims is available in larger cites such as New York and Los Angelas as well as smaller metro areas. Even still, there are numerous complaints poor coverage and dropped calls. Some users even mentioned AT&T reps insisting that they turn off 3G to prevent the problem. Though that would help of course, that is not what users want and there is 3G built in for a reason. In addtion, some users complained of signal fluctuation sometimes going from 3 bars to “No service.” I have not had many of these sorts of problems, but I do have my frustrating share of dropped calls.

Mark Siegel, AT&T’s spokesman, said he has not noticed any issues specific to the iPhone 3G or its 3G networks. He states that wireless coverage depends on a number of things such as proximity and other various factors. He has also stated that they are working hard on their networks and upgrades have begun. This is great, however, will they be able to handel a new device on their networks that focuses on a sturdy internet connection? Mark states, “We’re planning to tackle both iPad and iPhone usage in the feature through dramatic upgrades in capacity over the next 90 days, particularly in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.”

The iPhone’s success has exploded with AT&T activating 3.1 million phones for the fourth quarter just shy of the record breaking 3.2 million last quarter. That is a lot of iPhone on AT&T network. During the quarterly results, it was said that AT&T has prepared for the iPad on its networks and I sure hope they are right. AT&T expects the to add about 1,000 new cell sites and twice as much extra capacity this year. AT&T is trying and we see what happens. I suspect that a great percentage of data usage is from items like the Blackberry and iPhone and to add another device to suck up the 3G speeds is going to make or break AT&T. Many of AT&T’s problems are expected to ease once it starts integrating 4G, which will begin by 2011. This service will run entirely IP networking and much cheaper to run cheaper despite being faster. For AT&T sake, I hope they get it right as they have millions of subscribers depending on them.