From MacRumors via Gizmodo, AT&T and Apple are apparently in discussions regarding an official tethering option for the iPhone.  Rumors say it’ll be an additional $30/month.

Here’s my opinion on the matter, should they actually charge $30/month for this:  complete bullshit.  

I’m sorry for the profanity, but it is, in fact, complete bullshit to charge even more for the tethering service.  First off, as many MacRumors readers noted, we’re already paying for “unlimited” 3G data coverage.  Furthermore, as other readers noted, tethering was free and built-in on my Windows Mobile 6 powered AT&T 8525.  FREE.  

And when I was on the contract for my 8525 I was paying less money in monthly data charges than I am with the iPhone.  In theory, a tethered 8525 could use just as much data on the network as a tethered or untethered iPhone.  Perhaps all along I was supposed to have paid more for this kind of usage on my 8525, but AT&T’s own support tutorials showed me how to do this and they never mentioned an increased fee, nor was I ever charged one.

What gets my goat about this is that because of Apple’s lock down on development for the device, AT&T and Apple could in theory enforce the tethering fee by restricting access to a tethering app/service to subscribed customers (perhaps via an iTunes-only update?).  This is enough make me want to jailbreak my iPhone the next iPhone I get to replace my stolen un-findable iPhone.  Or go through the hassle (which I’ve done already a number of times) of popping out my SIM card, putting it into my 8525, using the 8525 just as a modem for my computer, popping out the SIM, and putting it back in the iPhone.  Annoying, but it works.

So in short, $30 for tethering is LAME LAME LAME.

PS-> Look at me using strikethrough like a real blogger!!


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