Jobs: iPad Incompatible to Tether with iPhone

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3/07/2010 10:19:00 PM - 1 comments

If you have been awaiting tethering option for your iPhone, as most of you are; Steve Jobs has got some news for you. In a recent response to an emailed question, Jobs revealed that Apple's iPad, scheduled for April 3, 2010 launch, probably won't support tethering either. Although, tethering for iPhone is much in demand, it comes as no surprise that it is still a much awaited situation for iPhone users.

Technically, the iPhone can share its mobile or WiFi connection with an attached desktop or laptop. The problem of course lies with AT&T - the only carrier for the iPhone in the United States markets, which doesn't yet support tethering. Much has been heard about AT&T’s promise to eventually bring this feature to iPhone. However, not much has transpired out of the promises as that yet remain a myth waiting to be turned into reality.

The email that ‘reignited’ the iPhone tethering situation

The whole issue about ‘tethering’ got a new lease to life, thanks to the email of one Jezper Söderlund, a European user from Sweden. Unlike his American contemporaries (whose iPhones are bound to AT&T exclusivity), Söderlund is lucky since he is free to tether his connections to his hearts' contents, since his carrier supported the functionality. In a recent email to Apple’s Steve Jobs he wrote (excerpts):

"I'm Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I'm also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question:

Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?

Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant.

From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible.

All the best,

Jezper Söderlund"

To which, Jobs replied in the ‘negative’ and even mentioned that tethering is going to be impossible on the iPad.

Raising many questions on iPad tethering

The email and the subsequent Steve Jobs reply has infact raised several question regarding the option of iPad tethering:

- Will a 3G-supported iPad be able to tether a connection to a desktop or laptop PC?

- What about a WiFi-only iPad?

- Will a user be able to plug a 3G iPhone into a WiFi iPad to tether the connection?

- What about jailbroken iPhones or--presumably--jailbroken iPads?

- Will customers accept having to purchase separate data plans for mobile Internet on their iPad an iPhone devices?

Commenting on the iPad tethering issue, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs assured that in no way can the iPad is considered a threat to the previous version of iPhone. He also updated the users that the products of Apple currently support Bluetooth as well as USB. Apart from that the company has also introduced the technical capacity to compete with the iPhone 3.0 firmware.

Posted: Seuli.B

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