300-page iPhone bill

Last updated

300-page iPhone bill
300 Page iPhone bill.png
A screengrab of blogger iJustine showing her 300-page iPhone bill in a box
Directed by iJustine
Release date
  • August 13, 2007 (2007-08-13)
Running time
1 minute and 6 seconds

A 300-page iPhone bill from AT&T Mobility mailed in a box [1] was the subject of a viral video made by YouTube personality Justine Ezarik, best known as iJustine, which became an Internet meme in August 2007. [2] [3] [4] Ezarik's video focused on the unnecessary waste of paper, as the detailed bill itemized all data transfers made during the billing period, including every email and text message. Stories of unexpected billing issues began to circulate in blogs and the technical press after the Apple iPhone's heavily advertised and anticipated release, [5] [6] but this video clip brought the voluminous bills to the attention of the mass media.

Contents

Ten days later, after the video had been viewed more than 3 million times on the Internet [7] [8] and had received international news coverage, AT&T sent iPhone users a text message outlining changes in its billing practices. [8] [9] The information technology magazine Computerworld included this incident in its list of "Technology's 10 Most Mortifying Moments". [10] [11]

Background

Apple released the iPhone in the United States with a software "lock" so it could only be used on the AT&T Mobility network. [12] After purchase, buyers activated their iPhone's AT&T service contract using the Apple iTunes software, [13] during which buyers had the ability to choose their billing preference; however, if no option was specified during activation AT&T defaulted to using detailed billing. [14] Detailed billing itemized every data transfer, including background traffic for e-mail, text messaging, and web browsing. [8] This generated a large number of entries. [5]

After a month's time [15] as early adopters received their first monthly bills, stories of unusually large and expensive iPhone bills circulated. The 300-page bill was exceptional but other heavy users received 50- to 100-page bills. [16] One of the first to attract wider attention was from Ben Kuchera, gaming editor for the technology-related website Ars Technica , who described his 34-sheet, double-sided bill and another 104-page bill sent to a colleague; [5] [6] he wrote, "While many of us have had smart-phones for some time, we've never seen a bill like this." [17] However, it was the release of Justine Ezarik's video that acted as a catalyst to bring widespread media attention to this aspect of the iPhone story. [18]

Video

iJustine and her iPhone, in a case, in 2008 20081114 Justine Ezarik and iPhone.jpg
iJustine and her iPhone, in a case, in 2008

Justine Ezarik, then a 23-year-old [18] Pittsburgh-area graphic designer and sketch comedian who video blogged with the name iJustine, received her 300-page bill on Saturday, August 11, 2007, [19] and decided to use it as a prop for a self-produced video shot in a coffee shop. [20] She posted the edited one-minute clip to several popular Internet video hosting services by the following Monday. [20] In the first week, the video received over 500,000 total views on YouTube, 350,000 views on Revver, 500,000 views on Break.com, and 1,100,000 views on Yahoo Video, as self-reported by the four popular Internet video sites as of August 22. Total views were reported to exceed 8 million by the end of 2007. Ezarik said she earned $2,000 from the video from Revver. [21]

Portions of the video were also televised along with one-on-one interviews with Ezarik by several national and local news programs in the United States, including CNN, [22] Fox News Channel, [23] WTAE-TV, [20] and WPXI-TV. [24] ABC News Now also included independent reporting by an ABC News Radio reporter in their video interview. [25]

Ezarik's Internet video commentary focused on the unnecessary waste of paper billing. In the video she highlights the physical size of the bill, not the amount due. "I have an iPhone and I had to switch to AT&T. So, that's wonderful. Well, I got my first AT&T bill, right here in a box," she says at the start of the video. [20] The rest of the video, set to the distinctive music used in American iPhone television commercials, shows her opening the box and flipping through the pages in fast motion. [26] The clip ends with the on-screen caption, "Use e-billing. Save a forest." [5]

Her other comments also followed along the same lines. In a blog posting she wrote, "Apparently, they give you a detailed transaction of every text message sent and received. Completely unnecessary." [2] She told a USA Today reporter, "This is so silly, there's no reason they need to send you this much information." [3] Ezarik is a heavy user who typically sends and receives tens of thousands of text messages a month, which generated an exceptionally long $275 [3] bill – 300 double-sided pages that had to be sent in a box with postage charges of $7. [27]

Reaction

The original iPhone Original iPhone docked.jpg
The original iPhone

Company

AT&T Mobility, the mobile phone service provider for the iPhone said through spokesman Mark Siegel that the size of this bill was exceptional. "We're not sending lots of boxed bills to customers," he told USA Today . He said that the billing is the same for all AT&T mobile users, but the popularity and functionality of the iPhone gave it new visibility. "It's no different than with any other bill for any other device or any other service that we offer." [5]

Later, on August 18, AT&T issued a statement saying: "Our customers have the option of receiving a bill that is detail-free. Also, we have for years encouraged our customers to switch to online billing because it is convenient, secure, and environmentally friendly." [28] Then, on August 22, AT&T announced via text message to iPhone users that it was removing itemized detail from paper bills. [8] [9] Ezarik responded, "Looks like they may have got the message," in response to AT&T's action. [8] Company spokeswoman Lauren Garner claimed public reaction was not the reason for the company's switch from detailed to summary billing, saying, "This was something we planned all along." [26] [29]

Industry

AT&T may not have anticipated the downstream effects of iPhone customers' high data usage. [30] [31]

Internet reporter Dana Blankenhorn stated that the size of the bill illustrated a problem with the telephone companies' "event based" or connection-oriented business model and used it to argue for open spectrum in a radio frequency spectrum auction in the U.S. scheduled for 2008. He contrasted how telephone billing considers every action a separately billable event, while the Internet model is based on a flat fee for best-effort delivery in connectionless mode transmission. [32]

The information technology magazine Computerworld reported on the incident, saying the company's "extraordinarily detailed billing process resulted in some users receiving bills that ran dozens or even hundreds of pages long." It published the gaffe in its list of "Technology's 10 Most Mortifying Moments". [10] [11]

Environmental

Rob Enderle, a Silicon Valley tech analyst also echoed Ezarik's environmental activism, saying, "AT&T should get a new tagline – use AT&T, kill a tree." [27] The USA Today story was also titled "How many trees did your iPhone bill kill?" [3] According to blogger Muhammad Saleem, Apple's aim to have 10 million iPhone users by the end of 2008 would require the logging of about 74,535 trees annually, assuming an average 100-page monthly bill. [26] [33] [34] An editorial in The Blade , an independent newspaper in Toledo, Ohio called the detailed billing "absurd and environmentally wasteful". [35]

Security

One security conscious commenter on the Engadget consumer electronics blog addressed the privacy implications of the oversize bills given the limitations of personal paper shredders, by speculating on whether it would be easier to dispose of these large bills by burning them to protect personal information. [36] An editor for the libertarian monthly Reason also speculated about the usefulness of the detailed information to government investigators. [37] The original Ars Technica blog posting, on the other hand, dismissed privacy concerns, showing that the detail pages do not contain sensitive information. [38]

Other outsized iPhone bills

Press accounts of this story also included related details and comments:

See also

Related Research Articles

iTunes Store Digital media store

The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. which opened on April 28, 2003. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,000 TV shows, and 65,000 films. The iTunes Store is available on most home and portable Apple devices, as well as some platforms by other companies. The store opened as part of then-CEO Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music; when it opened, it was the only legal digital catalog of music to offer songs from all five major record labels, which played a part in its success and influence in the music downloading business. While initially a dominant player in digital media, by the mid-2010s, streaming media services were generating more revenue than the buy-to-own model used by the iTunes Store; Apple now operates its own subscription-based streaming music service, Apple Music, alongside the iTunes Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AT&T Mobility</span> American telecommunications company

AT&T Mobility, LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the second largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 114.5 million subscribers as of March 31, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC iPlayer</span> Television and radio streaming service

BBC iPlayer is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services delivered to UK-based viewers feature no commercial advertising. The terms BBC iPlayer, iPlayer, and BBC Media Player refer to various methods of viewing or listening to the same content. To use the service, a valid TV Licence is required by law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacRumors</span> News website focused on Apple, Inc.

MacRumors is an American website that reports and aggregates Apple Inc.- and Mac-related news, rumors, and information.

Truphone is a GSMA-accredited global mobile network that operates its service internationally. The company is headquartered in London and has offices in ten other countries, being spread across four continents.

iPhone Line of smartphones by Apple Inc.

The iPhone is a smartphone produced by Apple that uses Apple's own iOS mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007. Since then, Apple has annually released new iPhone models and iOS updates. As of November 1, 2018, more than 2.2 billion iPhones had been sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Voice</span> Telecommunications service by Google

Google Voice is a telephone service that provides a U.S. phone number to Google Account customers in the U.S. and Google Workspace customers in Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the contiguous United States. It is used for call forwarding and voicemail services, voice and text messaging, as well as U.S. and international calls. Calls are forwarded to the phone number that each user must configure in the account web portal. Users can answer and receive calls on any of the phones configured to ring in the web portal. While answering a call, the user can switch between the configured phones. Subscribers in the United States can make outgoing calls to domestic and international destinations. The service is configured and maintained by users in a web-based application, similar in style to Google's email service Gmail, or Android and iOS applications on smartphones or tablets.

iJustine American YouTube personality (born 1984)

Justine Ezarik is an American YouTuber. She is best known as iJustine, with over one billion views on her YouTube channel. She gained attention as a lifecaster who communicated directly with her millions of viewers on her Justin.tv channel, ijustine.tv. She acquired notability in roles variously described as a "lifecasting star", a "new media star", or one of the Internet's most popular lifecasters. She posts videos on her main channel iJustine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovi (Nokia)</span> Former Internet services by Nokia

Ovi was the brand for Nokia's Internet services from 2007 to 2012. It was designed to be an umbrella brand as Nokia attempted to expand into software and Internet services instead of just mobile hardware. Ovi focused on five key service areas offered by Nokia: Games, Maps, Media, Messaging and Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the iPhone</span>

The history of the iPhone development by Apple Inc. spans from the early 2000s to about 2010. The first iPhone was released in 2007. By the end of 2009, iPhone models had been released in all major markets.

iOS jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by Apple on devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems. It is typically done through a series of kernel patches. A jailbroken device typically permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities.

iPhone 4 2010 smartphone by Apple

The iPhone 4 is a smartphone that was designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation of the iPhone lineup, succeeding the iPhone 3GS and preceding the iPhone 4s. Following a number of notable leaks, the iPhone 4 was first unveiled on June 7, 2010, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, and was released on June 24, 2010, in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FaceTime</span> Apple videotelephony service

FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple Inc. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices running iOS 4 and later and Mac computers that run Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later. FaceTime supports any iOS device with a forward-facing camera and any Mac computer equipped with a FaceTime Camera. FaceTime Audio, an audio-only version, is available on any iOS device that supports iOS 7 or newer, and any Mac with a forward-facing camera running OS X 10.9.2 and later.

iPhone (1st generation) 2007 Apple smartphone

The iPhone is the first iPhone model and the first smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. After years of rumors and speculation, it was officially announced on January 9, 2007, and was released in the United States on June 29, 2007.

iCloud Cloud storage and cloud computing service by Apple

iCloud is a cloud service operated by Apple Inc. Launched on October 12, 2011, iCloud enables users to store and sync data across devices, including Apple Mail, Apple Calendar, Apple Photos, Apple Notes, contacts, settings, backups, and files, to collaborate with other users, and track assets through Find My. It is built into iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, and visionOS. iCloud may additionally be accessed through a limited web interface and Windows application.

iPhone 5 Smartphone made by Apple (2012–2013)

The iPhone 5 is a smartphone that was designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the 6th generation iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 4s, and preceding both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. It was formally unveiled as part of a press event on September 12, 2012, and subsequently released on September 21, 2012. The iPhone 5 was the first iPhone to be announced in September, and setting a trend for subsequent iPhone releases, the first iPhone to be completely developed under the guidance of Tim Cook and the last iPhone to be overseen by Steve Jobs. The iPhone 5's design was used three times, first with the iPhone 5 itself in 2012, then with the iPhone 5s in 2013, and finally with the first-generation iPhone SE in 2016.

iPhone 6 2014 smartphone by Apple

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eighth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, and were announced on September 9, 2014, and released on September 19, 2014. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus jointly were themselves replaced as the flagship devices of the iPhone series by the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on September 9, 2015. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays, a faster processor, upgraded cameras, improved LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity and support for a near-field communications-based mobile payments offering.

iPhone 11 Pro Thirteenth-generation Apple smartphone

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are smartphones designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. Serving as Apple's flagship models of the 13th generation of iPhones, they succeeded the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, respectively, upon their release. Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the devices alongside the standard model, the iPhone 11, on September 10, 2019 at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. Pre-orders began on September 13, 2019, and the phones went on sale on September 20. They were discontinued on October 13, 2020, following the announcement of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.

iOS 14 2020 mobile operating system

iOS 14 is the fourteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple for the iPhone and iPod touch lines. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020 as the successor to iOS 13, it was released to the public on September 16, 2020. It was succeeded by iOS 15 on September 20, 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Martin, James A. (September 5, 2007). "Sexy Portable Storage: The 300-Page iPhone Bill". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Keizer, Gregg (August 16, 2007). "A 300-page iPhone Bill?". PC World . ISSN   0737-8939. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Graham, Jefferson (August 15, 2007). "How many trees did your iPhone bill kill?". USA Today . Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Pittsburgh Ranked Third 'Bloggiest' City". WTAE-TV News. November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Ho, David (August 16, 2007). "A 300-page iPhone bill? Too much information, users say". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . p. C1. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  6. 1 2 "Singing the iPhone Billing Blues". TelecomWeb News. Free Press. August 17, 2007. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  7. 1 2 Richards, Jonathan (August 23, 2007). "Dear iPhone owner: your 300-page bill". The Times.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hafner, Katie (August 23, 2007). "AT&T's Overstuffed iPhone Bills Annoy Customers". The New York Times . Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  9. 1 2 Cheng, Jacqui (August 22, 2007). "AT&T says "No more 300-page iPhone bills"". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
  10. 1 2 Haskin, David (October 17, 2007). "Technology's 10 Most Mortifying Moments: iPhone Bills Kill Trees". Computerworld . Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  11. 1 2 Reedy, Sarah (August 15, 2008). "Billing confusion a pain for wireless customers and customer service". Telephony Online. Archived from the original on August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008. When the first version of the iPhone came out, in what Computerworld called one of "technology's 10 most mortifying moments", consumers with 300-page bills voiced their disdain in what became a viral video on the Internet.
  12. ↑ Krazit, Tom; Jennifer Guevin; Michelle Meyers (January 9, 2007). "Finally, Apple answers call for iPhone". CNET News. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  13. ↑ Pogue, David (June 27, 2007). "The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  14. ↑ Perenson, Melissa J. (August 23, 2007). "The 300-page iPhone bill to disappear". PC World . Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Opinion: Phone service". Daily News & Analysis, India. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007. The new iPhone has been staggering users, first with its gizmo-good-looks, then with its functionality and now, about a month after it was launched, with its bills.
  16. ↑ O'Brien, Terrence (August 14, 2007). "Girl Videotapes 300-Page iPhone Bill – Switched: Gadgets, Tech, Digital Stuff for the Rest of Us". Switched. AOL. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  17. ↑ Ayres, Chris (August 27, 2004). "The iPhone bill that's as thick as a novel". The Times . Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  18. 1 2 Lyons, Kim (August 16, 2007). "The blog is on". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  19. ↑ Ragan, Steve (August 17, 2007). "Thirty thousand text messages equal a forest killing 300-page phone bill". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Stockey, Andrew (August 15, 2007). "Pittsburgh Blogger's 300-Page iPhone Bill Mailed in Box". WTAE-TV News, Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  21. ↑ Whitney, Daisy (December 8, 2007). "Online Fame Easy; Ads Harder to Get". TVWeek. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  22. ↑ Glenn Beck (August 16, 2007). "Transcripts". CNN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  23. ↑ Shepard Smith (August 17, 2007). "Video: iSurprise: Blogger shocked after receiving 300-page iPhone bill". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  24. ↑ "Local iPhone Customer Gets 300-Page Phone Bill". WPXI Pittsburgh. August 15, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Getting the iPhone Bill". ABC News . Archived from the original on August 30, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007. First billing cycle arrives looking more like a novel then a bill.
  26. 1 2 3 Levine, Barry (August 24, 2007). "AT&T Decides To Kill the iPhone Bill". CIO Today. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  27. 1 2 Phillips, Ashley (August 14, 2007). "Bulky iPhone Bills Can Top 300 Pages". ABC News . Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  28. ↑ Brady, Jeff (August 18, 2007). "Woman mocks 300-page bill-in-a-box". WFAA-TV news (Dallas/Fort Worth). Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
  29. ↑ Swett, Clint (August 23, 2007). "Long iPhone bills go away". The Sacramento Bee . Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  30. ↑ Quinn, Michelle (August 23, 2007). "AT & T to keep iPhone bills brief". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  31. ↑ McNevin, Greg (August 29, 2007). "No More 300 Page Bills for iPhone Customers". Image and Data Manager, Australia. Knapp Communications. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  32. ↑ Blankenhorn, Dana. "The iPhone bill demonstrates need for open spectrum". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  33. ↑ Brenn, Max. "Massive AT&T iPhone Bills Considered Useless". eFluxMedia. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  34. ↑ Brown, Jorg (August 17, 2007). "iPhone Billing and International Issues". TidBITS. Archived from the original on August 29, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  35. ↑ "A bill in a box is a waste". Toledo Blade . August 23, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  36. ↑ Smit, Martina (August 24, 2007). "iPhone bill is as thick as a novel". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  37. ↑ Weigel, David (August 16, 2007). "Hit & Run > The Feeding of the 300". Reason. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  38. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (August 11, 2007). "iPhone bill is surprisingly Xbox HUGE (lol)". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  39. ↑ Bora, Madhusmita (August 16, 2007). "Business: iPhone bills land with a thump". St. Petersburg Times . Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  40. ↑ Barnett, Megan (August 14, 2007). "Daily Brief: Little Phone, Big Bill". Portfolio.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007. At the end of the bill, if anyone actually reads that far, the phone company has an announcement to make. "The New AT&T is going green".
  41. ↑ Kelley, Jeffrey (August 16, 2007). "AT&T users, may find a big bill in the mail". Richmond Times-Dispatch . Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  42. ↑ "AT&T drops iPhone bills that ran hundreds of pages". CNNMoney.com. August 23, 2007. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007. Brophy's blog post asked "Has anyone on the Apple Environmental Team seen an AT&T bill?" Former Vice President Al Gore, an environmental activist, sits on the Apple board.
  43. ↑ Fink, R. (August 27, 2007). "The Packet Rat: Commentary: The other shoe — measured by the ton — drops with the iPhone bill". Government Computer News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.