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AT&T Goes On a Rampage: Will Destroy 74,535 Trees for iPhone Service Bills

muhammadsaleem.com — AT&T is sending out phone bills that average 50 pages in length. With 10 million iPhones expected to be sold by the end of 2008, that means 10 million AT&T customers that can expect to get 50-page bills, 12 times a year, totaling 6 billion sheets of paper wasted.

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  • whitezombie420, on 10/10/2007, -114/+237and all of those 6 billion sheets of paper will come from trees grown in tree farms that will be immediately replanted after they are harvested. they are not hurting nature by sending out huge bills that waste paper. they are keeping the paper and tree farm industry going. that provides jobs, and helps the economy keep moving.

    you want to shed tears, shed them for the postal workers that have to walk their route carrying around those extra heavy bills. or the dumbasses that wasted 600 bucks on a phone just because of the name.
    • Alegoo92, on 10/10/2007, -27/+6and the HOT interface :D
      • JerodSlay, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It's still wasteful. Why.... waste? when it's not needed? Only a third of the world's paper comes from tree farms. I suspect less than a third of the bills come from the farms.

        I talked to an AT&T guy about this on the phone. He said he hadn't heard anything of it. After describing it to him, he said that it sounded like a bug, that they wouldn't have meant to send out the itemized bill like that. Who knows, they may fix it after one billing cycle.
      • knowyourrights, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0It's all about Earthclassmail.com; save trees and get your mail scanned. I just signed up. I get all my mail sent there. They scan in the envelope the mail, and email it to me. I can select to have it shredded or opened and scanned in or forwarded to me, wherever I am. Perhaps the best part is that there is a button to press, and they’ll automatically send a request to remove you from that junk mailing list. An insanely useful service. And you'll NEVER have to do a change of address form ever again. Like I said, an INSANELY useful service. I can't say that enough.
    • MKautz, on 10/10/2007, -33/+79Yes, since we don't use enough paper already, AT&T is definitely helping the economy and paper industry. /sarcasm
      I don't think your realize how shallow you come off making a comment like that.
    • rrbest, on 10/10/2007, -6/+104My papermill stocks have gone up 215% since the iPhone was released. I bought an iPhone with the profits. .
    • Philodox, on 10/10/2007, -24/+35How do you know they all come from sustainable tree farms? Do you work for the paper mill that supplies AT&T's supplier? Or do you have godlike knowledge of the paper industry?
      • Quest4pi, on 10/10/2007, -18/+12How do you know they don't? Be careful, this kind of logic can just lead you in circles.
        • pardonmedoug, on 10/10/2007, -9/+8Congratulations on being a moron.
        • Jebral, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1pardonmedoug, you're a moron if you didn't understand what he said or did and didn't agree.
      • softboiled, on 10/10/2007, -5/+26if the farms weren't sustainable then they wouldn't be farms. Farms replant after a harvest. Or are you suggesting that in the dead of night lumberjacks are going into backyards and chopping down other people's trees.
        • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -13/+6Are you completely unaware of the deforestation issues and sustainable growth issues? Are you living in a ***** cave?
        • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Hmm that explains why I no longer have any trees in my back yard! Damn you AT&T!
        • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Are you aware that deforestation is happening because people need places to live and grow food, and not to supply paper? There is a pretty big ***** difference there *****.
          • OisinT, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1um... sorry, but last time I was anywhere they are clearcutting in random spots in the middle of forests. The majority of the places being clearcut are NOT for people to live and grow food.
            You're trying to tell me that they're cutting down rainforests so people that already live there and grow food there WITH the trees have a place to live and grow food. wow.... can't actually believe you're calling someone a *****. mr. pot I'd like to introduce you to mr. kettle
      • Gryffydd, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I used my godlike powers to drive by just such a farm the other day....
        • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11What, a farm with a great big "All these trees are for iPhone bills" sign out the front?
      • exomni, on 10/10/2007, -8/+6Exactly, unless we have proof otherwise, we MUST assume the paper mill that is supplying AT&T with paper is out there right now chainsawing the rainforest. I mean, it's only reasonable to assume that, since we have no proof directly in front of us saying otherwise.

        Also: unless you have viable, substantiated proof otherwise, we MUST assume there is a teapot in orbit over the earth with god-like powers that directly control the outcome of every event in the universe, and that he (yes, a gender-specific teapot) gets very angry when people wear green, and commands that all human beings rape/torture/murder all wearers of green.

        I mean, after all, how do you know there isn't?





        Nitwit.
      • hoovcluck, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16Paper mill? I don't think so buddy. AT&T uses only the finest hard wood trees straight from the rain forests.
        • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Each tree is guaranteed to have at least 3oz of Howler Monkey blood on it or your next bill is free.
      • joe573, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I know it comes from farms because they are everywhere where I live. If you have a large chunk of land, the paper company will actually pay you to use your land to plant trees on. They come back in 10 years and pay you again to harvest some of the trees. Then in 10 more years they come back, cut you a check, clear cut the entire thing and plant more trees.
      • drlha, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1*
    • bstew22, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3OMG MORE PAPER!
    • windwaker, on 10/10/2007, -17/+12thanks for the completely baseless comment. not all trees we use for paper come from tree farms (read: the rainforest, perhaps?).
      • greatcaffeine, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2We have plenty of rainforests. Nice try though.
      • unloud, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Not all trees we use for paper come from rainforests (read: tree farms, perhaps?)
      • joe573, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Actually, pine trees make the best paper (read: do a little research). Call the paper company and tell them you have a 100 acres of land they can plant on and watch how fast they will be at your house with a check in hand. They will practically beg you to use your land to plant on and pay you to do so.
      • cmpshotty, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Rainforests aren't used for paper, they're simply cut down to make room for farmland.
    • dylanrush, on 10/10/2007, -19/+62Even if that paper did come from a tree farm, a permanent forest had to be destroyed to build that farm there. Tree farms are not suitable habitats for anything.

      WASTING PAPER = BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
      • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13WHY aren't the bills sent by email?
        • gomezfreak, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5For a device so "advanced", the billing method is primitive to say the least. This doesn't help the whole whole wanting to be seen as "green" image does it Apple?
          • hoovcluck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Apple is known for being a company that has a poor environmental record--due in part to the ipods and their batteries. Levono is one of the more environmentally friendly companies.
        • ufia, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Because emails are made out of elderly people. But I guess you prefer saving the rain forest, mister plant lover.
        • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I am more concerned on why the hell they need 50 freaking pages. My Verizon bill is 4 pages (front and back mind you) and that is with four people on the plan.
        • EntangledPhysx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Because it makes too much sense to send it through email.
        • OisinT, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1lol yeah... if I just spent 600 bucks on a magic phone that gives me blow jobs I'd expect my bill to be emailed to my ***** iPhone, not sent to me in an encyclopedia.



          wait, what? it DOESN'T give blow jobs. ***** that.
      • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3And that isn't even including the air/sound pollution caused by all that cutting of wood.
        • SkinnyPuppy, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Sound pollution? Are you ***** kidding me?
          Does that mean that music is now bad for the environment too?
          • hoovcluck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3You can get a ticket for noise pollution and you don't get ***** for driving a big ass cummins diesel that spits out clouds of thick black smoke every time you press the gas.
        • OneLess, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Sound pollution, a.k.a. noise pollution, happens when you have something like hundreds of chainsaws or thousands of cars running in an area. Generally disagreeable, both to people and to wildlife. Please re-take 4th grade science class.
          • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"Noise pollution (or environmental noise in technical venues) is displeasing human or machine created sound that disrupts the environment. "

            Taken straight from Wikipedia. By definition I could fart and that could be considered noise pollution. Maybe it is you that should retake 4th grade science class.
      • softboiled, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2lol. so basically tree farming is bad because they're replacing trees with other trees? and having a swath of trees cut down and replanted is no different than having a natural forest fire that clears a chunk of forest.

        and what's considered wasting paper? using too much tp? hope you're using the three seashells Demolition Man style
    • thax, on 10/10/2007, -4/+28Making white paper uses many nasty chemicals in the bleaching process. Other processes also use chemicals to produce the paper product. In addition the process to make paper consumes vast amounts of fresh water and power. My town of Prince George in Canada doesn't mind the extra economic boost, but don't pretend that this wasteful process is somehow not hurting nature.
    • Scheissen, on 10/10/2007, -8/+21wow, you deserve most stupid comment of the day

      AT&T needs to revise their contracts. It's not even useful listing every KB downloaded when it's all listed as "data."
      Have you ever heard of this thing called the soil that trees grow out of? Usually they use a lot of this "nutrition" in the soil when replanting trees. It's not infinite.
      • joe573, on 10/10/2007, -5/+4Good thing man has invented this stuff called fertilizer that actually puts nutrients back in the soil. How do you think people grow cotton or corn in the same field every year?
    • Buddhaismybuddy, on 10/10/2007, -7/+11LOL, you really think taht all that paper comes from a farm? what a joke, you know how many trees it takes to make 6 billion sheets of paper?

      "and all of those 6 billion sheets of paper will come from trees grown in tree farms that will be immediately replanted after they are harvested."

      Oh really, thats why the logging industry no longer exists, and they arnt continuosly cutting down rainforests all ove the world....right.........right?

      Please, stop being an ignorant tool.
      • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+71 tree can only provide enough wood pulp to make 16 rheems of paper (8000 sheets).
        This, 6,000,000,000 / 8000 = about 75,000
        Why aren't they sending these bills out electronically?? Hell, the large screen non the iPhone would be ideal for this.
        • Buddhaismybuddy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Actually its more like 750,000 trees
          http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpapermaking.html
        • elnerdo, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Which when you think about it, is only a grid of ~87x87 trees, and even if we're really liberal with our numbers, that can't be much more than a 2000foot by 2000 foot plot of land, which is really only a little over 90 acres of trees, and I'm being really gratuitous with my numbers here.

          After it's all said and done: It's really not that big of a deal.
        • Buddhaismybuddy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1how did you come up with these figures?
          • elnerdo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The numbers in zybch's post are in the article (mostly), and my numbers are all derived from that or common sense

            87 is the approx square root of 75000, and common sense tells me that an 11 foot radius around each tree is PLENTY room (Hence how I get 2000footx2000foot), and then that area is easily converted to acres.
    • cosmoli, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Yes, this comment is indeed very shallow. Saying X creates jobs and helps the economy going can be used to defend any form of labor X. Also note that paper production is one of the major (I think about 10% of all industry) users of energy,coming from fossil fuels, etc.
    • acl123, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19It's still a monumental waste.
    • Quaterni0n, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0Some people buy products based on the strength of the brand alone. Ever heard of the PS3? Same deal there.
    • enivid, on 10/10/2007, -3/+14Why are people digging this (parent) comment up! There is no argument that can convince me that waste is a good thing.
    • doctechnical, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3"Destroying trees for paper" == "Destroying potatoes for French Fires"

      • Buddhaismybuddy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3what?
      • Useight, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1French fires are the best kind of fires. Snooty French.
      • doctechnical, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Good grief. If I could digg myself down, I would. Me be dumb.
    • vertinox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16What about all the energy used to create the paper and transport it?
    • kedohmen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Wait wait wait, Postal workers still walk where you're from? The lazy bastards around here all drive
      • blacklint, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I'd take either. Our little town has no mail delivery, only post office boxes.
    • azurechaos, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2you know the jews in nazi concentration camps also helped the economy. so hell, it must have been ok!
    • pizpot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Those tree farms are called FORESTS here in Canada. I tree planted in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. The loggers break every rule they can, divide the ecosystem up with gravel roads and change the heck out of the forest. It recovers, but the big animals don't. Never mind that I buried about 1/3 of what I got paid to have planted in little pits when my boss wasn't looking.
    • EBFoxbat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2My bill was 3 sheets of paper. 3 x12 = how many trees?
      • WarrenC, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1and how many gallons of wasted water?
        • swrlyhrly, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You cant really "waste" water. Water is a renewable resource just like air or dirt. I suppose it can be contaminated but it can also be purified.
    • theanticrust, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Not hurting nature? You got to be kidding me. Even if they do replant ever single tree they cut think of the amount of resources used to harvest, transport, print, dispose, recycle, etc.
      • trueforce, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1how about opt for the eBill.... sure 50 pages is a joke, but anyone who actually gets a paper bill these days is a f'ing idiot!!!
    • civdis24, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6You're a complete joke. Regardless of where the paper came from, WTF is the point of a 50 page bill? No one will read through that *****. It's not only a waste of paper, it's a waste of time and life.

      Amazing that somehow my Sprint bill manages to be contained on about 3 small sheets of paper. What's the point of a phone bill any longer than 5 pages?
    • Useight, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1My T-mobile bill is only 2 pages. Whoever decided on this billing method should be fired. Probably already has been.
    • Buddhaismybuddy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Right, sustainable tree farms....what a nice thought. How do you explain this?
      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Oldgrowth3.jpg
    • drlha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yeah, was that last sentence really necessary? Or is it standard now in digg comments to include a stupid fanboy or anti-fanboy comment? The iPhone is actually a pretty cool phone, people didn't just buy it because of the name, they bought it because it is a cool gadget that actually delivers on what it promises.
    • peterman81, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Formula to be dugg to the top on digg; 1) have seemingly omnipotent knowledge about all facets of our industry with no supporting facts, 2) dislike Apple (that's original), 3) Offend as many people as possible by emphasizing your superiority, digg is going downhill
    • thailand1972, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0- 50-page bills keep an economy going = it's AT&T customers who are paying for that economy through higher bills. Somebody has to pay for it
      - 50-page phone bills = terrible PR for AT&T
      - It's not necessary = makes AT&T look silly
    • hellbent6, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1well if hemp where legal we would have alot more paper for atat bills
  • bugmenot47, on 10/10/2007, -5/+35recycle?
    • skunkfart, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1WINNER!
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5An American company recycle?! Surely you must be joking!
      • joshf52, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3He is joking, and don't call him Shirley.
    • motivr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2The bill will turn into ashes not long after you put in the recycle truck.
    • theanticrust, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Reduce?
    • matrixbandit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Paper recycling is a ***** industry and it's actually bad for the environment.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvfQ0iffj40
      • Shorties, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't recycle to save me or the government money. I recycle to save the landfills, my mom works near a landfill over an old landfill. There are so many rules to building something over a landfill, its not just like burying old stuff, it really causes harm, the more you recycle the less we have to put in the earth and the faster the stuff biodegrades. That is why most people recycle and they didn't even touch on that. We don't have unlimited space for landfills on this planet.
        • matrixbandit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't disagree with you at all, but I do want to make sure you understand my point with regards to paper products. Paper products do biodegrade very quickly so they really aren't a part of the landfill problem. Another way to think about it, is to say that paper "recycles" itself when it biodegrades into the earth, giving nutrients back to the soil that other growing trees will use. Given that this process will happen without any help from us, doesn't it seem ridiculous and frankly wasteful to use artificial industrial processes to accomplish the same thing? The key difference is that the artificial process of recycling causes damage to the environment.
  • krnldmp, on 10/10/2007, -11/+64I expect iphone to be obsolete by 2008.
    • bstew22, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5i like shiny objects
    • jkizzle, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8ipod stuck around
    • qubitz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+20I expect to still be in my contract by 2008.
      • hoovcluck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Unless you plan on giving up a testicle or ovary to get out of it.
        • Cykaos, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7I gave up both a testicle and an ovary and they still didn't let me out.
          • unloud, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Don't lie; we know you don't actually have testicles.
      • AnimZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I hope so. It's a two-year contract that if you end early you have to pay, what, a hundred dollars?
    • jabberwolf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Well with dead spots on the iphone showing up in the first month afterwards by many people.

      You might just be right, now not only does it not work, but totally not eco friendly !
    • Shimoniskey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, V2 will be out by then...
  • blubolt, on 10/10/2007, -6/+111or you could go to your account online and uncheck the "send paper bill" option, butt munch. Take some responsibility for your own impact - one of the reasons there is an environmental footprint of that size is because of the service users are demanding. If they didn't send the bill you would whine about that too.
    • blackcloud333, on 10/10/2007, -11/+2dugg down for using the slang "butt munch".
      • TheUngod, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2heh heh...shut up turd burglar...heh heh
        • unloud, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Oh, so HE's the bastard that burgled my turd.

          You bastard.
    • fadetoone, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I was going to make the same comment. I haven't gotten a paper bill from AT&T/Cingular in years. Since the iphone type people would seem to be more likely to be internet friendly, it would be the obvious choice...
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Well they should really have that option ticked by default, and if you want a paper bill you should pay an extra couple of dollars for it!
      • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They do. They sent out a notice a while ago that if you wanted to keep recieving paper bills to contact AT&T. Otherwise they were going to switch over to paperless billing. However, this was only sent out to people who signed up an online account to monitor their bills, and supplied their email in the first place.
    • onewingedangel9, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2You make a good point, but the use of the term "butt munch" completely invalidates anything that comes out of your mouth. If you want to be helpfull and be taken seriously, you might want to refrain from using insults. People generally don't respond to them well. It would be a good idea to spread a Digg story telling people to uncheck the "send paper bill" option however.
      • jsmrekar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Logical Fallacy: Poisoning the Well

        Because he used the term butt munch does not invalidate his points.
        • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1No one poisoned the well--go back to class.
    • real, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Agreed. Not that it is right to waste that much paper, but we can do something about it.
    • caliyankee, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Hell no! Dugg UP for "butt munch". Haven't heard that one in years.
    • icon1985, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1single most stupid comment i read today. Processing this many paper is a waste of energy which leads to *more* global warning.
    • rebrane, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Take some responsibility for your own impact

      ... by not getting an iPhone in the first place.
  • zaycev, on 10/10/2007, -10/+2Yes! expect it to be obsolete by 2008
  • avenu420, on 10/10/2007, -3/+35can we say the same for phone books?
    • bstew22, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6no we can't
    • Depthfunction, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2You receive a phone book once a year, not once a month.
      • mikeyv33, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6everyone gets a phone book, not every one has an iphone
        • unloud, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3and phonebooks are ten times as thick.
      • UtahApocalyse, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I actually get like 10 a year, there city, county, state versions and I don't know what the hell else.
    • breadfred, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8I receive, in good old Great Britain a phone book, a Thompson's (local business directory) and a yellow pages every single year. They all go straight to the recycling bin. When I need a number, I simply find it online. These phone books are a thing of the past for people who are connected to the Internet. It would be great if I could opt out from this paper wastage.
      • drlha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I just personally received 3 copies of my Yellow Pages. This must of happened because of a phone poll I answered where I told them in no uncertain terms that I never use the Yellow pages and find all my numbers online.
    • motivr, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Yes. We can. Now AT&T is the leader in environment destruction. (phonebook + phonebill)
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Does anyone actually use the paper phone book any more? Especially when you have the internet to be able to get the same info and not have it be up to a year out of date.
      I've not used a phone book for 5-6 years.
      • trueshadow21, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My grandfather does, and my mother... but my father, grandmother, and step grandfather all just use the internet...
    • forteller, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yes, phone books are a real waste! Here in Norway, with only 4 and some million people, the phone books costs us 7 million kilos of paper! Luckily we have the option to opt out of getting it, all you have to do is log on to a website. Some environmental organizations recently had a huge campaign, with quite some media attention, to get people to opt out, and it was a great success. How about doing something like that in the UK and US? If you can't opt out, demand the ability to do so!
  • asaturn, on 10/10/2007, -4/+33uh... so why don't they just encourage paperless billing? $10 off if you pay your bill online ... from your shiny new iPhone.
    • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2There is a discount for automatic billing and that requires going paperless.
      • noizeuk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0because common sence hurts some peoples brains. Also, the effort of TYPINg and READING certain thing can also distract and disorientate individuals causing them to go on a hippy-bashin tree-up-rooting rampage.
  • Parker133t, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5Eh I feel left out....my AT&T bill was only 4 pages long and it just had account totals didnt even go through the data in detail just saying total 300megs used :/
  • bbq2007, on 10/10/2007, -4/+24Good. Now those trees can't jump in front of celebrities skiing downhill and kill them. SONNY BONO WILL BE AVENGED!!!!!!!!
  • pascal21, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11seems to me that if the iphone is really as awesome as everyone says, they could just send the bill to be viewed on the phone.

    that might be too obvious though
  • agentstewie, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3Intresting, I remember my 4th grade teacher saying that technology is supposed to help cut down on paper... looks like technology is forcing more paper

    ATT shold have an option that says you save money by emailing you a pdf of your bill... lol it could be sent on the iphone
    • SPECOPS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Sprint does this, you get $5 for switching to paperless billing (one-time-credit of $5).
      • agentstewie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1lol yea, I have qwest wireless... runs on sprint network and we opted for the paperless billing.. i mean we have to pay alot less
  • DarkSideofOZ, on 10/10/2007, -11/+4The iPhone is already obsolete, and was before it came out.
    Just ask Maddox: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
    • onewingedangel9, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0buried: anybody that has been to asia or heard about asian cell phones knows this.
      • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And you think that is a huge demographic?
    • graduisic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0That maddox guy is the most conceited person I've ever seen.
  • VEGETAble, on 10/10/2007, -9/+5How the hell do you get a bill thats over a couple pages?
    • onewingedangel9, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2surf the internet on your iPhone a lot and get charged 0.00 for every bit of data that gets sent.
    • imacashew, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2data plan....it's ***** rediculous....I barely use the internet on my phone but my bill was like 12 pages long before I switched to paperless. It's because they itemize every little data request. Every time you go to a page, every time it posts back, every IM you send, every ajax call that is made....is one line on a page. the ***** adds up.
  • nlevend, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9Can somebody explain why the bills are so long to begin with?
    • totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Because ATT itemizes not only every phone call you make (like other phone bills), it itemizes every element of every webpage of every site you visit, in terms of byte size, time received, duration, etc. And then, since every iPhone automatically gets unlimited internet service, it says: Charge 0.00.

      Seriously.
      • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4So they're spies, too?
        • totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Only against actual Americans. So, yes. But we knew that already about them, right? :p
        • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It doesn't take any human intervention to generate those reports. That's all handled with scripting and internal programs designed for that task. That's why those transactions are handled exactly the same as a phone call. It runs through the same program.

          *And no, I don't work for AT&T. Yes, I have a background in working for major telcos, which include AT&T*
    • exomni, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0They aren't.
  • funkmasheen, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Paperless bills?

    Ooops got beaten to it.

    I always opt for paperless billing though. Makes sense in every way.
  • meadot01, on 10/10/2007, -3/+81 - What does this have to do with iphone or AT&T - I know Verizon also puts SMS and data detail into bill.
    2 - It doesn't really figure in online billing. If people don't want to waste the paper they should get the bill online.
    • SPECOPS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2You must have a carefully chosen title, otherwise it won't make it to the front page.
  • bstew22, on 10/10/2007, -2/+750 pages? wtf. who would read that? i don't even read my current 3-4 page bill.
    • imacashew, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1the information legally has to be present....though they could compress it much much better. It's teh data plan that eats up the page real estate. rediculous
  • dieselb73, on 10/10/2007, -5/+20Also to add to whitezombie420 "and all of those 6 billion sheets of paper will come from trees grown in tree farms that will be immediately replanted. . . "

    NO TREES are destroyed at all to make paper. What gets made into paper is the leftover crap that you can't make boards out of. I happen to have a client who is a Timber Company with its own tree farm. And "pulp" as its called is the tops or the parts of the tree that have too many defects to make a board out of.
    • bigpiratejim, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Paper is made from whole trees grown specifically for paper production, residue from forest harvesting and lumber milling, and recycled paper.
    • onewingedangel9, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4The timber industry may supply a lot of pulp for paper, but (and i am not a tree expert) I doubt that the creation of paper is made 100% by the boardmaking companies.
    • unloud, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Well I for one know that the paper I use is carved out of pure recycled oak by 18 year old virgins in the sweet mid-day sun.

      Top that.
    • smileya5, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0Your friend is a piece of treekilling *****, I hope a tree falls on him.
    • rebrane, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Wow, we use billions of sheets of paper a year all without cutting down a single tree! It's a Festivus miracle!
    • smotpoker1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I help build 17 paper mill plants and you are way off course bub.The waste from the lumber companies is used in the boiler houses to make steam for power .They still and will always use trees.There is not enough byproduct from saw dust and cuttings for 30 minutes of plant operations .The recycling part of the paper mills is CARDBOARD and it is only 20 % and most times not that high.Tree Farms couldn't keep up with a days worth of paper industry don't fool yourself.One paper mill in Texarkana,TX runs a thousand lumber trucks a day.I kid you not.
  • MacNyce, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6I just received my first phone bill for my iphone and it was the usual 4 pages, double sided print. This sounds like BS to me...
  • auricomnet, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5You can view your bill through a interface link that points you to the att.com wireless log on you idiots and paper billing is off by default.
  • 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -9/+10boo hoo...big deal.....news flash!....trees are farmed now.
    You can go back to your Chicken Little "The Sky is Falling" global warming crap now. bye bye.
    • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Actually, I partly blame Captain Planet for all of this. Too many kids growing up were trained to think that every corporation is evil and out to destroy the world.
  • dylanrush, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3I LOVE THE IPHONE YAY!!!!!!!!!
    • jabberwolf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1almost threw up until I noticed it was sarcasm !
  • BigBlueCarbon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Ya? So what.
    Biofuels will destroy millions, if not billions of kernels of corn.

    BigBlueCarbon.com
    • imacashew, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1lol...if you are counting kernels I cant beleive you even brought up millions. there's over a million in one decent sized corn feild. I'm not ragging on you but just think about it...we're talking hundreds of trillions if biofuels even continue at the pace they are at, let alone increases.

      So why do hippies hate corn but love trees? ***** YOU CORN!!! I'd rather burn you than something that's been dead for millions of years!!!! RRRRAAAWWWRRR!!! oh hey there little pretty tree....oh you look so nice with your bark and your leaves....I won't let anything hurt you... faggits.
      • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Trying to use corn as a basis for biofuels is a fool's errand. The amount of energy that can be obtained from corn-based biofuels can neither sustain our current usage of fuel, nor what we will continue to use in the future.
  • gwhardyiv, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4While we're at it, can we attack Barnes & Noble? Why the hell can't people just use the library anymore? Owning books is not a good way to impress members of the opposite sex.
    • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Some people like books so much that they want to keep a copy without having to worry about returning it or racking up late fees.
    • Tsen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or waiting until another copy is available. You ever seen the waiting list for a Harry Potter book? Our local library has 15 copies of Deathly Hallows, all of which are reserved until August '08 (Library policy forbids reserving a book more than a year ahead of time). Even Sorceror's Stone's still got a four month long waiting list.
  • NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Must be leaked from the EPA or Sierra Club, BS.
  • arctic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8not everyone gets a 50 page bill, mine was 1.

    buried as inaccurate.
    • SPECOPS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Liar - page 1 is the return address portion of the bill, page 2 (on the back), is the "general info" and how to pay mumbo-jumbo, your Prior activity, Wireless Detail, Group Detail (if you have more than one line), and Summary are on page 3 - in almost all cases, your actual bill doesn't start until page 4 or 5.
    • noizeuk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0thats because you have no use for your phone, as you have no friends. Sad really :(
    • psykiv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Mine was 88, and I don't even HAVE an iphone!
  • CrimsonBlur, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6They are required to do this! If you are requesting a bill on paper, they must assume they have to include all of your activity. If they didn't, they'd get all sorts of complaints from people contesting their bills for charges they didn't incur, and they wouldn't be able to say "it's right there on page 10 of your bill, sir". This isn't AT&T's fault, if you don't want to get a 50-page bill every month, sign up for Autopay online like I do. Otherwise quit your bitching.
    • RunawayElf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Contest what charge? The 0.00 for each line of internet usage? I don't think AT&T would loose much money if everyone contested these.
    • dutchworks, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Right on- I have said the same thing.
      This is simply a matter of people not checking anything.
  • Lax32, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Who says they are going to keep printing the long bills??
  • monkeyrun, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Thanks to iPhone, this story made it to the front page of Digg.
  • Username222, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Haha! The iPhone is destroying the rain forests?
  • MetroSpy, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1Don't worry we can always plant more...environmental freaks are annoying.
    • noizeuk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0how long do you think it takes to grow a tree. are you such a moron that you dont realise this? THATS THE WHOLE FKIN POINT!!

      now if we had insta-tree.. like most americans rekon we have such likwise resources such as oil, gas and coal, then there wouldnt be a fuss about it!
  • SirBotchness, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Well not my fault you dumbs bought from AT&T.
  • TylerLavite, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1who the hell keeps saying the iPhone cost 600 bucks? it does not cost 600 dollars!!!! i did NOT pay 600 bucks for an 8GB iPhone who ever thinks it cost 600 bucks needs to get it right!!!!!!!!
    • OlnyGuy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yea, it costs around $645 with tax.
  • finbec, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6And every single customer is eligible for paperless electronic billing. Buried as irrelevant...
    • onewingedangel9, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2maybe an article needs to be digged telling people to sign up for the paperless billing method so they don't waste so much paper.
      • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Or they could have actually paid attention to their bill that stated they should do so. Seriously, a notice was sent out to customers that if they had an att.com account, they would be switched to paperless. If they did not, they were requested to sign up for an account and choose automatic payments.
  • andrgo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Is AT&T destroying trees, or is it the people that don't recycle the papers their bills come on?
  • fatdog789, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6This assumes that the iPhone will sell 10 million units by 2008. That's highly improbable, as 1) most people won't spend that much on a phone, and 2) most of the people stupid enough to spend that much money on the phone can't afford to. There's also the issue of obsoleteness, and the inevitable 1 year disenchantment that will accompany the whines of the current iPhone owners who just discovered that they have to return their phones to replace the battery.
    • totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Highly improbable? I'll take that bet.
      1) Jobs said he wanted to sell 10 million iPhones by 2008-he DIDN"T say 10 million of these $599 iPhones I'm selling now". Expect a new, cheaper "iPhone"
      2) See above
      If the global launch goes on this Fall, they are going to easily reach 10 million by 2008.
    • noizeuk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0its a process called skimming. basdically they will charge you stupid prices for a new-sought after product for the first few months. This will then decrease in price after the haste and popularity has worn down to a bareable and sustained level. Such items as the PS3 and XBOX 360 done it. expect it around the £200 mark soon. Still. its just a brand ur paying for. my U600 does everything i need it to do in a phone.
  • exformation, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Video supplement on ridiculousness of the sheer size of the bill:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdULhkh6yeA
    • sdub74, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What's ridiculous is that she sent 30,000 text messages....pick up the damn phone and call if you have that much to say.
  • hajurba, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0Thanks to iPhone, this story made it to the front page of Digg.


    http://lallunepal.com/
  • peterman81, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0"I expect iphone to be obsolete by 2008."

    Yea, probably by iPhone v2.0. Let's not forget the Apple invisa.
    http://www.iprong.com/article.php?id=583
    • jabberwolf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Nope, hype only helps stupid products so much. Time ends 1 stupid fad and begins another.
  • motivr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6One of the bad impressions I had when I came to the U.S. was that people waste a lot of resources.Indoor was cold because of too much air conditioning.and things like wasting paper and packaging materials. Also U.S. recycling system is poor when compared to that of Korea. In South Korea, you have to use government regulated trash bag (very expensive plastic bag of course). And the recycling system is a lot more realistic.
    • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You are right. The US are shameless hogs and gluttons of energy and pigs when it comes to environmental care. Nuff said. Let the digging begin.
      • panzergeist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You Canadians should stop importing our goods then. It must not hurt your consciences too much, or you'd all close your borders and cease trading agreements.

        And by the way, your beer sucks moose balls.
  • homersaysdoh, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Ever hear of paperless statements?
  • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5I don't have a cell phone so I save lots of money and trees. If you don't like the damage to the environment then don't just moan about it. Do something. Stop consuming so much. Very few people NEED a cell phone. You don't have to buy things to impress your friends.
    • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I would digg you up again if I could.
  • dslozak, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Mine was 52 pages.
    • dutchworks, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0So WHAT!!!
      If you don't like it- go to summery or to paperless.
      It was stated as a choice when you first signed up for the phone and plainly states that a detail statement will be the format if nothing is checked saying otherwise
  • mianus230, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1you should be able to send them back to them and print the other bill on the unprinted side.
    Heck, at least they re use it once.
    • psykiv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or you know... print the original bill on both sides... Like they do right now?
  • franksmith, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"With 10 million iPhones expected to be sold by the end of 2008"

    OMG... FOOMCROTFLMAO

    Or

    Not a snowballs chance in hell
  • Yatti420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Lots of companies do that... First 3 months for me was a full report... After that they reduce..
  • dieselb73, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Trust me the trees my client grows are worth far to much to be sent straight to the paper mill, the only wood that goes to the chiper is the left over crap. Also the saw mill has whats called a chip and saw, i.e. as the log enters the saw the round edges are chipped off for paper, and the meat of the log is then turned into boards. The costs of growing and moving trees is way to high to make paper. In fact there are times when not enough paper is being made that all this extra wood sits and rots or is turned into firewood. so I wouldn't spout off aobut things you don't know about (probably live in a conrete canyon and don't even know what a tree looks like).
    • dutchworks, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Right on !
      I am glad someone out there is informed as am I - I am so sick of these wack jobs that refuse to check out facts or look into details.
      How I wish there was a penalty for each one that does the alarmist thing.
      I appreciate your comment!
  • Kicksilver, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0If AT&T replants those trees, I don't see a problem really. But, 50 page bill? Wtf? That's probably more than the iPhone manual itself..
  • drmitchell, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5This is lame. As has been said repeatedly here, (a) if you're really worried, get paperless billing (I haven't gotten a paper phone bill in years), (b) paper doesn't come from trees, it comes from the sawdust leftover from cutting trees used for other purposes and/or recycled material, (c) the original article came from USA today which is about as reliable as intelligent as a sack of door knobs.

    Digg it down! Digg it down!!!
    • dimplemonkey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"It comes from sawdust leftover from cutting trees."

      Do you hear what you are saying? By the way, in the dictionary under "redundant", it says, "see Redundant".
    • noizeuk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1funny, paper dont come from trees.. the magical paper fairy comes along and makes it appear once the wood has been cut. you nob.

      Im sure those door knobs can be used to recyle back into paper. that is if the magical paper fairy put them in that sack.
  • chronichyjinx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1WTF
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