Tether launches $30/year web-based tethering service for iPhones, works around Apple’s restrictions

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GkbAiRMf40]

Tether made news in November, 2011 when Apple seemingly accidentally accepted their application into the iTunes App Store. The $14.99 piece of iPhone software allowed anyone to simply download the iPhone app, install a Mac app, and have unlimited tethering by way of a USB cable. The service still didn’t compare to the ease-of-use found in Apple’s built-in wireless Personal Hotspot feature, but is much cheaper for users as no carrier plan is required. That application was pulled only a few days later by Apple, so iTether has been working on a replacement solution. The solution is meant to work for all iPhones (jailbroken or not) and uses the web versus an application that must pass Apple’s App Store guidelines.

As the company explains in their video above, the new solution allows users to setup an Ad-Hoc network on their Mac, connect to that network from the iPhone, turn on their Mac app (download here) and then just login to iTether’s HTML5-based to get started. The company tells us that their patent pending technology works with 3G connections, is data encrypted, and that the entire experience is wireless. No USB connection is required like in their old iOS-application-based solution. The service costs $30 per year, which is much less than the usual $30 a month tethering plans that some carriers require. However, the new iTether will be sold for $15 to those who order during this launch week.