When you get an iPhone on contract in the UK, you get some of the price absorbed into the price of the contract. Have any of the UK Mobile companies announced a similar iPad 3g deal? If no, why not?
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Are the UK Mobile Phone companies planning to subsidise iPad?
- Thread starter Tulipone
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Part of the original keynote for the iPad said that all of the iPads sold would be unlocked. Japan has locked, unsubsidised iPads.
I don't think we will see them come from carriers, at least not this gen. Maybe next gen because then the carriers will have a better idea of how people are using the data and then decide if it makes sense for them to absorb some of the cost.
I don't think we will see them come from carriers, at least not this gen. Maybe next gen because then the carriers will have a better idea of how people are using the data and then decide if it makes sense for them to absorb some of the cost.
They have decided to do monthly recurring contracts that a user can cancel anytime without substantial cost, hence if someone cancels two months in they would not be able to reclaim the cost of the subsidised iPad. Leaving them out of pocket.
Looks like a trip to 3 then for a MiFi!
I have a WiFi iPad, but it would be nice to use it out the house.
I have a WiFi iPad, but it would be nice to use it out the house.
I work for Orange and at present it is a no about stocking the ipad. Sim only i'm afraid which isn't such a bad thing. No contract ties and finding that you have no signal and have to use wifi everywhere and pay for the next 18 months. Also trying to get an answer about why the tariffs for all the uk mobile companies are pretty much all the same. my question has been deleted from our feedback site. I heard Apple have a say in it and if this is true tut tut. My option is that the network is one product the iphone is Apples so if we want to make a iphone tariff thats our choice if apple want us to retail the iphone for x amount thats their choice.
There have been plenty of UK telcos in the past offering subsidised netbooks with a mobile broadband contract - no phone involved there.
I guess the initial clamour for the iPad means the mobile providers can pretty much name their price for separate data deals. Should be interesting to see how this evolves in the coming months.
When things quieten down a little I wouldn't be surprised if airtime providers and people like DSGi get hold of iPads and flog them subsidised with a 2 year contract. As mentioned above, they do it with laptops and netbooks. But at the moment the iPad is in such short supply Apple is quite pushed to meet demands from the public without some middle man raking in as well.
I am just wondering if this is Apple way of turning it's back on the phone companies due to past experiences. If it is then I wonder what will happen when the new iPhone comes.
Yeah that will be interesting this time around given the "exclusitivity" deals are now gone
You can bet 
will dictate the pricing structure yet again.