It seems Apple is in a hurry to add a large number of sales outlets for its hugely popular iPad. The company is anticipating a festive rush for its iPad and is gearing up to deliver as many it can. The latest companies that will be proud to have the most wanted tablet device in its inventory is AT&T and Verizon, with both of them gearing themselves up to offer the tablet come Thursday the 28th of October.
AT&T revealed they will be offering the 3G + Wi-Fi versions of the iPad with pricing starting from $629, $729 and $829 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and the 64 GB models respectively. Also, AT&T’s iPad data plans start at $14.99, which include access to all AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots spread throughout the US and does not require any extra costs. Also, while 250MB of monthly, prepaid bandwidth will set one back by $15, bandwidth amounting to 2GB will come for $25 a month.
“With our breakthrough iPad data plans starting at just $14.99 and access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots around the country at no extra cost, our customers will have the best of both worlds,” revealed Glenn Lurie, President at AT&T of Emerging Devices, Resale and Partnerships, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
Apple’s COO Tim Cook too is excited to have the iPad in their portfolio and stated: “We look forward to expanding the reach of iPad, allowing even more customers to experience the magic of iPad for themselves.” He further added, “As we approach the holiday season, we are very happy that customers will now be able to buy iPad Wi-Fi + 3G at AT&T Stores.”
As for Verizon, they will only be releasing the Wi-Fi version of the iPad, which will have Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. Verizon will ensure the iPad is not found wanting in delivering a superior Internet browsing experience due to the lack of built-in 3G feature, though this will require carrying the small hotspot at all times. Reason? Apple has recently moved from Infineon to Qualcomm as far as its 3G chip vendor is concerned, something that will ensure Apple iPhones and iPads are compatible with almost all the wireless networks present. However, while this is a welcome development, Apple, on its part, did not redesign its iOS product line to make then compliant with Verizon’s network.
So what this entails for now is that there is the hot spot that has to be carried in person, though on the bright side the hotspot will be able to support four other devices simultaneously apart from the iPad. And as for its pricing structure, Verizon is charging $20 for 1GB of data usage a month. Other data plans on offer include $35 for 3GB of usage and $50 for 5GB though there will be a penalty of $10 for each GB of extra data usage which is applicable to both the plans. The iPads themselves will cost exactly the same as what AT&T is charging.
So the iPad infection continues, so that what started with Target, Walmart, Sams Club, and Best Buy has now gone on to affect AT&T and Verizon. We wonder who’s next to be hit. Also, Apple knows all too well the market won’t be theirs indefinitely. As they say, make hay while the sun shines and Apple is definitely willing to sign the year off on a high.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
