AT&T officially announces iPad 3G data prices on the eve of another Applepalooza
April 30, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke
Today marks the debut of the Apple iPad 3G. You probably already knew that. Why? Even if you don’t already own or plan to own any Apple products, you’ve likely heard a news anchor, radio personality, or obsessed coworker (Hi, Hans.) talk about it at least once, if not 400 times.
This is good news, though. Whether you are for, against, or indifferent about the whole thing, the initial, deafening buzz will reach a fever pitch and then lower down to a dull, yet more tolerable, droning noise by this time tomorrow.. Yes, today at 5:00 p.m., the iPad 3G will finally go on sale. The answer to all your tablet problems is here, yet there are still questions. What size? How much? Will AT&T demand my firstborn in exchange for reliable 3G coverage?
For those who preordered the device, they were in transit as of Thursday evening, April 29th, via Fedex. All others must wait until 5:00 p.m. to get a crack at one. If you do want one, take some extra cash out at the ATM. The 3G versions are $130 more than its WiFi only sibling. Wait, then. How much is it, and how much space will I get?
Now that you know how much the “unit” is, you need to figure out how much the AT&T data plan is going to cost you. AT&T made it pretty straightforward. There are two actual plans and a bonus option that compliments both plans:
The plans are prepaid and activated with automatically recurring billing. There is no penalty to cancel, since there is no actual contract. It’s simply fee for service, until you say, “Stop.”
For those who are thinking of taking the 250 MB plan, don’t do it. Not to be cynical, but if you’re foaming at the mouth and braving lines to buy the iPad 3G, you are going to use that much data in a week.
If you decide not to go with the unlimited data plan, the iPad 3G will give you a warning when you have 20% of your data quota remaining. It will do it again at 10%. When you run out on day 7 of the cycle, the iPad will say, “I told you to buy the unlimited plan.” Okay, it won’t really, but that’s probably how I would have configured it.
For those who do want to add more data on day six to avert disaster, it is an easy task that can be accomplished via accessing “Settings” > “Cellular Data” on the iPad. Alternatively, you can just wait 24 more days, until the new cycle begins, to get a fresh 250 MB. Again, just pay for the unlimited plan and watch a lot of H.264 encoded streaming videos (Netflix anyone?) to make sure you get your money’s worth.
Apple iPad 3G owners will also have unlimited access at all of the AT&T WiFi hotspots, within the U.S. According to AT&T, there are more than 20,000, so you’re bound to have one within a day’s driving distance. We’ve included a link at the bottom to help you map out those around you.
There is one footnote at the bottom of AT&T’s data sheet on the iPad 3G to which you might want to pay close attention. It reads: “3G Services not available in all areas.” If you’re considering buying an iPad 3G, you should probably already know if your area has 3G or not. Just in case, you might want to check AT&T’s Data Coverage map. Having a tablet that loads pages at 1997 AOL download speeds could detract from the overall glamour of owning an iPad.
Seriously, it does seem to be a pretty straightforward proposition on the part of both Apple and AT&T. Hopefully, it will run as smoothly as it sounds and Applepalooza will soon be in full swing. Don’t worry. You’ll know. If Saturday morning rolls around and your iPhone or BlackBerry can’t even resolve an RSS feed, we’ll know that Apple and AT&T did, indeed, party hard on Friday night.
More iPad Information:
