UK network Three has revealed a range of pay monthly contracts for the new iPad, which will go on sale in Three stores across the UK tomorrow.
Aimed at those who want to get their hands on Apple’s ‘Resolutionary’ new tablet, but don’t have the cash to splash in one go, Three’s tariffs will give you a 3G + Wi-Fi version of the new iPad, along with a lavish 15GB of mobile data to use each month.
16GB iPad
Starting with the entry level 16GB 3G + Wi-Fi iPad, the minimum amount you can pay up-front for the iPad is £99. With this tariff you’ll then pay £29 per month for 24 months, which altogether works out at a total of £795 paid over the 2 years. The iPad itself is £499, so you’re paying out £296 on top for data charges – that’s around £12 per month for 15GB of data, which is very reasonable. You can also choose to pay £25 per month, but the up-front cost bumps to £159 to even things out.
32GB iPad
If you need more storage in your life, the 32GB 3G + Wi-Fi iPad will cost you £169 up-front and £29 per month on a 24 month contract. Again, you can opt to pay less at £25 per month, but the up-front cost rises to £229. The iPad alone is £579, so the cost paid on top for your data privileges works out at around £20 per month – £8 more than the 16GB.
64GB iPad
To get the top model you’re obviously going to be paying top dollar. As with the other models, you can choose to pay either £25 or £29 per month for 24 months, with the up-front costs for each at £299 and £249 respectively. With these tariffs you’ll be effectively paying around £11 per month for your 15GB of data, after taking out the £659 cost of the iPad itself.
Three’s deals for the new iPad aren’t too bad, and as they are the UK’s largest 3G network, you can be sure you’ll get fast browsing speeds as often as possible when you’re out and about. That 15GB of data should see you plenty of browsing, downloading apps, emailing and video calling in a month, too.
Customers who don’t want to be tied into a contract, but do want a new iPad with 3G, can buy one outright for the RRP with Three, and pay a monthly rolling fee for data. With these plans £15 will get you 10GB of data each month, and £7.50 will get you 1GB. These plans don’t offer as much data, nor value for money, when compared to the 24 month contracts, but they do offer you the option to cancel your rolling payment within a month’s notice.
Although Apple’s new iPad is ‘4G LTE ready’, the 4G technology won’t work here in the UK unfortunately. Networks like Three have plans to roll out ‘4G’ this year, but it’s not true 4G LTE. Don’t let that put you off, though, as when Three’s ‘4G’ network rolls out, your new iPad will benefit from speeds of up to 42Mbps, which is twice the speed of the current 3G standard, which is 21Mbps.
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