iPad will have 'dedicated tariffs' on O2 UK, Orange and Vodafone also doing Western Europe and Australia
By Vlad Savov 
posted April 15th 2010 5:12AM
posted April 15th 2010 5:12AM
A bevy of identically worded UK carrier announcements has emerged in the wake of Apple's statement about the iPad's delayed international release. The good news is that you'll be able to take your pick from O2, Orange or Vodafone, though the bad news, by the sound of their robotic PR, is that there probably won't be too much price differentiation in their eventual offerings. Naturally, we'll have to keep waiting until at least the May 10th pre-order date to find out how much an iPad will set us back with either of them. Concurrent with its UK announcement, Orange has revealed it'll also offer iPad plans in Switzerland, France and Spain, while Vodafone adds Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia. We've also heard from an insider at O2 that the network operator will not itself stock the iPad, with only Apple's retail, web and "authorised dealers" offering the device for purchase.[Thanks, Rob and anonymous O2 tipster]
Any chance of some subsidised iPad love from the UK networks?
I hope so.
@ChazClout
That's a nice thought. Might be quite tempted by that!
@ChazClout Doesn't sound like it from those last few lines.
Shame.
@Phlashman I can't believe o2 are planning to take on thousands of new data users in the UK when they can hardly sustain the ones they have.
Don't buy a 3g ipad in the uk as you'll just be using it on wifi when you can't connect over 3g.
@lookseehear But on the other hand it give vodafone and Orange a chance to show they have better networks. The competition will be good for O2 and iPhone user in the long run.
3G connection is pretty good where I am, Leicestershire.
@ChazClout
When are any of the subsidised deals ever really any good? The rash of netbooks last year required monthlies of circa £30 for 24 months.
£720 in addition to your mobile bill for a £250 netbook? A separate 3 dongle works out way cheaper (or even bluetooth via mobile), options the ipad won't have...
Come to think of it, when was the iphone ever really subsidised? The two year contracts always run to around £1k with an upfront payment on top. Any other phone would be cheaper/free to start with, and £20 a month is enough to get you unlimited data/texts on any phone other than apple's.
I'm not bashing anything here, just saying ithings from carriers are expensive. I'm all for a cheap subsidised ipad, but it's unlikely :(
@in5ane You do have a good point there. I suppose I am being naieve thinking that any subsidised iPad deals would be any good if they were to happen.
Ill probably just buy a wifi only version, root my N1 and use that as an access point when I'm mobile with the iPad. Either that or get a three mobile mifi dongle.
@lookseehear
Firstly, that's crap, I've been on O2 for 7 years, am currently an iPhone user and have absolutely no issues at all with 3G coverage or speed. That's including when tethered to my netbook.
Secondly, is anyone actually surprised at the lack of price differentiation? I'll give you a clue who set the prices and tarriffs for the iPhone - it begins with A and ends with pple. They honestly believe that a price war would devalue the brand, thus all carriers are contractually obliged to offer the same rates. They differentiate by providing different services (O2 with truly unlimited internet, Orange with Orange Wednesdays, Vodafone with lots of red branding, etc.). I would be shocked to my very core if there is any substantial subsidy (if any at all), because Apple simply wont allow it.
@dboobis
Bit harsh really... coverage can be a personal thing. You don't live in my house, or work where I work (do you?!)
If you want to come to Birmingham, I can take you to several places where 02 is absolutely useless. It was quite a shock coming over from T-mobile.
@in5ane
I lived in Birmingham for 4 years, never had a problem there. However, just as it may be a bit harsh to call your statments "crap", you making them in the first place is a bit silly considering, as you say, network coverage and services vary greatly depending on location.
@dboobis
To clarify: my issue wasn't that I was claiming that O2 network coverage is perfect and anyone who says otherwise is an Orange spy. I was taking umbrage at the OP stating that O2 categorically cannot support a 3G network in any capacity, when I can show you several thousand locations and instances where it can.
@ChazClout I think I'll wait for unified data plans, where I share my bandwidth across all devices.
Failing that I'll just tether to my iPhone.
Crazy; all this talk and excitement from the mobile phone operators ... you'd have actually thought it was a mobile ... not an oversized iPod Touch!
Its neither though is it ... nice one Apple, you built a freak!
Whoop de friggin do.
I just bought a Macbook Pro...entirely more functional for not much more when you think how long it will last you (roughly 3 years).
Id like to see how the iPads limited feature set and CPU fare in 2013. Im gonna guess not well...
@Adamgs
Here's a list of things, it'll be able to do regardless of the amount of time that passes
1. Text
2. Text with images
3. Text with images but flash stripped off
4. Images on a low rez screen
5. Connect your credit card to Steve's pocket through iTunes
6. Connect developers credit cards to Steve's pocket through iTunes
Notice how none of these actually need much processing power, and never will.
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring
BANANA PHONE!!!
I've got this feeling...
It's so appealing...
@pretol
It's the best, beats the rest,
Cellular, modular, interactive odular.
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring
BANANA PHONE!!!
'The good news is that you'll be able to take your pick from O2, Orange or Vodafone, though the bad news, by the sound of their robotic PR, is that there probably won't be too much price differentiation in their eventual offerings.' Did you know there is an official word for that? It is called 'pricefixing'. Oh, btw, that is illegal.
@big rick Look a bit closer: "won't be TOO much price differentiation". Theres an official word for that i'm sure, but it isn't price fixing.
@big rick
When the carriers are contractually obliged to offer the same prices, it's not called price fixing. It's called the manufacturer being a douche.
@big rick There's hardly any price differentiation for non-iPad contracts either. Look at the SIM-only deals. All £10/month for very similar deals, internet is £5 extra.
@big rick
It is called pricefixing, but speaking from the world of electrical sales, manufacturers can't force you to do anything. but when your resellers agreement comes up for renegociation, you will find yourself with little rope. But the chances are in this case, apple will be passing these on with so little margin available for retailers that the prices will all have to be pretty much the same. But its the Amazon effect, as soon as one lowers the price, the others will follow.
iPhone tethering ffs.
@Gobes
jailbreak already ffs
@ Gobes
Huh? I know O2 offers tethering bundles, not sure about the others. Unless you're a yank posting in a European-related thread about issues that don't concern us. In which case, shame on you.
@dboobis
I presume he means using the iphone for the ipad to access the internet (via bluetooth or something). It would be sweet, but too cool for Jobs to officially allow.
@in5ane Dont mind dboobis, he struggles to see the world outside his own ass. To think that 3g coverage is the same all over the country shows what a tard he is.
Being a student in Birmingham I can vouch for the poor 3g coverage, it's patchy to say the least.
@sl86
Did I ever say 3G coverage was the same across networks and across the UK? No, more words being put in my mouth. I believe what I gave you was my personal impressions, that having been an O2 customer for 7 years (and having lived for extended periods in London, Birmingham and Leicester) have never had any problems with 3G. No need to be a dick about it. The point was that the OP was stating that categorically O2 3G coverage is poor, and in my personal experience, it's not. Please don't say you're calling me a liar because you're experience is different, that would be a terribly bad idea.
It's a shame you couldn't just have a purchase bandwidth screen on the 3G with prices from each provider and you can just choose the cheapest/best for coverage in your area.
nothing interesting here.
Lots of 3G USB dongles and mifi in the UK, including PAYG. I'd expect ipad tariffs to be similar (bearing in mind they'll be tied to an ipad and not usable on computers like mifi or usb dongles)
I'd expect subsidised deals too, as thats popular in the UK. But never a good idea as the tariffs always work out more expensive than buying the item outright.
Simple just root an android device and use wifi tether!
it's annoying we can just piggyback off the data plan we are already using for our iphones. perhaps there is a good technical reason for that but just from a layman's perspective it's a bit irritating.
@vanglorious
The "technical reason" is the carriers won't make money off you that way.
@DTJ
I do feel silly for asking nowjj:-P
The thing is, there's no economies of scale at work here. Perhaps, that's the wrong phrase. But surely e.g. if I'm paying £45 to O2 for, among other things, unlimited data and if there really is no technical obstacle to two SIMs sharing the same subscription, I wonder why it is so much of a stretch to O2 to just offer me the iPad part of the subscription for, say, an extra £5 as opposed to the however-many-pounds it'll end up being. But then, that of course is not O2's fault, since as the article says it's Apple who sets the price point from up above. Either way, it's crap for the consumer.
Still on the fence about whether I want a 3G or wi-fi model...
@vanglorious
I'm not sure it is apple setting the rates. Anyway, you may in fact be able to share the sim card with your phone, but the iPad uses microsims, which are not yet widely available but should work fine in your phone with an adaptor. So stay tuned.
@DTJ
It is Apple who sets the iPhone contract rates and additional fees. They also ban stores from offering any sort of extra incentives, such as trade-ins or free insurance. Not saying there's anything wrong with it, just that they do it.
"Dedicated" tariff. read: 'expensive'
Yawn... Another iPad can do this and iPad can do that. Other devices already did what iPad can and more. Yawn again.
Vodafone? For the price it will cost I would want Telstra's network.
Vodafone shares with Optus known for low data speeds and high (1000ms-2000ms) latency.
Oh, Ipad again. Whee.
Wonder if UK iPads will be network-locked?
Since South African carrier Vodacom is part of the larger Vodafone Empire, can we also get a bit of info for us 3rd world geeks down here?
I mean, we're just at the bottom tip of Africa - not too far from the South Pole - there has to be at least one rabid Apple fanperson professor stuyding icy testicles or somethingthat NEEDs an iPad- am I right? :)
If not for that professor person, then do it for me so I can use it during a world cup soccer game :)
Any word on asia or are we part of another "rest of the world"?
250MB of data for $14.99 per month would convert to £9.68....
...but if we add the UK rip-off factor...
That's about £20 per month.
I still have not got a strong enough reason to buy the wifi version let alone the 3g version.
Someone convince me I need to drop £500 on this as I know it will cost that much in good old blighty.
More money, that's all its means, you suffer a fanciful Dollar to Pound conversion and now a iPad 'premium' tariff for this part of the world... no thanks!
Question : is it legal to agree with competitors on service price ?