Apple’s new iPad includes support for LTE mobile broadband, with a fallback to 3G connectivity as needed. That’s good to know, but the one important bit of information Apple neglected to share was the pricing plans for the LTE service from AT&T and Verizon. I just pre-ordered a Wi-Fi iPad, but saw the LTE pricing during the checkout process, so here it is:
The 5GB plans work out to an even $ 10 per GB, and if you opt for less data, you’ll pay more, while Verizon does provide a larger plan at $ 8 per GB. There’s only one problem: if you’re sucking down data at the maximum theoretical 73 Mbps speeds that the iPad can handle. At that rate — an extreme example — your 5 GB data plan would be drained in around 9 minutes! Note that the tethering option isn’t detailed yet; I expect it’s a $ 20 monthly fee to share your iPad’s data with other Wi-Fi devices.
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