Apple iPad: The Low-Price Leader?
No one will ever accuse Apple of being a bargain brand, but the company’s iPad tablet may prove to be more affordable than the first generation of Android slates, particularly the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy Tab.Apple, a boon for bargain hunters? It’s true if your new Android tablet is tied to a 3G data contract, a time-honored tactic (at least in the United States) that lowers the up-front cost of the device, but tethers the buyer to a pricey two-year wireless data plan.
Take the Streak, for instance. With a two-year AT&T contract, Dell’s 5-inch tablet starts at $300. To get that price, however, you’ll need to ink a voice and data plan. At Dell’s site, the cheapest option is a $55 per month deal: 450 voice minutes for $40; and 200MB data for $15. That comes to $1620 for two years of Dell Streak usage: $1320 for the 3G plan; and $300 for the tablet.
Don’t want a 3G contract? In that case, the Streak costs $550. Shockingly, that’s $50 more than the 16GB (Wi-Fi-only) iPad.
Which would you rather buy? Of course, the Apple and Dell slates are very different beasts. Arguably, the Streak is more of a freakishly large smartphone than a tablet. It has two cameras. The iPad has none, although that’s likely to change soon. Given a choice, most people would opt for the iPad, with its elegant design and larger display, over the relatively clunky Streak–which happens to cost more.
To be fair, let’s price the iPad with 3G service. (It’s important to note that you’re not tethered to a long-term contract with the iPad. You can cancel AT&T’s 3G service at any time.) The 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G costs $629 up front–more than twice the Streak’s price. AT&T charges $15 per month for 250MB of data. So over two years, the least you’d pay for an iPad with 3G service is $989. (That’s $629 for the device, plus $360 for 24 months of AT&T.)
The Dell Streak cost $631 more to operate over two years than the iPad. Of course, you could cut costs by using the Streak as a cell phone too. But with its 5-inch display, the gargantuan Streak is awfully big for a phone.
Galaxy Mystery
The first Samsung Galaxy Tab models will include both 3G and Wi-Fi. They’ll be offered by all four major U.S. wireless carriers, none of which has announced pricing details at this time. Industry watchers expect the subsidized units to sell for around $300, however.
If you want a Galaxy Tab with Wi-Fi only, there’s good and bad news. The good is that Samsung plans to release a Wi-Fi only model; the bad is that it won’t say when.
While every business is different, it’s safe to say that many companies would choose a Wi-Fi-only tablet over a 3G/Wi-Fi model, particularly if the 3G option requires a long-term data contract. Some remote employees such as salespeople might benefit from 3G service, but tablet-toting workers in an office or industrial setting would function just as well with Wi-Fi.
Given the large number of Android tablets on the horizon, the Wi-Fi-only option will almost certainly become a standard option soon. But for now, Apple’s iPad pricing is impressively affordable relative to its Android competitors. Who would’ve known?
Tags: 3G, Android slates, Apple iPAD, AT&T, Dell, Dell Streak, Galaxy, IPAD, Mobile phone, Samsung, ssysadmin, Technology, US, Wi-Fi, wireless
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3
Great post! This information has proved invaluable to me and has broadened my horizons and will have great impacts on the knowledge of the global world!
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30)
This post right here is what I like to call qulaity information, shared on FB
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US) AppleWebKit/532.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/4.0.221.7 Safari/532.2
Awesome Blog, Bro! even though this was not what i was looking for (I am on thesearch for full-length slips as a surprise gift for my wife )… I certainly plan on visiting again!.By the way what’s is the best night Gown or slip anybody can suggest ? thanks a lot and i will bookmark your post : Apple iPad: The Low-Price Leader? sSysAdmin blog…
Opera/9.64(Windows NT 5.1; U; en) Presto/2.1.1
i am considering of buing a new smartphone… but without this card and subscription.. could you recommend me something better then virgin?
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; pl; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3
I think you have great points in this post
Opera/9.64(Windows NT 5.1; U; en) Presto/2.1.1
Very interesting post I like your website keep up the great posts.