International iPad Prices and Tariffs Revealed
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By Charlie Sorrel
- May 10, 2010 |
- 7:20 am |
- Categories: Media Players
As promised, the iPad is now available for pre-order in the first wave of non-US markets. If you want to get ahold of one on the first day of sale, May 28th, then you’ll need to sign up now.
The prices for the various iPad models vary from country to country, although it looks like Apple isn’t loading up the margins quite as much as usual, international customers will still pay a premium. After taking into account local taxes (VAT at 17.5% in the UK for example) and also adding on the sales tax in the US (which isn’t quoted in Apple’s pricing) and the differences become clearer. The table above was put together by our friend Fabio Zambelli of the Italian tech blog SetteB.it, and has been converted into Euros to make it easy to see the differences.
Example: the cheapest iPad is $500 in the US. Add on New York sales tax and you get $543. In the UK, the same model will cost you £430, or $635, a difference of roughly $90. Move up to the top-of-the-line 64GB with 3G and the NYC price is $902, compared to £700, or $1,036 in the UK. Meanwhile, the same model in Spain is €780, or $993.
The second difference will be the 3G data plans offered around the world. AT&T has set an aggressive precedent with its unlimited $30-per-month plan, and we have a feeling that, if Apple favors certain carriers by including their SIM-cards in the box as it does with AT&T, then there will be similar deals. That hasn’t happened yet though, as you’ll see below.
Off to the UK once again: Orange has announced its plans, and there is no unlimited option. The best you’ll get is a monthly limit of 10GB for £25 ($37). for £15 per month you can be capped at just 3GB, and there are also daily (200MB) and weekly (1GB) plans. You can also pay as you go, paying 5p ( 7 cents) per MB, capped at £40 ($59), or 800MB.
Over in Spain, things get better, a rather surprising result given the backward state of data billing here. The tariffs are not yet live on the respective sites, but Apple reveals the basics in a popover on the 3G info page.
Orange this time promises unlimited access, for €3.50 ($4.50) per day or €35 ($45) per month. All telcos in Spain apart from Vodafone are loose with the term “unlimited”: in some cases it means as little as 100MB at full speed, whereafter you do have real unlimited access, but at 64kbps.
Vodafone offers true unlimited access. The plans are 250MB a month for €17.40 and unlimited for €37.12 ($47). That compares with a regular, non-contract unlimited 3G tariff of €50 ($64), so you’ll save something.
From these numbers, it look like the plans are likely to vary wildly from country to country, reflecting the existing prices in local markets, only a little lower. And one more thing: The micro SIM cards aren’t pre-packaged with the iPad. Who’s betting that the telcos will be nickel-and-diming us for those?
International iPad Prices Compared [SetteB.it. Thanks, Fabio!]
3G plans Spain (click link for pop-over) Apple
Orange UK Announces Data Plans for iPad Wi-Fi + 3G [Orange UK]