Apple taking Canadian iPad pre-orders now, announces Rogers data plans
It’s 3am, and I just checked the Apple.ca store, and the iPad pre-order page is up! Apple has also pre-empted Rogers by posting the details of their iPad Data plans:
To start 3G service on your iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G, you will need a micro-SIM card and a data plan. A range of data plans are available and most don’t require a contract. When you order your iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G from the Apple Online Store, you can add a micro-SIM card from the carrier listed below. You can start 3G service anytime after installing the micro-SIM card.
Carrier: Rogers
250MB per month – $15.00
5GB per month – $35.00
Add iPad to your existing Rogers data plan – $20.003G service may also be available from other carriers
The Rogers rates look reasonable, though I fail to see how a 250mb plan would be useful for the iPad. Hopefully, Bell and Telus will announce their plans, which we expect will be similar, later today.
To pre-order your ‘magical and revolutionary’ iPad, go here.
[UPDATE] It seems that Apple jumped the gun! On their Redboard blog, Rogers posted their official announcement of their iPad data plans. Along with the 250MB and 5GB of data, both plans also have a welcome ‘free unlimited access to all Rogers Wi-Fi Hot Spots’.
However, in a move that is sure to disappoint a lot of potential iPad buyers, Mary Pretotto from Rogers, announced, in the blog’s comments, that the ‘Add iPad to your existing Rogers data plan’ ‘was an error and is being removed [from the Apple site]‘. Clearly Rogers had originally planned to offer this to their customers, and Apple was given the plan information, but at the last minute Rogers changed their mind. From reading the comments following the ‘correction’, this has already caused many people to change their pre-order to the Wi-Fi only model.
Not offering a shared plan option is a bad move from Rogers, and having Apple advertise it, then claim it was an error, is only going to frustrate people even more. Hopefully Bell and Telus will step up to the plate, and offer a shared option with their iPad plans.
