The new iPad hits UK shelves today, but how much will it cost you to get your hands on one of the highly-coveted tablets?
The headline features of the new iPad are the retina display, quad core GPU and improved battery, and it is predicted that Apple could sell as many as one million on launch day. However, supply problems could throw a spanner in the works as the company has reportedly sold out its pre-order units.
A number of UK networks will be stocking the latest version of Apple’s market leading device, while it will also be possible to order one directly from Apple without a data contract. O2 will not be stocking the device.
The iPad is also available as part of Orange’s connected plan, which includes both an iPhone and an iPad. For £66 a month users receive 600 minutes, unlimited Openzone Wi-Fi and 2GB of mobile data which is shared between the devices.
The cost of the iPad depends on which size you select and which iPhone you choose. The tablet is free if you pick an iPhone 3GS 8GB, but if an iPhone 4S 64GB is selected then a 16GB iPad costs £99.99, a 32GB £149.99 and a 64GB £199.99.
If you want to get a new iPad on Three, then you have a choice of a £29 or £25 24-month contract which includes a massive 15GB of data a month. On the first contract, the 16GB tablet costs £99, the 32GB model £169 and the 64GB edition £249. The cost of the tablet on the second contract is £159 for the 16GB, £229 for the 32GB and £299 for the 64GB.
T-Mobile is also stocking the new iPad, but interestingly, not the 64GB version. The network’s sole £25 a month contract consists of a 1GB monthly data allowance with an additional 1GB of ‘quiet time’ data. The 16GB iPad costs £229 and the 32GB version will set you back £279.99.
Vodafone have three data plans on offer and will stock all versions of the new iPad. A 16GB iPad on its £27 24-month contract is £199,
For £15 a month, customers receive 2GB of data with each extra 1GB costing an additional £15, while for £7.50 a month you get 500MB of data with another 500MB extra costing £7.50. The 16GB is £499 on these plans while the 32GB is £569 and the 64GB is £645.
If none of these plans float your boat, or if you want to get a data plan separately, then you can get a Wi-Fi only 16GB direct from Apple for £399, a 32GB for £479 and a 64GB for £559. For the 4G version, you’ll have to fork out £100 extra.
Also be advised that while Apple has been touting the new iPad as a 4G compatible tablet, this is only true in the US and Canada as it doesn’t support the frequencies used by 4G networks in Europe, Asia and Australia. While the UK doesn’t currently have a commercial 4G network, the frequencies used in British trials also fall under unsupported spectrum.
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The ipad 3 isnt quad core is it.