Apple iPad 3G to include tiered data plans on AT&T

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Steve Job’s officially unveiled the company’s latest creation today, the highly anticipated, much leaked iPad. While many were hoping for Apple to cut its exclusive ties with the iPhone partner AT&T (NYSE:AT&T), the company only made them stronger, announcing AT&T would provide a 3G connection to the iPad if consumers opt for it. Interestingly, the plans from AT&T will approach data from a prepaid and tiered pricing structure.

Despite rumors the contrary, AT&T is the only operator Apple is working with – at least for now.

Every iPad will work over WiFi, but consumers have the option of choosing one of two prepaid service plans from AT&T. The data plans include a 250MB option for $15 per month or $30 per month for unlimited data, significantly less than the typical $60 data plan associated with netbooks. The device is unlocked today, but Jobs said he hopes to have international carrier deals in place by June or July with all models locked to new GSM micro-SIMs.

The iPads won’t require a trip to AT&T – they can be activated right on the device. The WiFi-only 16 GB version of the iPad will cost consumers $499, 32GB for $599 and 64GB for $699. The 3G models will cost an extra $130. Jobs said Apple will ship the WiFi versions in 60 days and 3G versions in 90.
“My outlook changed once I saw the price,” said IMS Research analyst Chris Schreck. “I went from being really skeptical to thinking it was pretty interesting. You can kind of see that Apple has a lot of leverage when it comes to bargaining for these things now. It costs $130 to add the cellular radio whereas if it had a USB port, you could feasibly add a cellular dongle for next to nothing.”

That being said, consumers may be willing to adopt the 3G plan anyway, considering it can also be used on AT&T’s extensive WiFi network or easily be unlocked and taken to T-Mobile. Schreck said that 3G coverage will also make a lot of sense for commuters who may want to utilize the New York Times app or eBooks while en route, for example.