For hardcore users, the iPad’s WiFi-only SKUs may seem like “why bother” affairs… especially given the $30 month-by-month data plan AT&T is offering to customers who pick up the marginally more expensive 3G version.
But AT&T doesn’t see it that way at all: in fact, speaking in a financial conference call this week, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has flat-out warned Ma Bell investors that they shouldn’t expect a huge upswing in new subscribers when the iPad launches.
“My expectation is that there’s not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription … [the iPad will be a] WiFi driven product,” Stephenson said.
It’s somewhat alarming to see AT&T potentially underestimate the data load on their 3G infrastructure brought about by the roll-out of a new Apple product yet again, but I think Stephenson has a point. The iPad simply isn’t as portable as the iPhone, which means it’s more likely to be used in living room and coffee shop situations where a faster WiFi connection is already present, compared to the iPhone, which can just be pulled out of a pocket on any subway car or street corner. Where as the iPhone’s 3G connectibility is the default method of getting online for most iPhone users, I think it’ll play back-up to WiFi in the iPad most of the time.
That supposition may not be true, but it’s clearly what AT&T is thinking, and a huge part of the logic that prompted them to offer an enticing month-by-month 3G subscription plan to iPad users in the first place. Hopefully, that logic will pay off for them: I don’t think anyone wants to see yet another AT&T 3G meltdown at this point.
What about you guys? Do you think you’ll be using 3G on your iPad just as much as on your iPhone, or do you think you’ll mostly be accessing the Internet through WiFi? Let us know in the comments.
