AT&T shaves $100 off iPad with two-year contract
Consumers can save $100 off the price of the cellular edition of a second- or third-generation iPad by agreeing to the carrier's two-year contract.
Those of you interested in a 3G or 4G iPad can score $100 off the full price, but you'll have to pony up the monthly costs for a two-year contract with AT&T.
The carrier is selling both new and refurbished versions of the iPad 2 and the third-gen iPad. For example, a new third-gen Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model with 16GB of storage sells for $479, down from the regular price of $579. A refurbished edition of the same model goes for $429. Meanwhile, a new iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G and 64GB of storage will cost you $529.
AT&T is focusing on the older iPads as the iPad Mini and iPad 4 are not available through this offer.
Not interested in an iPad? The deal extends to a few other tablets.
You can get a new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1-inch tablet for $399 and a refurbished Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch unit for just $249. A couple of Pantech Element tablets and an HTC Jetstream are also up for grabs as part of the deal.
OK, so what about the two-year commitment? AT&T offers you several options.
Current subscribers with an AT&T Mobile Share plan can add a tablet for an extra $10 per month. This plan gives you a pool of data -- anywhere from 1GB to 20GB -- to share among other devices.
Otherwise, you can opt for an AT&T DataConnect plan, which provides 250MB a month for $15, 3GB for $30, or 5GB for $50.
This could be a good deal for people with the Mobile Share plan since it adds just $10 a month. Those who'd need to kick in for a DataConnect plan may want to first weigh your options. Both Sprint and Verizon offer contract-free data plans for the iPad and other tablets.