UK carriers discount iPads

Orange and T-Mobile in the UK slashed prices for iPad models with 3G connectivity to as low as GB£99 with a 24-month contract. In addition to boosting new business for these popular mobile carriers, the "limited time" offers appear to be a strategy for clearing inventory ahead of the highly anticipated launch of a next-generation device.

New customers qualify for a £99 iPad by signing up for an Orange data plan priced at £27 per month. Meanwhile, existing Orange and T-Mobile customers qualify for the discount with iPad data service starting at £25 per month. The monthly fee provides iPad users in the UK with up to 1 GB of "anytime" mobile data. The current offer represents price cuts of at least £100. Previously, subsidized pricing for the iPad with 3G started at £199 for existing customers and £229 for new customers.

A new 3G-enabled iPad without a carrier contract costs £541.

It's unclear whether these popular UK carriers -- that provide mobile services to approximately 37 percent of the UK -- have been informed of Apple's plans for a new iPad or are simply making an educated guess about the device's immediate future. The iPad was originally announced over a year ago in January 2010, and it went on sale in April 2010. Much like its cousins in the iPod and iPhone families, the iPad is expected to follow an annual release cycle. Many expect the "iPad 2" to go on sale before the end of April 2011.

[via iPad Watcher]
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