When Will The Apple iPad Come To Canada?

After Apple announced the iPad this morning, one of the questions many Canadians were wondering about is when the iPad was coming to Canada?

Canadians are no strangers to being left behind when the latest tech is released. Looking back at the original iPhone, Canadians could not officially get their hands on it for one year after the original June 2007 launch. However that did not stop Canadians from going down south to pick it up and unlock it.

During Apple’s iPad release, Apple mentioned that the iPad will come in two models; a WiFi version and a WiFi + 3G version. The WiFi iPad will be released around the end of March 2010 worldwide, so Canadians can grab it then (will the release day be crazy like with iPhones?), but what about the 3G + WiFi model, which can be used for Internet anywhere outside of a WiFi hotspot with carrier support?

During the keynote, Apple mentioned that the 3G + WiFi iPad will be available near the end of April 2010 in the USA and around June 2010 for International destinations, including Canada. Apple attributes the delay to the various international cellular network carrier agreements.

So, we already know the price of the Apple iPad, and now the potential Canadian release date, the next question is how much will the 3G data plans be?

Apple mentioned that the USA agreements with AT&T will come in the form of two data plans; $14.99 for 250MB of data or $29.99 for unlimited data (capped at 5GB). The other note is neither of the above two data plans will be contracted, which means two things. First, the Apple iPad will not be carrier subsidized, and two, users can cancel the data plan at will with no additional fees (I can hear the Canadian cellular carriers grinding their teeth).

In Canada, Rogers/Fido, Telus, and Bell will be able to support the iPad but none of these carriers have an unlimited data plan (WIND does not have the correct GSM frequency to support the iPad). So what will the price be? The good news is that data plan pricing will likely be identical to what is offered now from the four carriers:

Rogers

  • $25/$30 for 500MB of data
  • $30/$35 for 1GB of data
  • $60/$65 for 3GB of data
  • $80/$85 for 5GB of data
  • $30/$35 for Data Flex Plan (500MB – 5GB of data)
  • Additional data usage in Canada is charged at 3¢/MB
  • Additional data usage outside of Canada but in the USA is charged at 0.6¢/kb
  • Additional data usage outside of Canada and the USA is charged at 3¢/kb

Fido

  • $25/$32 for 500MB of data
  • $30/$37 for 1GB of data
  • $60/$67 for 3GB of data
  • $80/$87 for 5GB of data
  • $30/$37 for Data Flex Plan (500MB – 5GB of data)
  • Additional data usage in Canada is charged at 3¢/MB
  • Additional data usage outside of Canada but in the USA is charged at 0.6¢/kb ($3/MB on flex plan)
  • Additional data usage outside of Canada and the USA is charged at 3¢/kb

Telus

  • $25/$30 for 500MB of data
  • $30/$35 for 1GB of data
  • $60/$65 for 3GB of data
  • $80/$85 for 5GB of data
  • Additional data usage in Canada is charged at $0.05/MB. Additional data usage outside of Canada and the USA is charged at $25/MB.
  • Additional data usage outside of Canada but in the USA is charged at $3/MB.
  • If a SIM card is installed on a voice device, local or long distance voice minutes to Canada and the US (except Hawaii or Alaska) are charged at $0.35 per minute. Additional voice roaming charges apply outside of Canada.
  • Additional data is charged by the MB or GB and is rounded up to the closest KB (1 GB = 1,024 MB; 1 MB = 1,024 KB). Data usage is subject to a monthly overage limit of 10 GB.

Bell

  • $25/$30 for 500MB of data
  • $30/$35 for 1GB of data
  • $60/$65 for 3GB of data
  • $80/$85 for 5GB of data
  • $35 for Data Flex Plan (500MB – 5GB of data)
  • Additional data usage in Canada is charged at $0.05/MB
  • Additional data usage in USA is charged at $3/MB

So, are you getting the Apple iPad at launch? Which model are you getting? WiFi only? Or WiFi + 3G?

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