Verizon Plans to Sell iPad Owners on MiFi Data Plans

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Posted March 9, 2010 at 11:29pm by iClarified

Verizon plans to encourage its customers to go with the WiFi only iPad and use it with a device like the MiFi for Internet on the go.

An internal document from the company reads as follows...

Apple introduces the iPad - an opportunity for VZW
The iPad is anew category of device, between a smartphone and laptop, and will be offered in two models
- WiFi only - available April 3, 2010
- Wi-Fi + 3G - shipping late April

Sounds great, but isn't iPad exclusive to AT&T?
- iPad will not be sold directly by AT&T
- Sales, customer service & billing will be handled by Apple
- Customers who purchase the 3G version & want 3G capability will need to purchase a data plan to use AT&T's 3G network
- The 3G iPad is priced $130 more than the Wi-Fi only version, plus the cost of a 3G service plan

The iPad is an opportunity for VZW!
- Why pay more for the 3G version & get 3G service on an overloaded network with limited coverage?
- Customers who purchase the Wi-Fi only iPad can use the ......

While using the Wi-Fi version with a MiFi type device sounds good, how is Verizon planning to convince people to pay $60/month for 5GB while AT&T is offering $30/month for unlimited?

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Verizon Plans to Sell iPad Owners on MiFi Data Plans

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anonmuz - March 11, 2010 at 9:36am

There are reports that Time Warner is offering to help AT&T with the bandwith issues. I, myself wouldn't switch to Verizon for 8Gb a month and paying thirty dollars more a month. The right logic isn't being applied by Verizon, they would surely steal AT&T's iPad customers if the data package was unlimited for a sure connection but at the same time the price is 30 bucks extra and that my be steep for the 'something for nothing' crowd.

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Steve Anderson - March 10, 2010 at 2:35am

ipad does not even have a USB port so it's going to be hard to plug an Internet dongle into it

vanimox - March 10, 2010 at 3:02am

Yes it does, it has 3 on the side of it! Its either 3 usb or 2 usb and a firewire, not to sure but go to apple.com and look at the screenshots of the ipad on the front page, you'll see that on the side that there are 3 usb's... =)

jompao - March 10, 2010 at 6:19am

Well it's not a USB dongle you see... It is like a modem for the phonennetwork that then lets people connect to it using wifi. Since my iPhone are jailbroken I can get it to act like a a wifi modem and use a wifi iPad to connect to the internet on my all you can eat dataplan for the iPhone.

Rajesh - March 10, 2010 at 8:54am

MiFi does not need USB port, it is a portable router (with battery) and takes 3G internet via built in modem and provides WiFi as output. In this case iPad or any other devices with connect to it via WiFi.