iPad arriving in Canada May 28th!

Gah, beat me to posting it.

I'll wait for it. Just be curious if it will be an after hours release (like the 3G in the States) or an early morning thing and if we'll be able to pre-order and reserve.

Also, still waiting on pricing.

Actually pricing has been announced as well, and is OK - only a $50 "premium" over US pricing.

No details on 3G service pricing, though.

I saw it in the Globe article after I posted it, but I wonder where they got it? There's no mention in the press release Apple put out and nothing on the website.

Pricing/Media Release is here:

iPad Available in Nine More Countries on May 28


Pricing & Availability
Pad is available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models. iPad will be sold through the Apple Store® (Apple - Redirect - Canada Store), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The iBooks™ app for iPad including Apple’s iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store on May 28.

Pricing is about what I expected, though I'd still like to know what kind of 3G data plans will be available here, as that will be the deciding factor for me between getting the regular WiFi or the 3G model, I'm hoping against hope for no contract ones similar to AT&T in the US, but yea with the oligopoly our wireless providers seem to have I'm not holding my breath.

Well, Rogers did surprise us when the iPhone came out with the 6GB/$30 plan (after many complained, IIRC, but still). They've also done very well with tethering. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised as well.

Another important tidbit in the release (thanks to Hodge for that, couldn't find that on the Apple Canada PR site myself); iBooks will be available along with the iBookStore. Now does this mean we'll have access to all of the same iBooks as the US, or has Apple made a deal with some publishers here as well?

Either way, I'm pumped. Though it's good they haven't clamped down and pushed Amazon or Kobo off the iPad. I suspect I'll have all 3 apps as readers on my iPad, since often a book will be available on one, but not the other.

A friend / fellow ehMac member let me know the other day that Rogers had called them with a survey. Survey contained a lot of questions about the iPad. Among them was asking how interested would client be in a plan that could tie into a "data bucket" that was shared with the iPhone. IE:

It would be great if Rogers would let me tie a 3G iPad into my iPhone's 6GB data plan.

Rogers will have to post their rates before anyone with any bit of sense would order a 3G model. Then again, I've been with Rogers for 6 years so my theory about having a bit of sense is likely flawed.

If pre-order of all models is on Monday, I'll take a guess that Rogers will announce rates on or before that day.

Here's hoping that Steve Jobs gave them an ultra-wedgie and snapped them out of their 'lets take the Canadian public for every last penny while pretending there is competition and nothing to the undeniable oligopolic collusion that runs rampant through the Canadian telecommunications industry'.

/me breathes deeply to calm down

To my knowledge, Rogers is the only Telco that has spoken about the iPad. Not a peep from Bell. I wonder if we will have no choice if we want 3g service.

It should be unlocked if we're paying a non contract price.

There's only a $200 premium for the 3G version over the non 3G version. I wonder if we can expect the premium to be lowered for the iPhone over the iPod Touch to something similar.

I just got off the phone with a Rogers rep, and he said that they didn't have any special data plans for the iPad, just the usual ones they offer for all devices. When I told him I had an iPhone with a plan, and was there a way to share the data plan, he said "No. [pause] At least, not at this time..."

I don't know if we should expect reps to know anything that hasn't been officially announced, so take this with a grain of salt.

Tulse said:

I just got off the phone with a Rogers rep, and he said that they didn't have any special data plans for the iPad, just the usual ones they offer for all devices. When I told him I had an iPhone with a plan, and was there a way to share the data plan, he said "No. [pause] At least, not at this time..."

I don't know if we should expect reps to know anything that hasn't been officially announced, so take this with a grain of salt.

Click to expand...

Tulse, if you are open to jailbreaking your iPhone, then you can accomplish what you did inquire about with the Rogers rep easily.

Oh, I know, TGV, and that presumably would even save the cost of a 3G iPad over the WiFi-only models. I may look at that if Rogers doesn't come up with something better.

Tulse said:

Oh, I know, TGV, and that presumably would even save the cost of a 3G iPad over the WiFi-only models. I may look at that if Rogers doesn't come up with something better.

Click to expand...

Cool, I doubt that they will have data plans anywhere close to AT&T's in the U.S, but hey, let us keep the dream alive!!!

dona83 said:

It should be unlocked if we're paying a non contract price.

There's only a $200 premium for the 3G version over the non 3G version. I wonder if we can expect the premium to be lowered for the iPhone over the iPod Touch to something similar.

Click to expand...

It's not a $200 premium... it's a $130 Premium, just like the US:

iPad available in Canada starting May 28 - thestar.com

From $549 to $679 for 16GB 3G version.

I jut received an invitation to buy Bento for the iPad--at $4.99. That's about 10 per cent of the price for the full Bento. I don't know about you, but that pisses me off, having bought the regular Bento.

Macfury said:

I jut received an invitation to buy Bento for the iPad--at $4.99. That's about 10 per cent of the price for the full Bento. I don't know about you, but that pisses me off, having bought the regular Bento.

Click to expand...

Agreed. They should be giving the iPhone version to desktop users. Difficult to differentiate though as some folks will buy it without having the desktop link.

As I posted in another thread, if you plan on using the 3G on your iPad a lot you will need a lot of data. Thethered with my iPhone I can use up to 500mb of data a day.
It's the same in the US. Americans are needing the true unlimited AT&T plan. We need one too.

KMPhotos said:

As I posted in another thread, if you plan on using the 3G on your iPad a lot you will need a lot of data. Thethered with my iPhone I can use up to 500mb of data a day.
It's the same in the US. Americans are needing the true unlimited AT&T plan. We need one too.

Click to expand...

Are you talking about tethering your iPhone to your laptop? If so, thanks for the info, as I have always wondered how much data could be used up. Now I know.

I agree, a true unlimited data plan would be sweet, but I think I'm dreaming...:lmao: