Carriers Might Offer Cheaper iPad's With 2-year Contract

The Wi-Fi only iPads are priced between $499 and $699, while the iPad Wi-Fi+3G models are priced between $629 and $829. The iPad Wi-Fi+3G model comes without any contract from AT&T, if you thought this was a good enough deal to go for the device, well think again - a German blog has quoted the CEO of a European network operator as indicating that massive discounts for the iPad could be in the offing in return for a contractual obligation.

According to a post on TamsIJungle, Berthold Thoma, the CEO of Hutchison Austria had this to say:

"Hutchison Austria will be the first Austrian carrier to bundle the iPad. We will do so via our long-established laptop bundle, which offers customers a 333euro rebate if they agree to a 2yr contract offering 5GB of data for 29.90euro.

As the first iPads sold in Austria won’t have 3G radios, we will bundle the device with a Huawei modem called i-Mo. This device is a “wireless WiFi router”, creating a personal WiFi for the iPad."

We are not sure if Apple is contemplating a similar subsidy-based contract model in the US. However, such a model could be GREAT as it makes the 3G iPad a more attractive option than its Wi-Fi only counterpart - something that AT&T would desperately want. If AT&T would offer a similar subsidy to Apple's customers in the US, here are the likely prices of the different iPad Wi-Fi+3G models:

16GB iPad 3G : $174
32GB iPad 3G : $274
64GB iPad 3G : $374

As always, this is still a speculation and we would like to await an official confirmation from Apple in this regard. However, we are curious to hear your views on the prices in the meantime. Are you planning to buy an iPad? Would you go for an unlocked iPad or a subsidized iPad with a 2-year contract?

Let us know in the comments.