Carol Botteron <botteron@alum.mit.edu> on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:49:13
-0400:
>Everyone who replied to my questions, thank you. I have not yet
>decided which device I need but I have a lot to think about!
>
>BTW, I don't have the kind of phone that lets me read email,
>so that's why I asked about a "data service."
>
>No one mentioned retailers. Is it best to buy directly from
>Apple?
I can't judge for the American situation.
In the Netherlands I got a huge discount on the apparently fixed price
by purchasing it from my cell phone provider, T-Mobile NL, bundled
with a two-year 3G subscription.
This rebate roughly equals one year of subscription.
(The subscription itself was a deal offering higher speed while paying
for standard speed during the first year.)
T-Mobile happens to be the provider of free wifi hotspots in a growing
number of trains in the Netherlands (and Germany, I think). I figured
that being with that provider might simplify using these. (I often
travel by train.)
As Apple seems to fix retail prices in general, bundles like this may
be the way for providers to be more attractive than retailers after
all.
By the way, I bet that some website exists in the USA that can point
you to the best deals on devices, subscriptions and the combinations.
--
Chris Laarman
