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I don't think that MediaMarkt is in a position to know about future Apple products. Why should they? There's still plenty of time until March to announce it. By the way the mentioned T-Mobile contract is the same as the one that is currently used with the iPhone. So it is a contract aimed at voice services. This is definately fake.
 
what kind of contract? we already have phone contracts

The jack you get for $50 or $60 in the US to get a 3G dongle from a cell carrier. Even if you get the smart phone price of $30, that's something that most of us sane people who already have an iPhone aren't going to pay.

About the only sane thing about this device would be if I could tether it to my iPhone to use its 3G data signal. I know we wouldn't get any potential $300 discount, but what iPhone owner who already pays at least $75/month has another $30 to $60 to blow on this?

These are many of the reasons I doubt this thing will live up to the hype. It's unfair to expect it, really. I think it will be a very good device, but it's something else to carry. Many people with iPhones went from carrying a phone and iPod to carrying one device, which also had kickass Internet abilities and later added an awesome array of apps.
 
maybe...but given how everyone seems to be hallucinating wildly from this tablet it could be just the trip.
 
I do wonder whether the comparison with iPod touch and iPhone is valid as the cost of making components small enough to fit in these products must be expensive. Maybe the ipad (or what ever it will be called) won't have same issues, so could help offset cost of bigger screen etc. Having said that it wouldn't surprise me if it is expensive and if it does come in at $899 I'll be sticking with my iPhone and MacBook Air (yes I'm one the people who bought that so called failure:))
 
An unlocked, no-contract iPhone in Australia costs AU$879, for the 16GB model.
The 32GB model is AU$1,040.

A 64GB iPod Touch is AU$540.

A MacBook is AU$1299.
 
These information are most likely wrong.

Good morning,

let me explain why this twitter post by "Media Markt" is most likely wrong.
First up "Media Markt" or "Saturn" are no real reseller. They do have Apple products but they only sell what they have ordered, so upgrades are normally not possible e.g. Also when Apple has a new product line in their stores it takes a couple of month until "Media Markt / Saturn" receives the new product line. For example I know quite some places where you still get the old iMacs. Also the price politic by "Media Markt / Saturn" is questionable because if Apple reduce prices they never update their own prices as long as you don't ask them to check on the Apple webpage.

Second reason why I do believe this information is wrong is the prices indicated. If a product costs without a mobile carrier contract 899,-€ and with a contract 499,-€ you would expect that the monthly price for the mobile carrier is quite low. But the indicated T-Mobile Complete L contract is 120,-€ a month, so there are no real savings. Even T-Mobile do have data contracts with unlimited usage for less than 30,-€ a month so if you calculate:

499,-€ + (24 month @ 120,-€=2880,-€)=3379,-€

or

899,-€ + (24 month @ 29,95€=718,80€)=1617,80€

So who would be so stupid and get an "iPad" or what ever name it will have, with that ridiculous Mobile carrier contract.

Also be reminded there are other carriers which are way cheaper.

These are the reasons why I do believe this is just a hoax.

Cheers from Germany
 
Seems realistic

Although this was posted in Germany, we in the Netherlands have a similar style T-mobile and Mediamarkt. There are a couple of reasons this could be real:
- Mediamarkt is a huge enterprise which is not run very tightly, so anybody that accidentally found this info could have posted it.
- T-mobile is also not bulletproof when it comes to security, you have to realize it's Europe and corporate culture is not a big thing, taken the fact that you almost cannot get yourself fired and there's a million jobs with low pay/low requirements. Def no loyalty to your employer.
- The price point, altough high, seems to be fair. Yes, €899 buys you the cheapest MacBook. But the 32Gb iPhone sells for €999 if you want a one year contract, two years alternative contracts you pay up to €479 with a €25 subscription or €289 for €30 subscription, both excluding internet!
- There is no competition. eBooks are cheaper (10" €699, 8" €599) but lack the features that this iPad would have (no permanent internet connectivity, no "operating system"). A 32Gb iPhone would cost up to €199 with the lowest 150 minutes and sms contract. 64Gb iPod touch is €369. So if you want an eBook reader, not a Macbook and find the iPod too small, you will really only have one option: the iPad.
- Forget about netbooks, they are not considered mobile devices here and you would have a ton of problems hooking that up to mobile internet, which would still be expensive.
- The only thing I could imagine (business) people using is one of those Nokia N900 Communicator thingies, but they are still €559 without a contract.

Conclusion: this is a market that's not been convered successfully in Western Europe, the price point is realistic and people at Mediamarkt and T-mobile are the kind of employees that would pull a stunt like this off.
 

You want to know what's funny? I always thought "iPad = Maxipad" a whole concept, but it wasn't until last night when someone here pointed out the "i" and the "p" are side-by-side. I never noticed. lol Yes, I'll be the first to admit I'm dense in that sense.
 
I just want to point out that the Kindle has 3G, and this is taken from Amazon.com


"Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Global Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries. "


so if the Tablet does exist, what if Apple uses a similar strategy and offers free data on Books, Newspaper and Apps from the App Store under 10mb, all other data over 10mb needs to be downloaded over Wi-Fi (like it currently is for the iPhone). The Kindle lets you browse the Internet and check your e-mails, for an additional fee, but at no time are you required a contract with AT&T or any carrier.

also, the Kindle DX with a 9.7" diagonal E Ink display is currently on sale for $489, and Barns and Noble's Nook starts at $259 with free WiFi at any AT&T hotspot.

I figured this would be Apple Competition.
 
Personally i would be very surprised if 3G is uberhaupt on the device, the networks can barely handle the iPhone let alone a bigger media centric device. 3G could be added via a 3G hotspot MiFi system. Also, a 1 GB data contract in Europe costs about 30-35 euro per month, that is not enough profit to take a 300 euro loss on the device and at the same time overload the network. The iPhone model works because its phone, text and data together.

For me it needs to be a $399 - $499 big ipod, the innovation mostly happens in the software and not necessary the hardware. Popular media tablets, netbooks and e-readers range from $150 up to $300, not even Apple can jack up that price to $999.
 
not reliable!

Although it is highly possible that T-Mobile will be the mobile carrier (it one of the biggest carrier and part of "Deutsche Telekom"). I call this twitter a fake. Of course they have to remove this twitter message no matter if its correct or not. But I really doubt that some Media Markt employee yet knows the exact pricing.

The contract Complete L is 119€ and as complete says MORE than just a data plan. I doubt anyone would accept to pay 119€ for two years if the product is only 800€. Hint to T-Mobile. Make it 399€ for Complete L with 4.Gen Iphone and Tablet! That would be the only way to sell it.
 
I realize Apple doesn't do "cheap" and these prices are probably accurate but I still hope it's substantially less. $600-1000 doesn't hit the sweet spot for any device that people are already going to view as a middle child product, not quite a full laptop, too much to be a convenient portable. Why would I spend $600-1000 for something like that?

Apple always wows people with their ideas, design aesthetics, implementation of UI concepts, but for once I'd love to see the crowd blown away by price. It would be great if Apple would position just one of their products as a loss leader and find some other way to profit, either through sales of content or via subscription based services tied to the device (cellular, music, .Mac type services, etc.) or by an inevitable halo effect that leads users to buy bigger and more expensive products from them.

Whatever the case, $600 seems insane and any contracts tied to this are going to bog it down, especially in an economic environment where people are trying to reduce monthly expenses.
 
i can't believe it...

to me it looks like someone at t-mobile got seduced to try out this mechanism that EVERYTHING you write about an apple iPad/Tablet, you immediately get media attention. and it worked! mcrumors put it on the front side - yeah, don't you want to add yourself to the t-mobile twitter feed now? you won't get any new information, but t-mobile is happy to have more follower.

however, this price is ridicolous! the apple tablet's purpose is not comparable to a "real" mac book or pc, it is an addition. therefore everything above 399$ or 499$ is too much. also I can't believe that apple is forcing people into ANOTHER phone contract for this machine! as its size is so huge, it will mainly be used at home and a wifi sould be enough.

it looks like apple is going to place this machine into the niche market of people who have NO computer. a computer for everyone who doesn't want to learn difficult windows or mac os x user interface. it starts to make sense when you add the iLife suit. iLife + iPad is what you will get. a system that can handle your everyday life with. an ipod touch with larger display and the functionality that you don't need a host computer to "fill" it...
 
there is no way that I would pay a monthly fee for my iphone and tablet

i totally agree with you!

if they really think there needs to be a contract, this is a proof that they think this machine is for people who have no iphone (yet) and even no computer at all. the logical consequence of this thought is that the machines concept is to replace a computer, so the ipad/mac touch will have iLife built in.
 
so if the Tablet does exist, what if Apple uses a similar strategy and offers free data on Books, Newspaper and Apps from the App Store under 10mb, all other data over 10mb needs to be downloaded over Wi-Fi (like it is currently on the iPhone).

Every e-book download is almost $3 extra if bought outside the U.S., the media load for a big screen device with network enabled apps and games is just to big to handle via 3G.

Bigger screen = bigger downloads and more graphical media consumption.

Small apps and e-books via 3G but all LP music, movies, comics, graphic intensive magazines, e-mail, surfing, gameplay etc would need wifi. There is no logic in that, way to confusing and costly for some extra functionality.
 
So Media "I am not stupid" Markt spoiled it!

What a news to start the day with.

But a retailer that has as main slogan "I am not stupid" on their posters, I would expect anything...

Us Germans again spoil it :)
 
I get the sentiment, Inkswamp, but I don't think Apple cares about the effects of recession on its customer base and has the ability to tie it to a carrier and make them the scapegoat. Yes, the carrier bears the brunt of it, but it's Apple who enters into exclusivity and long-term contracts as a way to make the product work to its maximum potential. A remote control car is no good without batteries and batteries alone are no fun without a remote control car. Apple gets their money, the carrier gets it money and it makes BOTH parties happy. The only person left out in the cold is the user who pays through the nose to get the maximum potential. You're held hostage.
 
apples names - logical conclusion

mac book
mac book pro
mac book air
mac mini

(i)mac
mac pro

iphone
ipod
ipod touch

missing: MAC TOUCH
 
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