You'll be able to pick up your very own Wi-Fi version of the iPad this month, though if you wait until April you can spring for a 3G-powered Apple tablet with service provided by AT&T. 3G service, according to AT&T, that won't really be a driving force for the device.
"My expectation is that there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription," AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said during an investor conference, going on to call the iPad a "Wi-Fi driven product." While it's odd to hear the big cheese himself voice something less-than-enthusiastic for a big new Apple release, Stephenson's got a point. You could get 3G service for your laptop, for instance, though very few people who don't have the professional need for it indulge in the service.
If you've already got an iPhone or something like it, then maybe you wouldn't have the desire to pay an extra $15-$30 dollars a month for 3G data when you could operate an iPad via Wi-Fi for free. Add to that the fact that the 3G functionality tacks an extra $130 onto the iPad's base price, and you've got to start wondering whether anyone's going to be buying an iPad in April.
Reuters, via CrunchGear
