The iPhone 6 release date is approaching and it would appear that AT&T is trying to get rid of some iPhone 5s inventory, hence the carrier’s new and exciting iPad deal. Earlier this week, AT&T rolled out a new special on both the iPad and last year’s iPhone releases, allowing customers to save $200 off the price of the iPad for anyone who purchases an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c under the carrier’s Next program.
Aside from customers having to agree to the Next program, which is a zero down payment scheme where phone owners pay down the cost of their device over several months, there’s another caveat to this iPad deal. Buyers will have to activate their iPad under AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plan or a conventional cellular plan; this means you’ll be getting any iPad iteration of your choice for $200 off, just as long as it is a cellular model.
That effectively eliminates the possibility of a buyer purchasing an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c under AT&T Next terms, and purchasing the Wi-Fi only iPad mini for $99, instead of $299. Instead, the cheapest available option is the 16 GB iPad mini with cellular support, which will cost $199 and not $399.
Indeed, this is one gotcha that makes this particular iPad deal impractical for anyone who wants a Wi-Fi only model and doesn’t need faster cellular service. But it is, for what it’s worth, a great deal for anyone looking for an LTE-compatible iPad, and willing to purchase the iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c right before they are supplanted by the iPhone 6 as Apple’s current smartphone model.
Separately, Staples has its own iPad deal, where, for a limited time, customers can enter the code “79449” upon checkout and get $100 off the price of the present-generation iPad Air, regardless of storage option. This deal, unlike the AT&T offer, only applies to Wi-Fi models.