Not only that, you need a separate data plan for the iPad, right?

iSuppli estimates that 3G radio adds about $25 to the cost of iPad (http://www.isuppli.com/teardowns-manufacturing-and-pricing/n...) so at $50, I'd imagine that Amazon's probably recouping the cost of baseband hardware + development time and effort, and not much else.

It's amazing to think that they can throw in the free 3G access on top on the hardware for just $50 extra. I guess they're counting on low browser and web usage due to the e-ink screen...

> It's amazing to think that they can throw in the free 3G access on top on the hardware for just $50 extra. I guess they're counting on low browser and web usage due to the e-ink screen...

I think that's subsidized by the increased amount of books people buy when they can buy them anytime anywhere but only through Amazon.

Web browsing on the kindle is painful enough that I'd only use it for emergencies.

I'd imagine the web usage is probably a LOT heavier on an iPad than a Kindle (at least, I use it a lot more on my iPad than I do my Kindle... :)).

Yeah, more wear and tear on the 3G chips, so Apple had to put extra-enforced chips in there.