Netbook Plans On The Way

If you have bought a cell phone in the past few years, there is a good chance you have taken advantage of those carrier discount to save money on your phone. The fact that you can buy an iPhone for $200 is due to AT&T providing you the discount to lock you in for 2 years. Without the contract, you have to pay $500 or more for these shiny phones. Well, guess what? You may get those discounts on your netbook soon. AT&T and Verizon are in the process of forming partnerships to introduce subsidized netbooks in the near future.

AT&T is already selling netbooks for as low as $99 with a 2 year contract. Verizon will be soon joining them with its own netbooks. Getting Internet on your netbook is a must. After all, why buy a netbook if you don’t plan to use the Internet on it. But paying for a 2 year contract that can cost you an extra couple of thousands over 2 years may not seem too attractive to budget-wary netbook owners.

Wireless carriers are out there to make a profit, and the netbook market gives them another chance to make a profit in the hottest market in the computer industry. The problem is, prices need to come down even more to make the whole deal attractive to more people. While I don’t argue the need for a wireless plan for netbooks, making people to commit to an expensive wireless contract may not be the right way to go.

Your take: would you commit to a wireless plan for 2 years to get a small discount on your next netbook?