Carriers realize this. They also realize they get more money from the current setup as we transition from generations that are used to paying for voice to a mo

Carriers realize this. They also realize they get more money from the current setup as we transition from generations that are used to paying for voice to a more digitally minded consumer base. The ipad plan is a pretty good data only no contract plan. My wife lost her phone so I gave her my iphone and bought a 3g ipad2 and used a cheap prepaid phone while I waited for 4S/5. That ran about $40 a month instead of the $80+/month you get with a smartphone contract.