Carriers cannot treat tablets like phones, because heavy subsidies cannot be recouped with only a data plan. So they try to find a middle ground, offering a $2

Carriers cannot treat tablets like phones, because heavy subsidies cannot be recouped with only a data plan. So they try to find a middle ground, offering a $200-ish subsidy in exchange for a 2-year data plan. Unfortunately, their customers don't find the proposition worth it when they can split the difference and own an iPad outright.