What just happened? After months of user complaints, Apple's generous iPad rebate program for T-Mobile and Verizon customers seems to have disappeared. So far there hasn't been any word from any of the three companies about discontinuing it.
Last April, Apple started offering T-Mobile and Verizon customers hundreds of dollars off new iPad and iPhone models through rebate programs. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has followed the program ever since, including the problems he and others started experiencing in the autumn and winter.
Gurman in November reported that T-Mobile ignored his iPhone rebate request for months before finally rejecting it. Other users responded to him on Twitter with similar complaints about iPad rebates, and rebates from Verizon. T-Mobile the following month told Gurman the issues stemmed from a bug in its systems that it was working to fix.
This week, however, MacRumors reports all mention of the special iPad carrier deals have vanished from Apple's website. Special deals on iPhones for Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T customers are still there, though. It's the same story on T-Mobile's website which lists a few iPhone deals. Clicking "Tablets/Watches" brings you straight to a listing for the Apple Watch with no mention of iPads.
Apple, T-Mobile, and Verizon haven't said whether the iPad rebate program is being fixed or if they've simply dropped it.