Wall Street Journal Confirms 4G LTE iPad for AT&T and Verizon

[MacRumors]

The iPad 3 will come in 4G LTE versions for Verizon and AT&T according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. It was reported earlier today that the iPad 3 announcement would come on March 7.

Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. will sell a version of the coming iPad that runs on their newest fourth-generation wireless networks, according to people familiar with the matter, as the battle to cash in on big investments in mobile broadband heats up.

Apple Inc. appears to be planning to announce the latest version of its tablet computer in the first week of March, according to another person briefed on the matter.

Whether other carriers will also sell the device couldn't be learned.

The WSJ noted that the devices will fallback to a "slower network technology" when LTE isn't available. The next iPad is expected to have a high-resolution Retina Display and a quad-core A6 processor, in addition to the LTE capabilities. There is no indication if the AT&T and Verizon iPads would be one model that can operate on both networks or separate units with individual SKUs, as they are currently.

Apple insiders have noted that Apple frequently engages in the practice of "controlled leaks", briefing trusted reporters with product information before the launch of a big product.

Article Link: Wall Street Journal Confirms 4G LTE iPad for AT&T and Verizon

 

[troop231]

"Drools"

 

[Big D 51]

Music to my ears.

 

[AJH1993]

Would prefer a 4G LTE iPhone instead...

Let the downvotes commence

 

[basesloaded190]

That puts that rumor to rest!

 

[Hakone]

Can't wait! especially when the screen's a better resolution.

 

[ultravioletfly]

Just wish it wasn't $129 more. What about $99 more than the wifi version?

 

[Peace]

The 4G LTE is no contract right ?

 

[reallynotnick]

I hope they make an LTE one for Sprint even if they haven't launched their LTE network yet. It would be nice to be able to buy it now and have the feature when it starts to roll out.

 

[jayhawk11]

I know it's exciting for people to hear, but how did anyone *not* expect this? If you've paid attention to baseband roadmaps from Qualcomm at all, this was expected since last spring.

 

[laxlaxlax]

What's the WSJ's track record with rumors or "deliberate leaks"?

 

[jayhawk11]

What's the WSJ's track record with rumors or "deliberate leaks"?

Uh...damn near 100%. Them, Bloomberg and AllThingsD won't usually print something unless it's coming straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[gmanist1000]

Wondering how the battery will hold up...

 

[jayhawk11]

The 4G LTE is no contract right ?

One would assume so, yes. I don't foresee Apple letting the carriers yank that carrot away after two years or no-contract data.

Wondering how the battery will hold up...

Should be about the same as the current iPad. Qualcomm's new baseband is awesome like that.

 

[YeahBuddy]

Would prefer a 4G LTE iPhone instead...

That will be a feature this summer in the new "iPhone 4G LTE S"

 

[newyorksole]

Uh...damn near 100%. Them, Bloomberg and AllThingsD won't usually print something unless it's coming straight from the horse's mouth.

not true. WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg etc have been VERY wrong SEVERAL times.

I'm pretty excited for 4G LTE though considering it's expanding rapidly in NYC/Long Island

 

[besweeeet]

iPad 2S**

*Can't imagine a device that won't have an updated design to be called an iPad 3.

Meh, nevermind.

 

[BWhaler]

I just hope the legendary battery life stays.

The 10+ hour battery life is a huge differentiator for the iPad. Not thinking about charging all day makes the iPad so much better than a laptop.

I am looking forward to all of these enhancements, but I don't want the iPad world to regress into the "7 hour" promises of the laptop world—particularly since laptops never last 7 hours. It's a different devise when you can work with it all day without needed a charge.

Fingers cross the post-Steve Apple hasn't lost site of what makes the iPad magic—at least in part—and is chasing specs just for that spec. I'd rather take 3G over average laptop battery life.

 

[macduke]

This looks to be the first Apple product that is unlocked and supports both AT&T and Verizon, right? So how does this work? Can you flip back and forth between different networks whenever you want? Can you be subscribed to both at once and just flip a switch? Because that would be great for trips where the coverage varies. It would also be nice to try out Verizon in my area on the iPad before the iPhone 5 comes out. Then I could decide on whether I should dump AT&T (likely) or stay with the stupid Death Star.

 

[PracticalMac]

So,

Sprint, or not to Sprint?

For that matter, where for art T-Mobile?

 

[igazza]

Let the iPhone rumors begin

 

[KPOM]

Would prefer a 4G LTE iPhone instead...

Let the downvotes commence

Since the iPad has a bigger battery, Apple didn't need to wait for the smaller, more power-efficient LTE chipsets.

In any case, this is a good move by Apple. They can gradually roll out LTE, plus it gives iPad 2 buyers a reason to upgrade. The iPad 3 should be a big hit. I'm planning to get one.

----------

not true. WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg etc have been VERY wrong SEVERAL times.

I'm pretty excited for 4G LTE though considering it's expanding rapidly in NYC/Long Island

None of them "predicted" the iPhone 5 last year. In general, the WSJ doesn't report leaks. It is a respected business publication (as is Bloomberg), and they usually are a good outlet for controlled leaks from Apple.

 

[ejisfun]

This looks to be the first Apple product that is unlocked and supports both AT&T and Verizon, right? So how does this work? Can you flip back and forth between different networks whenever you want? Can you be subscribed to both at once and just flip a switch? Because that would be great for trips where the coverage varies. It would also be nice to try out Verizon in my area on the iPad before the iPhone 5 comes out. Then I could decide on whether I should dump AT&T (likely) or stay with the stupid Death Star.

This is actually seems to be a possibility. iPhones are locked to a carrier because the carrier is paying for a lot of the phone, but carriers don't pay for iPads.

 

[faroZ06]

Meh, I don't even WANT 4G. It makes it more expensive and isn't even faster where I live (Los Angeles). The bottleneck is at the station in busy areas, not the air. And when it is faster, it makes it easier to accidentally waste your data plan on some video you click on by mistake.

Besides, according to a survey, >50% of iPhone 4 users think that they have 4G... or I think it was only in America. Semiconfusing name FTW.

 

[macduke]

For those complaining about battery life—I'm sure there will be a 4G on/off switch. So if it's an issue, then just toggle it off when you need a longer battery life over faster speed. But those lower power Qualcomm LTE chips are supposed to just be coming off the line. Unless Apple paid up big for some early orders—which is entirely possible. I mean, $100 billion can make just about anything happen. Either that or the iPad won't come out until nearly a month after this rumored March 7th launch date.