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WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE

By | February 13, 2012, 9:30pm PST

Summary: Citing “people familiar with the matter” WSJ confirms that the iPad 3 will run on Verizon and AT&T’s newest fourth-generation (4G) wireless networks. Now back to work.

WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE

This just in.

In a post late Monday night eastern time, the Wall Street Journal confirms that the upcoming iPad 3 will indeed ship with a 4G/LTE radio. Citing “people familiar with the matter” the WSJ uses about 500 more words than is necessary to drop that little nugget.

While not earth shattering —  LTE rumors bubbled up about a month ago — the WSJ’s endorsement caries some weight.

MacRumors notes that Apple frequently uses “controlled leaks” to give its most-trusted (read: supportive) reporters advanced product information ahead of a big launch. You can tell who Apple’s preferred news outlets are, they’re the only ones that get hot new products like the iPad 3 about one week ahead of their public release. (Hint: they’re the outlets that have fully written and edited product reviews posted as soon as the product launches.)

Follow the Google link to the WSJ piece to get around their pay wall.

Enough with the old news though. Can anyone make a case for buying a Wi-Fi only iPad? Even though I haven’t used the 3G radio in my iPad 2 in a while, I’d never buy a Wi-Fi only iPad.
Especially when cellular data is available month-to-month, sans contract. 4G makes the cellular radio option a complete no-brainer.

Unless Apple increases the $130 premium, that is.

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Topics

Apple iPad 3, Wall Street Journal, Apple iPad, Jason D. O'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
ManoaHI 14th Feb
Up until now, I would only get WiFi versions of devices. So far, everywhere I work or play, I get WiMax into a personal hotspot and from there I can hook up multiple devices. But I would be more interested what the coverage world wide, particularly in Europe and Asia, and what kind of roaming charges would be incurred if I were to activate LTE other than in the U.S. Actually, would it work? Or I could be better off with just WiFi.
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RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
Amusal 13th Feb
I would never buy anything but a WiFi only Tablet. I have a phone. It has a large data cap and tethering. Why have one more plan than you need?
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And there you go
use_what_works_4_U 14th Feb
@Amusal
Reason #131
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RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
MG537 14th Feb
For US citizens it may be sensible to buy a WiFi + 3G/4G iPad.
For the rest of us, it doesn't make any sense to add $130 to the purchase price when there are no tethering charges.
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RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
dominic64_2003@... 14th Feb
That would depend on the country you reside in and the type of wifi or 3G/4G service you receive in that country. This is not just about the US here, many countries around the world have varying degrees of service, and some may choose a wifi only iPad if the country they reside in has a good service. The far east comes to mind.
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RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
LyonsAireCEO 14th Feb
I agree the country one lives in and/or works in, is a determinate for buying the 3g/4g model of iPad. A 3g model might be a good fit for Americans, however as an expat American living in central Europe, i can say there is virtually NO 4g service here, CELL data service AREA is so spotty and such poor quality, while the wifi in most metro areas is at least tolerable, that 'd NEVER pay that premium for a cell equipped iPad. As others have said, i HAVE multiple phones at my side always, I use the iPad as an alternative to getting out my big laptop or carrying it around all day. While $130 might not seem like much of a premium, just think about the cost when compounded several thousand times for my employees, pilots and crews of our aircraft, as well as a family of 400, it adds up, for a capability that we can virtually NEVER USE, unless we travel to the western hemisphere. It simply IS a "no brainer" for us to NOT buy the 3g model. I may sound old fashioned, but when i need a PHONE, i use a phone, when i need a data device, i use WiFi device, NOT a phone.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: WSJ confirms iPad 3 will ship with LTE
ManoaHI 14th Feb
Up until now, I would only get WiFi versions of devices. So far, everywhere I work or play, I get WiMax into a personal hotspot and from there I can hook up multiple devices. But I would be more interested what the coverage world wide, particularly in Europe and Asia, and what kind of roaming charges would be incurred if I were to activate LTE other than in the U.S. Actually, would it work? Or I could be better off with just WiFi.

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