iPad's April 3 release a wake-up call to AT&T

It's official. Apple has announced that the Wi-Fi iPad will be available for pre-order on March 12, 2010. You'll be able to pick it up at an Apple retail store on April 3. Apple notes that the 3G models will be available in "late April."

ZDNet's own Larry Dignan covers the story in copious detail. He's even got a poll asking, will you buy the Wi-Fi or the 3G model?

My question is will you buy both the Wi-Fi and the 3G model? I predict that there will be a glut of "lightly used" Wi-Fi iPads clogging eBay the day after the 3G model start shipping. I'm not sure that I want a 3G iPad -- even if with a pay-as-you-go data contract -- but I'll probably find a way to justify one after they come out.

AT&T needs to get its act together on tethering before the iPad ships on April 3. It needs to capitalize on the market for iPad users that will want to tether to their iPad to their iPhone. If AT&T doesn't release an iPhone tethering solution by April 3, it will lose a huge wave of revenue to iPhone owners who flock to underground apps like PDAnet to fill the tethering void.