Mobile
Apple Installing 4G LTE in Stores to Prepare for iPad 3 Release Date
In just a few hours Apple will announce the new iPad. The iPad 3, or iPad HD as it may be called has no confirmed features, but new reports give credibility to the rumors fo a 4G LTE iPad that we have heard for months.
Today, we have a new leak that may give insight into Apple’s iPad 3 release date preparations.
Read: iPad 3 Release Date and What to Expect From Apple.
Yesterday we heard that the iPad 3 will have 4G LTE for Verizon and AT&T from numerous sources, including iMore, which has been spot on about several iPad 3 rumors.
A new report from AppleInsider claims that Verizon has sent plainclothes Verizon technicians into Apple stores to install 4G LTE, a report which has been confirmed by Cult of Mac as well.
Apple is reportedly installing 4g LTE in Apple Stores.
Why would Apple install 4G LTE connections in stores? Simple. Apple wants to be able to demonstrate the speed of 4G LTE and ensure easy activations for customers.
Most Apple stores are in malls, which have notoriously bad cell phone coverage. In order to show off the speed of 4G LTE, Apple may be installing 4G LTE to provide a reliable and fast connection. Another reason is that a 4G LTE iPad HD would need to talk to servers to activate the connection, if users want to walk out with 4G on, and 4G LTE in the store would make this a possibility.
When I Purchased my Galaxy Nexus last fall, Verizon literally told me to get out of the mall as fast as possible so that my phone would activate. This is an experience I am sure Apple wants to avoid. After all, they want you to hang around and buy more iPad 3 accessories.
This isn’t the first time we heard of stealth 4G LTE installations in Apple Stores, before the iPhone 4S launched numerous reports said that AT&T was installing 4G LTE in Apple stores, but that didn’t pan out.
The speed test below shows off the speed difference between 4G LTE on Verizon and 3G on Verizon and AT&T. The test was performed in a mall within 500 feet of an Apple store.
Stay tuned for our iPad 3 / iPad HD event coverage.
Via Cnet
