Not that this should come as a huge shock, but Verizon will also eventually be selling an iPad with built-in access to its network.
You’ll recall that Verizon currently sells the Wi-Fi version of the iPad bundled with external cellular routers, but Bloomberg reports that Verizon’s cellular chipset will get built right into iPad models themselves.
This information comes straight from Verizon, too, courtesy of CFO Francis Shammo. Shammo declined to comment about when we’d see these Verizon iPads, though. That’s interesting, considering the iPad 2 may be here soon.
Current iPad or iPad 2? 3G or 4G?
Apple usually works around a year-long product cycle. Keeping that in mind, the next version of the iPad may very well be announced in the next month or two and ship out in April, just as the original iPad did last year.
If that’s what happens, it seems odd that Verizon and Apple would go to the trouble of shoehorning Verizon chipsets into the current iPad models. Previous rumors have indicated that Apple may be halting production of original iPads by the end of this month to clear inventory for the new models and, if true, it seems pointless to retrofit a handful of them with Verizon chips.
In all likelihood, Apple may soon unveil the iPad 2 and announce 3G support for both Verizon and AT&T. This falls in line with other previous rumors that the new iPad would come in Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA versions—UMTS being the technology used by AT&T and T-Mobile, and CDMA being the technology used by Verizon and Sprint.
There haven’t been many (or any) credible rumblings of a new iPad that’ll feature built-in support for next-generation 4G networks. And Apple tends to like to wait a generation or two to make sure new technologies have all the kinks worked out, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see a 4G iPad this year. However, there’s nothing stopping anyone from buying a Wi-Fi iPad and using it with a 4G mobile hotspot. It’s a little more cumbersome, but it works.
More on TIME.com:
Verizon to Sell iPad Bundled with 3G MiFi Service in Retail Stores