Everything 4g
Apple.com no longer shows a product called iPad Wi-Fi + 4G, and has instead renamed it the less internationally controversial iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular.
Add Calgary, Alberta and Halifax, Nova Scotia to the list of places you can get blisteringly fast 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Rogers networking on your new iPad. Edmonton is next, and it doesn't sound like they're slowing down any time soon.
Better late than never, right? That's going to be a bit of a recurring theme for the first few items on this week's hit list, as we wrap up our new iPad coverage and dive head-long into the rest of the week that was. So let's not waste any more time...
Apple has quickly responded to the accusations that they're misrepresenting the new iPad in Australia as 4G-capable by offering misled buyers a refund on their device. That's not much of an offer, considering they're all within their 30-day return window, but a sensible answer to those that are unhappy that they can't get LTE access on their new iPads.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is going after Apple for advertising the new iPad as 4G capable, even though it's not compatible with their networks. The ACCC says they're after "injunctions, pecuniary penalties, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers affected" in this case.
iOS 5.1 snuck in a 4G indicator on the AT&T iPhone 4S. When asked if they felt like their phone was running at mind-bending speed, one commenter smartly replied "Lightning fast. I can't wait to get throttled even sooner now." This encapsulates the conundrum of 4G data, and a problem currently faced by new LTE iPad owners.
Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett downgraded his rating on Sprint stock to underperform, along with a note that says bankruptcy is a very real threat with the LTE iPhone looming.
The new iPad drops this week, complete with LTE connectivity, which means we need to start keeping an eye on AT&T's expanding coverage. AT&T has recently announced a bunch of new cities will be getting 4G goodness between April and early summer.
Now that you've decided to get the 4G LTE flavor of the new iPad in the US, the question becomes -- AT&T or Verizon, which carrier should you choose? For most of us, the decision will come down to two factors - coverage and pricing.
Here's how it breaks down.
If you've updated your AT&T iPhone to iOS 5.1, you may have noticed that the signal indicator in the top-left now reads 4G instead of 3G. Do you feel faster?
