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Tag: AT&T Verizon

  • Mobile Hotspot For iPad Coming To Verizon, Not AT&T

    One of the biggest features of the new iPad unveiled yesterday by Apple is its inclusion of 4G LTE technology. Along with 4G capability, Apple announced that the new iPad would be getting the same mobile hotspot technology that was Apple began including in its iPhones with 2010’s iPhone 4. Of course, not every carrier allows customers to use their phones as mobile hotspots, so Apple was quick to point out that the feature was dependent on carrier support.

    That, of course, raised the big question: will Verizon and AT&T support mobile hotspot with the 4G iPad? The answer appears to be yes and no, respectively. Customers who use their 4G iPads on Verizon’s network will have mobile hotspot capability as part of their data plans, while AT&T customers will not.

    When asked this morning via Twitter whether AT&T would offer tethering for the new iPad, an AT&T spokesperson replied that they would not.

    In response to a follow-up inquiry by 9to5Mac another AT&T spokesperson said that AT&T was working with Apple to make the mobile hotspot available to 4G iPad users, but that it would not be offered when the iPad launches next week. I sent a request for more information to AT&T, asking for a little more information on a possible timeline, but have not yet received a response.

    AT&T’s statement prompted similar questions to Verizon. Reports this morning were conflicted, as different sources appeared to be saying different things. It appears now, though, that Verizon will, in fact, offer mobile hotspot as part of all their 4G tablet data plans. Here’s what a Verizon spokesperson told me via email:

    Verizon Wireless will support the Mobile Hotspot feature on the iPad just as we do on the existing 4G tablets we offer. All of our tablet data plans which range from 1GB for $20 to 10 GB for $80 include this feature so customers do not have to purchase the service separately.

    So there you have it: a Verizon iPad comes with mobile hotspot right out of the box, bundled together with whatever plan you choose. AT&T will apparently offer the feature at some point in the future, but not at the iPad’s launch next week.

    What do you think? Does the mobile hotspot feature make you more inclined to pick Verizon over AT&T? Let us know in the comments.

  • New iPad Keeps Old Data Plan Prices

    New iPad Keeps Old Data Plan Prices

    Along with the retina display, the big news from Apple’s big media event yesterday was that the new iPad would be getting 4G LTE connectivity. The same two carriers who offered 3G data plans on the iPad 2 – Verizon and AT&T – will also be offering them for the new iPad. What’s more, it appears they’ll be offering them at the same price. According to the iPad pre-order page on the Apple Store website, data plan pricing appears unchanged, despite the upgrade from 3G to 4G. Check out the price lists below:

    New iPad Data Plans

    Both plans also retain the pay-as-you go pricing model, which means there still aren’t any contracts to sign and you can adjust your plan on a month-by-month basis as needed. It also looks like those who got the unlimited data plan with the original iPad in 2010 can still be grandfathered in with the new iPad. Of course, an “unlimited” data plan with AT&T doesn’t mean what it once did, since AT&T announced that they would throttle the connections of users who go over 3GB per month on 3G connections, and 5GB per month on 4G LTE.

    Additionally, as we reported yesterday, the price points for the new iPad have also stayed the same. The 16GB Wi-Fi only model is still $499, with increases of $100 each for the 32GB and 64GB models, and a $130 increase for 4G LTE models.

    New iPad Price Grid

    Of course, the fact that the iPad now has 4G capability means that you can be certain the next iPhone (“the new iPhone“?) will have the same. We’ll have to wait and see if data plan prices stay the same on the 4G iPhone.

    Will you be getting a 4G iPad? Are you surprised that the data plan prices are staying the same? Let us know in the comments.