iPad 4G release in 2011?

[CristobalHuet]

Hey all,

my search for "4G" in this forum yielded zero results, oddly (and I rechecked after making this thread, still zero...hmmm), so I may as well start up this thread and ask.

Recently, AT&T said their 4G network would be available for commercial use in 2011: http://gizmodo.com/5468470/att-to-deploy-4g-lte-network-in-2011
Rumour has it Verizon may have 4G this summer: http://socialmediaseo.net/2010/04/17/verizon-4g-speed/...Sprint already has 4G.

It's likely the iPad will get updated in early-mid 2011...do you think we'll see a 4G iPad? Maybe you guys are aware of the timetable for 4G better than I am.

 

[Julien]

I "think" the 2ed gen iPad maybe 4G. Now what did that get you?

 

[nj-mac-user]

Just because 4G will be available doesn't mean that a 4G ipad will immediately be introduced. The first iphone wasn't 3G capable even though 3G was available at the time. Once the US carriers 4G footprints grow larger than just a handful of cities is when it'd make sense for Apple to start rolling out a 4G model.

 

[jfyrfytr25]

there are alot more factors involved other than availability.

Sprints 4G network has been in some parts of the country for more than a year however, the first and only 4G phone is not being released until June (HTC EVO)

they look at things like battery life, which was a major reason that Jobs gave for the 1st iPhone to not have 3G. Apple is not too keen on going backwards. If the 4G chips have huge negative impact on the iPads battery, they will likely pass on it until either the chips consume less or the battery tech gets better.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Gotta love the Gizmodo article.

Promising transfer rates of 140-300Mbps, LTE can't come soon enough. Of course, a skeptic might temper their expectations for any grand future of AT&T when the present ain't so hot to begin with. Was that a downer? I'm sorry. That was a downer.

Wikipedia states LTE peaks at 100 Mbps, and real-world benchmarks I've seen show much lower performance (but even 12 Mbps average is really good).

 

[msavwah]

With enough coverage 4g with fallback to 3G wouldn't be so far fetched.

 

[antiprotest]

Yeah, maybe.

 

[lionheartednyhc]

But will it have a front facing camera?!?

 

[JodyK]

...Sprint already has 4G.

Sprint & Comcast own a piece of Clearwire aka "Clear" and use their network for 4G coverage.

 

[DKatri]

Is there really and point in posting threads about the next iPad when the first gen still hasn't been released worldwide. In all likelyhood even apple don't know the answer to this question.
At least wait until October/November time.