LTE Claims for iPad 3 Continue to Roll In Amid Rumors of March 16 Launch

Reuters adds its voice to the growing chorus of rumors claiming that Apple will indeed include 4G LTE compatibility on the iPad 3 when it debuts tomorrow. While some have remained skeptical of the claim amid concerns that the technology is not yet broadly-enough available to be worthwhile, Reuters joins Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal among mainstream publications making the assertion.

Apple Inc is betting a 4G-equipped iPad will tempt more U.S. consumers to pay extra to watch high-quality video on the go, and in turn, give Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc a revenue boost. [...]

The newest iPad will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G "LTE," or Long-Term Evolution network, according to a source familiar with the product. At speeds roughly 10 times faster than current 3G technology, that may go a long way toward banishing the sometimes shaky video quality of older devices.

The continued claims of LTE compatibility comes as March 16 seems to be firming up as an expectation for the actual launch of the iPad 3 in the United States. The date has been considered a likely candidate since word of Apple's March 7 media event surfaced, given that the iPad 2 debuted nine days after its introduction last year.

ipad 3 event invite
Rumors of a March 16 launch received another boost last week when it was revealed that Apple's new Houston store had seen its grand opening moved up by a day to March 16 in an unusual move for the company.

9to5Mac now reports that an "Apple Store source who has been reliable in the past" has pointed to March 16 as the launch date.

We’ve been told by a Apple Store source who has been reliable in the past that preparations are being made for a big Apple Store event which will culminate on Friday, March 16th. Naturally, this points to an iPad 3 launch on the Friday just nine days after tomorrow’s announcement.

The source also reports that Apple is planning a "subsequent event" a week later, but it is unclear whether this is referring to international iPad 3 launches or some other event.

Apple's iPad 3 media event is taking place tomorrow at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern.

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...

Top Rated Comments

troop231 Avatar
169 months ago
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
169 months ago
Hmm, I hope AT&T announces shared data plans for iPhone/iPad. I wouldn't mind paying $5-10 extra to have both devices access my allotted data.

Of course, knowing AT&T it will be cheaper to just buy two separate data plans in the first place.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
169 months ago
They had me at a Retina display ..

Everything else is just a bonus
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mw360 Avatar
169 months ago
4G would explain why they don't want a '3' in the name.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iEvolution Avatar
169 months ago
tell me this, what good is speed when you're limited to 2/3gb a month?

Great! I can enjoy a whole whoopin 2 high def movies a month at blazing speeds!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Patriot24 Avatar
169 months ago
With this LTE feature. my only thought is: "Greedy Americans"


LTE isn't available for more than half of the world you know :/

Damn Americans thinking about them selves again :/

So Apple should wait to roll-out functionality until half of the world or more has general access to it? You do realize that they could just shelve most of their products now if that were the case, right?

If you don't have LTE in your area, don't buy an LTE iPad? It will still work with 3G networks and likely be the same price. I don't see the downside.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)