launch, which is pretty awesome. But I'm puzzled why Apple didn't make a proper EV-DO version of the iPad (instead of bundling it with a mobile hotspot device). This seems very un-Apple. But I'm guessing it's got more to do with the business arrangements in place.
So far I haven't seen anyone take notice to the fact that the iPad's Verizon launch is almost exactly six months to the day from its initial 3G launch on AT&T (April 30 - October 28th), meaning early on Apple probably worked with AT&T to establish an exclusivity period (which happens frequently in the mobile world).
Typically these exclusivity deals come with a bag of cash and other business terms, and considering that Verizon is offering the MiFi bundle without $20 per month for 1GB of data without a contract (in other words, a mobile internet plan that looks a lot like AT&T's), it seems pretty likely that AT&T may have leveraged its relationship with (or simply paid) Apple to decide against having integrated Verizon 3G in the iPad. For now, anyway.
Discussion about
Apple selling the iPad through Verizon (bundled with a MiFi 2200) marks the first time Apple has partnered with a US carrier other than AT&T on a product…
I bought a Virgin Mobile MiFi at the same time as my iPad; works great. $40 a month for unlimited data. And yep, it has GPS, so geolocation works just fine. Only problem with the MiFi is battery life (approximately four hours, give or take). Picked up an extra battery and a car charger, and I'm good to go all day now.
This announcement makes a Verizon iPhone look less likely to me, in the short term.
Bundling an iPad with a MiFi seems so un-Apple, so inelegant. If Apple is gearing up for a new CDMA/LTE-based iPhone, it seems to me that it would wait until then to add a 'Verizon iPad' to its lineup. Apple could leverage its new knowledge of EV-DO radio tech in a new iPad as well, after all.
The inelegance of this (interim?) solution is likely useful, given the robustness of Verizon's network, but ultimately may also signal Apple's intentions regarding its choice in radio tech. Despite all the rumblings from the WSJ and others, I won't believe an iPhone on Verizon until it's projected onto a screen behind Jobs during a One More Thing.
It's useful for Apple to move more units for now, and useful for Verizon to officially push MiFi units to be paired with iPads, but I think this doesn't speak well for a solid working relationship between the two. The phrase 'bare minimum' seems apt.
Bundling an iPad with a MiFi seems so un-Apple, so inelegant. If Apple is gearing up for a new CDMA/LTE-based iPhone, it seems to me that it would wait until then to add a 'Verizon iPad' to its lineup. Apple could leverage its new knowledge of EV-DO radio tech in a new iPad as well, after all.
The inelegance of this (interim?) solution is likely useful, given the robustness of Verizon's network, but ultimately may also signal Apple's intentions regarding its choice in radio tech. Despite all the rumblings from the WSJ and others, I won't believe an iPhone on Verizon until it's projected onto a screen behind Jobs during a One More Thing.
It's useful for Apple to move more units for now, and useful for Verizon to officially push MiFi units to be paired with iPads, but I think this doesn't speak well for a solid working relationship between the two. The phrase 'bare minimum' seems apt.
