Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Verizon says it will also sell Apple's iPad with integrated CDMA

 

In addition to the new CDMA iPhone, Apple will also release a new iPad with a built-in CDMA radio to allow the touchscreen tablet to connect to Verizon's network, the carrier revealed on Tuesday.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Verizon Wireless Chief Financial Officer Francis Shammo reportedly said that his company will sell a new version of the iPad with an integrated CDMA radio. The current iPad with integrated radio is only compatible with AT&T's 3G wireless network in the U.S.

Verizon and Apple previously worked around the issue by bundling a MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot router with the Wi-Fi-only iPad. The hardware bundle started at $629 for the 16GB model, the exact same price as the 3G-capable hardware with direct connectivity to AT&T's network.

While Shammo reportedly spilled the details on the forthcoming CDMA iPad, he declined to say when the hardware might become available. First released last April, the iPad is expected to be updated to a second-generation version in the very near future. The anticipated update is part of an aggressive strategy that would see Apple update the hardware in less than a year, partially to push its FaceTime video chat standard with a camera-equipped iPad.

Cases and mockups claiming to represent the second-generation iPad began to appear online in late December. They suggested that, in addition to forward and rear facing cameras, the next-generation device will also include a larger speaker on its back and a tweaked, slightly thinner design.

There have also been reports of a new CDMA iPad being released in addition to the UMTS and Wi-Fi models currently available. Suppliers in the Far East suggested that the CDMA variant would account for roughly 30 percent of all iPads manufactured.