Apple selling iPad through Verizon

Apple has announced that the iPad will available from both AT&T and Verizon stores on October 28th. The AT&T offering will be the standard selection, but Verison will only offer the iPad Wi-fi bundled with Verizons MiFi hotspot:

Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 16GB + MiFi, $729.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 32GB + MiFi and $829.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 64GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to iPad customers of up to 1GB of data for just $20 a month. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis.

“This is the perfect pairing for holiday travels,” said John Stratton, chief operating officer for Verizon Wireless. “iPad together with the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G data network allows customers to easily connect on the go wherever they are.”

This is a little more expensive than just getting a 3G iPad from AT&T, but it's not a bad deal, if you are planning on travelling with more than just your iPad. The Mifi 2200 hotspot allows you to connect multiple devices the Verizons 3G network usign Wi-Fi:

MiFi 2200 is small enough to fit in a pocket and allows customers to create a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 3G Mobile Broadband network with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The MiFi 2200’s rechargeable battery provides up to four hours of active use and 40 hours of standby time on a single charge.

Verizon's 3G network is larger than AT&T's, so if you want an iPad that is useable in as many places as possible, and want to be able to connect multiple devices to the web anywhere you can use a Verizon phone, this bundle may be just what you're looking for.

 

Apple is pushing the iPad far and wide. Now it is available from the two largest cell phone providers, Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Sam's Club. I'm beginning to wonder if the next iPhone announcement won't be it's availability on more than just AT&T and Verizon. It seems unlikely, but I have to wonder.