Report: Apple Tablet To Support Multiple Carriers – Including Verizon

Ed Sutherland ()

Report: Apple Tablet To Support Multiple Carriers – Including Verizon

Verizon Wireless, which has belittled the iPhone in ads for the carrier’s Droid smartphone, will be one of multiple carriers for Apple’s long-awaited tablet device, an analyst announced. “Verizon and others,” said Broadpoint AmTech’s Brian Marshall.

“Definitely Verizon. I’ve been told that’s a certainty,” he added, referring to unnamed sources.

Although some question whether the tablet will use 3G to deliver content, such as magazines and e-books, Marshall said the device will use 3G, but not Wi-Fi hotspots.

A number of tablet devices are expected to be unveiled at this week’s CES, possibly attempting to steal some thunder from Apple’s expected announcement later in January. However, the analyst expects Apple will showcase e-books, but much more.

“Apple’s tablet will be an e-reader, but also a TV viewer and more,” Marshall said. “For Apple, content is the focus of the tablet,” he added. Reports have emerged that the tablet could be announced in January then go on sale in March.

Another analyst told the publication Apple may be preparing for that date. “Apple will have had to make a lot of deals with content providers by now if it is launching in March,” said Ezra Gottheil, analyst with Technology Business Research.

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[Via Computerworld and Apple Rumors]

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About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • Jake

    No WiFi? That’s ridiculous, and I’d hope that’s wrong. I couldn’t honestly see how WiFi for a device “focused on content” could be skipped. Can you imagine “watching TV” as was reported above would work over 3G?

  • Northman

    Verizon? Well Verizon too, sounds more plausible. CDMA is nowhere to be seen in Europe for instance. And I hold it likely that Apple would like to sell a new product in Europe as well. Without support for GSM/3G and possible also LTE a new tablet in 2010 they wont be able to send any in Europe. And without wifi, come on, that sounds like a dumb joke.

  • michaeld

    I know the photo in the story is nothing more than someone’s Photoshop fantasy, but listen up: The Slate will have NO moving parts, just like the iPhone/touch. No hard disk drive or optical drive. Just get over it.

  • firesign3000

    I don’t think Apple would be stupid enough to release the tablet (if in fact it even exists) without wifi. I think most of these “analysts” with “inside sources” are talking out of their asses. “Inside source” probably means their brother in law’s cousin who works on the loading dock for Apple parts returns.

  • firesign3000

    @michaeld – Umm, the iPhone/touch does have moving parts. The home button, the volume rocker switch, and the power button are all moving parts. Just get over it.

  • http://www.islate.org Nick Schooler

    Hopefully the consumer isn’t stuck to one carrier like the iPhone.

  • http://www.toxicspark.com Andrew Macdonald

    @firesign3000

    I think @michaeld was referring to hard drives, cd drives etc.

  • Scott

    It’s got to have WiFi. There are portions of the USA that don’t have 3G coverage – from either AT&T or Verizon! I in fact am hoping that there will be a version of the Apple Tablet without a cell radio in it at all. I would love to have one that ONLY works on WiFi, and I would pay extra to NOT be stuck with another contract.

  • SugarGrove

    Does anyone know if the massive server farm being built in North Carolina for Apple is going to be used for the Tablet? Apple TV? iTunes? all?

  • nejohnso

    They aren’t saying it won’t have wifi, they are saying it won’t come with a wifi hotspot package such as boingo.

  • http://thewillseys.us/scott/blog Scott

    It has to have wifi, or tv watching would be impossible without it turning into an old atari game visually.

  • sharpeteacher

    @SugarGrove
    I have a feeling that it possibly would have something to do with that type of content. The problem is that it will not be finished by the time this hopefully hits the market.

    I might just have to drive by today to get an update of their progress.

  • Richard Lopez

    It makes sense for the apple tablet to go to verizon. The reason this rumor seems real, is because AT&T could not handle another apple product on their over crowded network. There is no way in hell AT&T would be able to handle the apple tablet, no way in hell!!! They can barely handle the iphone as it is, how would they handle another 1 million customers? They network would be crashing every hour. AT&T needs to stop being greedy SOB’s and invest money into their network to make it as reliable as Verizon’s. I constantly use my iphones data plan like crazy, I’m using about 40 gigs a week just to make AT&T notice the heavy data usage so maybe they will get the clue to upgrade their network.

  • Chester

    “I don’t think Apple would be stupid enough to release the tablet (if in fact it even exists) without wifi”

    Really? Because there’s no way they’d ever release anything pre-gimped like, say, an iPhone without 3G or MMS enabled and then magically release one that does after saturating the market with sub-par devices.

    That, and I have to hand it to Apple’s marketing team for creating an image of quality… their products are typically poorly made crap in a nice wrapper. I don’t imagine this new tablet will be anything different. Anybody taking bets on iTunes breaking 300MB when this thing comes out?

  • deric

    this is 100% legit the early itablet has been seen and it is pretty hard core wit the depth of a iphone wit usb port(2) and a cd drive it is the best buy of the century

  • deric

    btw anyone thats goin to say verizon is better is stupid att rules all and im not even on it im on sprint