So Apple is supposedly set to unveil the next-generation iPad tomorrow, but the question of whether it will include next-generation connectivity (namely LTE) is uncertain (as is everything else when it comes to Apple, but let’s just assume they’re unveiling an iPad).
Kevin Fitchard’s piece, which describes how Apple could potentially “screw the carriers” if it chooses to hold off on LTE in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5, speaks to how drastically the tables have turned.
Look at Sprint. That an already challenged operator has to mortgage its future to subsidize the iPhone just to stay competitive is a troubling sign of the times for all carriers. It must be nice to be Apple and have enough cash on hand to be indifferent about whether a carrier chooses to carry your device. I suppose it’s also nice to have enough money to buy Greece, although I doubt Apple, or anyone else, is in the market these days.
To summarize the situation: LTE makes a lot of sense to just about everyone but Apple. Carriers have no choice but to upgrade their networks. LTE is a cheaper, faster, more efficient technology. However, throwing LTE into the iPhone and iPad, with lingering roaming issues and other unknowns, is completely against Apple’s philosophy of get it right the first time.
After having observed the run-up to a number Apple unveilings, I’m going to guess that Tim Cook and company will have gone all in on LTE with the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. I just have a feeling, but then I also had a feeling we were going to see LTE in the iPhone 4S, which came to us bearing only HSPA+ (and still it broke sales records!).
The bottom line, and the crux of why it is so hard to guess what Apple is going to do next, is that it is a company that answers to no one. Apple is big enough and rich enough that it can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. Unfortunately, Apple’s indifference extends to even the operators’ needs and wants.