Apple iPad 4 With LTE Release Date Arrives: Where You Can Buy One Today

Two weeks after Apple released the fourth-generation iPad to the public, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has finally released the LTE and cellular-capable variant of the device via its own retail stores and AT&T stores as well.

Even though Apple actually received the LTE iPad 4 in its stores on Thursday, the company was reportedly told to "wait until word from corporate to begin selling the device. This strategy was likely based around those first batch of customers that pre-ordered the device online, many of whom expected their tablets to be delivered on Nov. 16; Apple wouldn't want those customers to feel left out, or worse, complain about it.

Despite the extra two weeks between the release of the iPad 4 with Wi-Fi and the iPad 4 with LTE, Apple is still struggling to meet demand, especially for its online customers. While online Apple Store lists iPad 4 with Wi-Fi in stock across all configurations, the iPad 4 with LTE and cellular still has a waiting time of seven business days.

Therefore, the best way to own an iPad 4 sooner rather than later is to walk outside -- scary, I know -- and go buy one.

As of Friday, Apple is selling the LTE-capable iPad 4 at its retail stores around the U.S., and so is cellular service provider AT&T, which offers a nifty $100 discount for anyone willing to buy an cellular-ready iPad 4 with a two-year plan, which also includes a $10 per month "Mobile Share" add-on for tablets.

About The iPad 4

The fourth-generation iPad, as of today, is the fastest tablet Apple has built to-date.

While similar to the third-generation iPad with Retina Display released in March, the iPad 4 is faster than its predecessor in every single way.

With the all-new custom-built A6X chip, the iPad 4 has double the chip speed and graphics performance of the iPad 3's A5X chip, which was pretty impressive in its own right with a quad-core graphics processor. The A6X chip packs a lot of punch, which helps the iPad power its enhanced features in a quick and seamless way, including picture stabilization and face detection for both photo and video recording. The A6X, with all its power, is efficient enough to give owners 10 hours of solid "all-day" battery life.

If double the chip speed or graphics performance wasn't enough, the iPad 4 is makes significantly faster and stronger connections to Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of marketing, said iPad 4 owners will experience "ultrafast" Wi-Fi that doubles the connection speed of the older model, the iPad 3 -- and furthermore, for LTE customers, Apple has expanded the number of LTE frequencies supported by the iPad to include more carriers in Europe, Australia, and even here in the US, such as Sprint-Nextel.

iPad fans will only notice a few noticeable differences in the outer appearance of the iPad 4 versus previous iPads, including the smaller 8-pin Lightning connector on the bottom of the tablet.

Apple starts selling the new iPad 4 at $499 for Wi-Fi only and $629 for LTE-capable models. Check out this article if you want to see what critics had to say about the iPad 4 (spoiler: it's mostly positive).