Sprint, AT&T; selling iPad mini with fast LTE cellular service

Sprint and AT&T; have announced they will begin selling the iPad mini with high-speed LTE cellular service at its retail stores.

Alongside AT&T; and Sprint, Verizon and Apple Stores are also expected to begin selling the LTE-enabled tablet at their stores Friday.

Apple announced the iPad mini with LTE late last month, but the Cupertino, Calif., company had not given out a firm release date despite the Wi-Fi-only iPad mini launching two weeks ago.

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The Apple device is capable of connecting to LTE networks, which offer the fastest Internet speeds on cellular connections. The iPad mini with LTE is also capable of connecting to other networks that are not as fast as LTE, such as 4G.

Over the past weeks, reports have been going around the Web that say various retailers, including Best Buy, have been receiving stock of the iPad mini with LTE. Some customers who pre-ordered the tablet have also said their units have arrived.

Of course, if you don’t want to go in person to purchase your tablet, Apple and others sell the iPad mini with LTE online. However, Apple lists the device as having a two-week wait time before shipping.

The iPad mini with LTE starts at $459 for a 16-GB model and is also available for $559 for a 32-GB model and $659 for a 64-GB model.

Besides the iPad mini with LTE, Sprint and AT&T; also announced they are now selling the fourth-generation iPad with LTE.

The iPad 4 has an improved front-facing camera, includes Apple’s Lightning connector dock and is supposed to have a processor that is far more powerful than its predecessor’s. It starts at $629 for an LTE 16-GB model.

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