Hacker News Reader

Wait, so explain it to me. When I bought my last iPad, I could have sworn I had to choose an AT&T model or a Verizon model. Or is this a new feature on the iPad Air 2?

EDIT: From the link:

> right from your iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3

So this is new for iPad Air 2 then it appears.

View on HN

Right. Older cellular iPads supported either GSM or CDMA, so you had to choose at purchase in the US whether it was for AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA). Newer cellular iPads include both GSM and CDMA.

The best part about this: iPad boxes never said which carrier it was locked to. You had to look it up via serial number. Non-Apple sales people didn't seem to understand this and happily sold me an AT&T iPad when I asked for a Verizon iPad.

They actually do, at least for the past couple of years. My past two iPad purchases have been clearly marked "AT&T" right on the label.

Yep, same here. I have a first gen iPad, a first gen retina display iPad, and a couple of iPad Air now and only the first gen didn't have the carrier on the box, but that's because the first gen was ATT only.

I bought my mom a Verizon iPad a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I was actually sold an AT&T iPad. There was no indication either way on the box.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com