Apple’s iPad heads to Verizon stores with MiFi hotspot bundles on Oct. 28

Verizon Wireless announced today that it will begin selling iPads bundled with its MiFi wireless hotspots in stores on October 28.

It’s not quite the Verizon iPhone news we’ve been waiting for, but it does show Apple and Verizon are working together.

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The carrier will offer WiFi iPads together with its MiFi 2200 hotspot — a device that lets up to five devices wirelessly connect to Verizon’s 3G network — for $630 (16GB iPad), $730 (32GB), and $830 (64GB). It doesn’t appear as if Verizon will sell iPads without the MiFi, but honestly it’s not like consumers can’t find them elsewhere. Verizon says that customers will be able to pick up iPads on their own, as well.

The MiFis will offer only one access plan at this point: $20-a-month for 1GB of data with no contract. In comparison, AT&T’s iPad data plans offer 200MB of data for $15-a-month, and 2GB for $25 monthly. While you’ll have to carry around an extra device with Verizon’s setup, you’ll also be able to use the MiFi to connect other devices to the carrier’s 3G network (or so I assume) — which is more than enough to make up for the minor inconvenience.

While I’ll avoid reading too much into the news that Apple products will be sold in Verizon stores, it does point to some friendliness between the companies. Only time will tell if this move is a precursor to the iPhone arriving on Verizon.

In other news, Apple also announced that AT&T will be selling 3G iPads in its stores on October 28 as well — which is only noteworthy because I figure everyone assumed that was always the case.

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