Sprint Sparks iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 sales this week

iPad Air 2
The iPad Air 2 is the thinnest iPad ever

Following the example AT&T, Verizon and the Apple Store itself set last week, Sprint has announced its release schedule for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

Sprint will begin selling the new iPads this week online and in stores, the US carrier announced.

Apple and others are also expected to start shipping the tablets out this week, but Sprint has some advantages over its competitors: Sprint Spark and Apple SIM support.

Good for something

Apple SIM is Apple's new SIM card tech that lets users swap between short-term data plans directly from the iPad Air 2.

Sprint is participating in the program along with AT&T, T-Mobile, and UK carrier EE. Notably in the US Verizon was left out, although it too is releasing the new iPad - just without Apple SIM support for now.

Besides that advantage Sprint says the iPad Air 2 is the first iPad that will support its Spark LTE network, which the carrier says delivers high speeds of 6 to 15MB on average, peaking at 50-60MB on "capable" devices.

And Sprint subscribers this week will be able to add the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with cellular capabilities to a 20GB or higher Family Share plan for free for the next year.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.