Sprint finally gets the iPad... and a mini, too!

Both the iPad mini and the new fourth-generation iPad are headed to Sprint in the coming weeks. The wireless carrier will offer the new tablets with various data plans to take advantage of its small, but growing, 4G LTE network. In areas without 4G, customers will just have to settle for 3G (remember when that was all the rage?). The iPad mini will start at US$459, while its bigger brother demands a slightly higher $629 entry point.

Being an Apple fan with a Sprint contract hasn't exactly been easy since the release of the original iPhone. With roughly half the customer base of either AT&T or Verizon, the company has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to new Apple's mobile devices. But now, after what seems like an eternity, Sprint is getting not one, but two Apple tablets.