The announcement of Apple’s iPad came with mixed reviews. Especially when Steve Jobs stated that the 3G Models will be using AT&T’s wireless network. Current iPhone users asked, ” Hasn’t Apple learned there lesson?!”

These concerns were quickly met with AT&T’s announcement to spend $2 Billion over the next year to improve their wireless networks. The main focus will be on major cities, including San Francisco and Manhattan, where the AT&T network is largely overloaded. Increasing the number of cell towers and the use of fiber-optic lines are among the their improvements. AT&T also launched the HSPA ( High Speed Packet Access ) 7.2 software ahead of schedule to combat their highest-to-date increase in wireless customers. Ken Dulaney, of Gartner Research, states ..” Apple wouldn’t have commited to them ( AT&T ), if they were going to have significant problems.”

For those of you that aren’t interested in using the tablet on AT&T’s 3G wireless networks, there are other options out there! First, the iPad is not exclusive to AT&T’s wireless service, like the iPhone! So you will have the ability to use it on other wireless providers. You can also opt for the iPad WiFi, which would only run on WiFi internet connections.

Being an iPhone user myself, I am skeptical of AT&T’s capabilities. However, I am excited to hear their plans improvements! I also feel that Apple made a very intelligent decision by not pigeon-holding their customers to an exclusive wireless provider and giving them an alternative with the WiFi models.