AT&T also teases "exciting" announcement; $99 AppleCare+ rumored for new iPad

AT&T

AT&T put up a promotional page (via Cult of Mac) teasing an as-yet-unannounced product late Tuesday night.

"Coming soon! Get ready to see an exciting new addition to our line-up," the page read. Customers were encouraged to "be first in line" by signing up for an email notification about the news.

AT&T's teaser was preceded earlier in the day by a similar move from Verizon Wireless. The largest carrier in the U.S. teased that "something is coming" and also included a submission form for customer email addresses.

Considering AT&T and Verizon are the only two LTE operators in the U.S. and their teasers went up on the eve of Apple's iPad media event, evidence appears to point to the unveiling of an LTE-capable iPad on Wednesday.

Reports that Apple will add LTE to the third-generation iPad have persisted for months and have gained momentum in the weeks leading up to Apple's event. Verizon was rumored late Tuesday to have been installing LTE network equipment at Apple Retail Stores in the U.S. over the past couple days.

In addition to LTE, the next-generation tablet is expected to have a Retina Display, 1GB of RAM and an upgraded processor.

AppleCare+

Apple introduced the AppleCare+ warranty program last October alongside the iPhone 4S. The $99 service added up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage with a deductible of $49.

MacRumors received word on Tuesday that Apple will introduce AppleCare+ for iPad beginning on Wednesday with the third-generation iPad. The service will reportedly also cost $99 and is expected to replace the current $79 standard AppleCare package.

The publication's source did not provide specific details on coverage for the iPad, but the warranty program would likely also include accidental damage coverage similar to that of AppleCare+ for iPhone.

Though AppleCare+ for iPhone was initially only available if it was purchased at the same time as a new iPhone, Apple eventually extended the service to allow customers to purchase the warranty within 30 days after buying a handset.