Apple Launches iPad Air and iPad mini with TD-LTE for China

Apple in ChinaApple announced on Monday (technically, the announcement was made on Tuesday in China) the release of TD-LTE models of iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display in China. The models will increase Apple's footprint in China, where cellular networks have been built with different wireless technologies than the rest of the world.

According to Apple, the TD-LTE models, "also accommodate the TD-SCDMA mobile standard." The company also has WLAN + Cellular models that were already for sale in the world's largest market.

China is hands down Apple's biggest opportunity for near term growth on a large scale. The country has some 1.3 billion people, and Apple recently signed a deal with the world's largest wireless carrier—China Mobile—which had more than 775 million customers in February.

Not so coincidentally, China Mobile uses the TD-SCDMA protocol mentioned above on its network. Apple announced no other feature differences in the new models.