Sprint has seen a recent uptick in sales of its Overdrive (3G/4G) Mobile Hotspot device, and Dan Hesse, the company’s CEO, said that Apple’s iPad is responsible. That’s right, Apple increases sales at U.S. carriers even if they aren’t directly selling Apple products.
Mr. Hesse made the comments to Gigaom, where he said that the popularity of Apple’s WiFi-only iPad models has led to many customers turning to Sprint’s 4G MiFi device to connect them to the Internet when on the go.
Just like other MiFi devices, the Overdrive Mobile Hotspot connects to wireless networks like a smartphone. They are designed, however, to share that signal to other devices (up to 5) via a low-strength WiFi signal. Sprint’s Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot is one of the only such devices to connect to a 4G network, as Sprint has the only 4G network in the U.S., though it is only in select markets.
Sprint is not rumored to have a deal in the works with Apple to carry the iPhone, and Mr. Hesse declined to comment on the matter with Gigaom.
Sprint Overdrive 4G Mobile Hotspot