Apple is preparing to release next-gen 4G LTE compatible iPhones and iPads in Japan next year, reports MacRumors (via Nikkei Business), which will be released on NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator.
![LTE iPhone](http://www.mactrast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/LTE-iPhone.jpg)
According to the report, Apple and NTT DoCoMo have reached an agreement, and the LTE iPad 3 is set to launch next Summer, while the iPhone 5 will be released in the fall.
Apple has previously taken the stance that first-gen LTE chips are too power-hungry, and force design compromises that Apple is not willing to make, but now that 2nd-generation LTE chips are on the horizon, the idea of 4G LTE iOS devices is back on the table.
If the report is true, that means that Apple would enter a carrier agreement with NTT DoCoMo, which has not previously been one of Apple’s carrier partners.
It’s worth noting that Macotakara does not have a proven track record for these types of rumors, and even if the report is true, there’s no saying when such devices would launch in the U.S. and elsewhere.