<P> In the US and Canada, nine variations of the third - generation iPad were offered, compared to six in the rest of the world, although some countries had only the Wi - Fi only model . Each variation was available with black or white front glass panels, with options for 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage . In North America, connectivity options were Wi - Fi only, Wi - Fi + 4G (LTE) on Verizon, AT&T, Telus, Rogers, or Bell . For the rest of the world outside North America, connectivity options are Wi - Fi only (on the Wi - Fi model) or Wi - Fi + 3G (on the Wi - Fi + Cellular model), with the latter unavailable in some countries, as 4G (LTE) connectivity for the device is not available outside North America . The Wi - Fi + Cellular model includes GPS capability . </P> <P> Initially, the cellular version was titled and marketed worldwide as the "Wi - Fi + 4G" model, but due to regional differences in classification of 4G (LTE) connectivity outside of North America, Apple later rebranded and altered their marketing to call this the "Wi - Fi + Cellular" model . </P> <P> The tablet was released in ten countries on March 16, 2012 . It gained mostly positive reviews, earning praise for its Retina display, processor and 4G (LTE) capabilities . However, controversy arose when the LTE incompatibilities became known . Three million units were sold in the first three days . </P> <P> After only seven months (221 days) of official availability, the third - generation iPad was discontinued on October 23, 2012, following the announcement of the fourth generation iPad . The third - generation iPad had the shortest lifespan of any iOS product . It is also the last iPad to support the 30 - pin dock connector, as the fourth generation iPad and later use the Lightning connector . </P>

When did the 3rd generation ipad come out
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