We know by now that, after finally getting invited to the Apple party with the iPhone 4S, Sprint will not be among the launch carriers for the new iPad, only coming in the US to Verizon and AT&T. Is that all there is to the story, though, or might Sprint be waiting by the sidelines for its chance to join-in at a later date? The discovery of some interesting entries in Best Buy’s computer system is helping to make a case that Sprint isn’t done with the new iPad just yet.

Though some of the text featured in this leak is a bit clipped, there’s the unmistakable presence of the phrase SPRINT IPAD NEW over and over. What’s it doing in there, and why hasn’t Apple said anything about a Sprint iPad?

This could very well be all about LTE. 4G speeds are a big selling point for the new iPad, so maybe Apple didn’t want a Sprint 3G or WiMAX version seeming like the “slow” iPad option; Apple’s certainly a company that would rather do something right or not at all.

We know that Sprint is planning to kick-off LTE service later this year with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper. Could we see it introduce a new, LTE-enabled iPad around the same time? It’s definitely looking like a possibility.

Source: Engadget