You might want to slow down on your LTE iPad 3 celebration.

Last week, rumors from Nikkei Business suggested that Apple was trying to bring an LTE model of the iPad 3 to Japan by summer 2012, and an LTE iPhone 5 later in the year. But those claims have been shut down by the rumored carrier, NTT DoCoMo. The company said it’s not carrying the iPhone nor the iPad, and is not in concrete negotiations with Apple.

Now, it could be that the carrier is reluctant to tip its hat about any negotiations while they’re still in progress, but it’s a fairly definitive statement if taken at face value.

LTE connectivity is one of the most wanted features for iPhone owners as well as iPad users, which also lacks the super-fast connection. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, stated at the Verizon iPhone launch that LTE chips would have required too many design sacrifices; others have suggested that LTE capabilitiy would be too taxing on the phone’s battery life.

Features aside, the most important rumor surrounding the next generation of the iPad is the release date, which — according to Apple’s regular schedule — is anticipated in March 2012.

But Apple hasn’t been conforming to its normal schedules, leaving gift-buyers trying to decide what to do in order to avoid gadget buyers’ remorse after the holidays. There have been few hints on that front. A recent report from the Wall Street Journal said that Sharp Electronics was producing screens for the next iPad, but only gave an estimated launch date of “sometime next year.”