iPad Wifi vs Cellular iPad

I got it because I dont like the hassle with tethering and just want to be able to keep on going when I bring my iPad away from home. Getting a GPs in the cellular was also a bonus.

I got the wifi only and I regret it. Tethering is an option, but if youre going to use it for a while it will drain your iPhone battery. I prefer my devices be independent from others, so I personally would choose cellular.

I went for the cellular version, but didn't activate it. I use it when I travel; when I was recently on vacation in the UK I purchased a "3" sim card to be able to get maps and e-mail. It worked fine.

I originally had a wifi and traded it in for a cellar. I bring my iPad mini everywhere and when I am not home, rarely is there a wifi connection available.

I've found I mostly use my iPad where I have WiFi access and those rare times I don't have WiFi the tethering with my iPhone has worked fine.

I also didn't like to pay for another data plan for my iPad when I didn't use the 3G option that often.

So for me this time I will go for more a larger memory capacity and ditch the cellular component.

It's not just $130 upfront but also a monthly fee that is at least $10. That's $250 for the first year alone!

I've a cellular iPad. Had internet on it for nearly 7 or so months and decided to cancel it just recently. Was barely using it (my iPad itself and the connection) and haven't really missed it yet. Glad I still have it though for whenever I'm going traveling.

If you have the disposable income, cellular all the way. I just leave it on, and with easy Internet access all the time it changes how you view and use the device. Very nice while traveling as well.

If you have it with you a lot and use it a lot on the go, cellular is easier but if its just a home device, then wifi is fine. Tethering is ok, but can become bothersome and sometimes the tethering itself becomes tangled and needs a reset if devices.

I commute on a bus, so I use the cellular data almost every day during my commutes. Also comes in handy when I have a few moments here and there during the day and want to check the news, game scores, etc. I tried tethering, but too much hassle having to fiddle with both devices to set up the connection.

Basically, for me, it was an easy decision to get cellular, because I knew I would definitely use it. If you don't know whether or not you need it, it can be a tough decision to make.

Cellular, without question. Awesome to have it while traveling. Or when the power goes out at home.

I may not use it all that often, but when I need it am so glad I have the option.

Cellular option for me next time. Had it on my original iPad. Ditched it in my iPad upgrade last year. Next time I'm taking it again.

But first I have to upgrade my iPad mini and I just did an iPhone upgrade, so the iPad upgrade is a way low priority for me right now.

I went with the cellular option on my iPad 3. While the extra $10 per month certainly adds up on my AT&T wireless bill, it has been a nice option to have when free wifi was not available.

About 6 weeks ago I got an iPad 4 with 64GB and WiFi+Cellular. In reality you could say that this is my 4th iPad. I've had the iPad 1 (32GB), iPad 3 (16GB) and iPad mini (64GB). This one is also the only one that I have gotten with the cellular.

The reason I decided to go with cellular was a recent trip I took where wi-fi was very sporadic at best and when I was able to connect to the hotels "free" wifi it was extremely slow and the signal was weak. I believe it dropped out more than I used it. In addition to that, I had recently experienced wifi issues at some of the places where in the past I didn't have too many issues. I tried using my iPhone as a hotspot, but that seemed like more hassle than it was worth and as others mentioned drained the battery of the iPhone quickly.

I am very happy that I made the switch, the ability to be connected all the time has been great so far. On a recent road trip I was able catch up on things while on the road and that was cool in and of itself.

Could I have waited until the iPad 5, Absolutely, but at the time I wanted a device hat I could use in the moment, and the iPad 5 hasn't even been officially announced yet. Therefore, there is no distinct timeline as to when we will actually see it. Another contributing factor was that the iPad 3 I was using was only 16GB and I was constantly deleting or switching apps around because of the limited storage. I have an iPad mini and having the 64GB of storage is absolutely wonderful. I just prefer using the larger iPad over the mini. I have no regrets getting an iPad 4 so late in the game because I use it everyday. The time I saved by not having to switch out things to make room is fantastic and I have thoroughly enjoyed being connected all the time and trying to see if there is a signal in places outside of home.

Now that I have an iPad with WiFi+Cellular I don't think I will go without it again in the future. It's also been great being able to connect in places where my friends that are WiFi only are unable to connect.

Klae17 said:

It's not just $130 upfront but also a monthly fee that is at least $10. That's $250 for the first year alone!

Click to expand...

If you sign a contract and buy it through the carrier, you pretty much get that $130 back.

Wifi. Along my commute Tethering is pretty solid on all my devices. I have 2 tablets, a chromebook and an iPod touch. Obviously the touch is wifi only, but it didn't make sense to me to purchase cellular versions of my tablets and chromebook when tethering works perfectly well. In future I may get a mifi dongle, which I could also use across all my devices. I usually have access to wifi most of the time and so if I got a cellular iPad I'd only be wasting money on a data that I'd never use. Even on my cellphone plan, every month I have several GBs of unused data left over.

Wifi.

My iPad is predominately a home device. Plus I get unlimited tethering on my iPhone contract so despite battery concerns, hotspotting isn't an issue.

Centris 650 said:

I was wondering how you decided you needed (or didn't need) the cellular option on the iPad.

Click to expand...

Didn't want to deal with tethering and wanted data anywhere whether there was WiFi or not. Also wanted the GPS receiver.

Centris 650 said:

I'm trying to decide for myself. I've all but talked myself out of it since I can use the $130 for more storage and use my iphone's hotspotting capabilities but I'm open to changing my mind!

Click to expand...

As always it's a matter of weighing one's priorities.

Centris 650 said:

If you did get it how's it going for you?

Click to expand...

Great. That said, how it's going for me doesn't mean anything with regard as to how it would go for you.

Centris 650 said:

Do you use it a lot?

Click to expand...

What's "a lot"? I use it often enough that I'm glad I selected it.

To me, GPS + a good mapping program is a must for traveling.

Buying the wifi version means no GPS. It is worth it, even if I don't activate the cellular service.

Yes, you have to find a program that caches the maps, but that isn't too hard. Be careful, because some programs even if they carry the amps onboard, rely on big brother to do routing, and still don't work without a cell connection. In my neck of the woods, cell phone service is really bad in some places, so relying on apple or google maps is a fail.