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xEnOnn

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 8, 2012
16
0
Do I really need an iPad Mini with 3G connection when I already have an iPhone 4S?

The iPad Mini with 3G costs at least a hundred over dollars more than the iPad Mini Wifi-only verison. I am thinking to myself if I really need to spend that extra hundred dollars just for the 3G feature on iPad, or I could just use the tethering from my iPhone.

But I can't be sure what are the drawbacks for tethering the connection to iPad Mini from iPhone. Other than having to consume battery from two devices, are there any other ramifications? Poorer connection, possible?
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
Not sure how well the personal hotspot function works on the iPhone, but on my iPad, it is a bit fiddly. Currently, I have a 3 and a mini, and the 3 has a data plan while the mini doesn't, so I've been tethering the mini to the 3. I find that if I don't use the mini for a while, the hotspot turns off, and I have to take out my 3 and fiddle with the hotspot switch to turn it back on. That gets annoying, especially since the whole point of getting the mini is so I don't have to deal with the heavier 3 while on the go. Probably isn't as much of an issue with the iPhone. I want to get tethering on my iPhone, but my partner doesn't want to give up the unlimited plan, even though we never use that much data anyway... *sigh*
 

Philalbe

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2010
255
0
Greater Boston Area
Do I really need an iPad Mini with 3G connection when I already have an iPhone 4S?

The iPad Mini with 3G costs at least a hundred over dollars more than the iPad Mini Wifi-only verison. I am thinking to myself if I really need to spend that extra hundred dollars just for the 3G feature on iPad, or I could just use the tethering from my iPhone.

But I can't be sure what are the drawbacks for tethering the connection to iPad Mini from iPhone. Other than having to consume battery from two devices, are there any other ramifications? Poorer connection, possible?

One drawback is no GPS. I believe the cellular and GPS tech share the same chip or something to that effect. I went with the cellular model, but whether you "need" the cellular version is a matter of preference. Whether tethering or using an activated 3G ipad it will mean shelling out more money every month to your service provider. I think one drawback to tethering is that sometimes the connection isn't as consistent or reliable? Or so I've heard on this forum.
 

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
For me the iPad Mini with cellular data plan was a no-brainer. This is the device which goes out-and-about everywhere with me but I am not always near a WiFi hotspot. I have an iPhone, too, but i MUCH prefer typing on the iPad and it is nice if I am out somewhere and get an email to be able to go ahead and type a response to the person right then and there, or to write a message on one of my forums. I have the unlimited plan on my iPhone and am not willing to give that up so tethering is out for me, and as mentioned by someone else, it can be a bit fiddly anyway. I'd rather be able to pull out the iPad, read my emails, surf the web and do whatever else I want to do with an iPad Mini that is ready to go with 4G/LTE (a heckuva lot faster than 3G!) than to have an iPad Mini which cannot do those things if I'm not on WiFi.
 

cnev3

macrumors 6502
Sep 13, 2012
462
56
I learned from owning a smartphone that had an awesome data plan, that I really dont use 3G/4G internet that much, which is why I picked the Wifi model.

And I got the freedompop hotspot device, which gives me 1GB of free 4G data a month, and that's enough for me.
 

iSensei

macrumors regular
Nov 25, 2012
144
2
No thanks for cellular. I watch movies and stuff on iPad...not a fan of paying $30 for just 3GB of data which is not that much if you watch movies.
 

TsunaMic

macrumors newbie
Aug 25, 2012
5
0
Chocolate Town, USA
Depends

Well in my opinion the iPad Mini and 3G is almost necessary if you travel a lot. The whole point of releasing a product like this was to make it more portable. And since the iPad is mainly a entertainment device as opposed to a productive device you would want this to download/stream movies and apps. I think it is very necessary. Definitely agree with Clix Pix.
 

eye4ni

macrumors member
Apr 18, 2011
44
9
I owned an iPad 2 wifi for about a year-and-a-half and got by just fine. I used the ipad for work, used in many different locations, and the lack of 3G was never a huge deal, and when mobile data was necessary, I tethered to my phone. As others above have already said, tethering is kind of hit or miss. Sometimes the ipad would grab the connection right away, and other times I would have to open up settings on my iphone, ipad, or both to establish a connection, which then seems to disconnect if not used for 5-10 minutes. It got a little frustrating at times.... also, you should also be aware of the lack of GPS in the wifi model. This matters to some, others don't need it.

All of that being said, I bought a 32gb mini wifi+cellular. I have Verizon for my iphone 5 and recently switched to the share everything plan. I can add a tablet to share the data for only $10/mo, so it just made sense. The additional cost of the ipad (+$130) and the data plan (+$10/mo) made it a difficult decision (bought the wifi model first, then exchanged for the cellular), but I really do like having access to data any time, anywhere. If I were using the ipad for personal use only, I would only get the wifi model, but the ipad has become an integral part of how I perform daily tasks for my small business, so the cellular upgrade is justified.

In my opinion, personal use=wifi, business=4G. Unless of course you really don't mind spending the extra money, just get the 4G/Cellular model anyway.... if nothing else, it will yield a higher resale value when the new and improved ipad mini comes out next month.... (kidding, settle down)
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
Sorry, I don't have At&t, so I didn't have the need to distinguish between the two. To me, LTE = 4G

Well, the info is useful for people who do have AT&T! Remember, this is a forum, you aren't just talking to yourself.

I think for the purposes of this discussion, it's just useful to say "cellular" rather than trying to specify the type of cellular data.
 

Dlanod

macrumors 65816
Jul 11, 2008
1,000
96
UK
I had a plan that I would tether with my iPhone but its a faff tethering as others have said. It's never connected when you need it and it sucks the life from my phone battery.

The whole point of the Mini is portability and cellular is the icing on the cake. I returned my wifi and now have a cellular. I use Dropbox so decided to spend the money on connectivity rather then memory.
 
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