I was thinking about getting a data plan but I decided to get the wifi only model because I can use my phone as a hotspot. Why would anybody buy a separate data plan and pay extra for the cellular iPad model?
Convenience, people tend to pay for it. Also people who travel that don't want to constantly have their phone battery draining. Cellular sales are more of a niche for tablets, but I'm happy apple caters to it.
This basically. Also, ability to use different carriers. Plus, I use the iPad as hotspot for my laptop and Android tablets. For some reason, the iPhone has this annoying habit of disconnecting from LTE when I receive text messages. I also need to keep the iPhone on my person so it's annoying when large file downloads get disrupted because I moved away from my desk. Using the iPad as hotspot makes for a more stable internet connection. I considered getting a dedicated LTE hotspot but back when I was looking, they were $200 with no contract and on-contract cost $20 per month for 2 years compared to just $10 for tablets. That $240 savings easily covers the price difference between the wifi and cellular iPad.Convenience, people tend to pay for it. Also people who travel that don't want to constantly have their phone battery draining. Cellular sales are more of a niche for tablets, but I'm happy apple caters to it.
Convenience, people tend to pay for it.
I was thinking about getting a data plan but I decided to get the wifi only model because I can use my phone as a hotspot. Why would anybody buy a separate data plan and pay extra for the cellular iPad model?
Here's some reasons in no particular orderWhy would anybody buy a separate data plan and pay extra for the cellular iPad model?
convenience and ease of use.
Not every plan offers tethering for free.
Kills the phone battery.
Not easily done if you're busy doing something else or using the phone
For me 10 dollars a month increase on my cell phone bill more then pays for itself in convenience and ease of use. I also get a GPS in my iPad which is a plus as well
If you leave Personal Hotspot and Bluetooth enabled on the iPhone and tether the iPad via Bluetooth, then it's easier (and uses less power to boot). You only need to do Bluetooth pairing one time and after that, you just need to go to Settings >> Bluetooth on the iPad to connect to the iPhone.Try setting up a hot spot while on a bus with a bag on your lap, the Ipad in one hand and the the Iphone in the other. Also while Tethering has improved with IOS7 it's still unstable, if the Ipad goes to sleep sometimes you'll have to reset the phones hotspot setting just to get them to connect again.
I wouldn't get one. Hot Spots fine just use that. And for people who say its kills your battery life on your phone can get a battery pack.
What if you don't have a tether plan with your carrier?
Cellular iPad for me.
So why not get one? Would it not be cheaper than paying for a dedicated iPad plan? I have a 10gb family plan for my iPhone. My wife only uses around 300mb per month. This is more than enough data for my needs and I pay around $130 a month for 2 iPhones, which includes tethering.
Not always, particularly not for individuals grandfathered in to the old plans or are using prepaid service.So why not get one? Would it not be cheaper than paying for a dedicated iPad plan? I have a 10gb family plan for my iPhone. My wife only uses around 300mb per month. This is more than enough data for my needs and I pay around $130 a month for 2 iPhones, which includes tethering.
Why would anybody buy a separate data plan and pay extra for the cellular iPad model?