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iPad Why cellular iPad Air 2 is worth it if you are on the fence.

K

Kendo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 4, 2011
2,363
922
I have always bought a Wi-Fi model simply because my iPad rarely leaves home and I have a very fast Wi-Fi connection both at home and at the office. However since most stores are giving a $100 discount, rather than pocket the $100, it might be worth using the discount to get the cellular model.

T-Mobile currently has a promo for iPad Air 2 customers that gives you 5GB of data for 150 days at $10. Most carriers charge around $10 per GB, so 5GB at $10 means you get $40 for free. T-Mobile also gives you a free 200MB per month which is 2.4GB a year. That is worth roughly $24. So in two years, you get $48 plus the $40 from the promo for a total of $88.

Most people spend $130 to get the LTE version just to be able to get cellular service. Now you get $100 off and $88 worth of data along with the benefit of free GPS and being able to connect to the Internet whenever you need it.
 
$100 off is still $100 off. You can use this circular logic but you are still paying an extra $130 for the cellular radio!

I have enough data to easily tether if and when I want to, and with iOS8 that is now a 1-click operation. I'll keep my $130 plus data fees thanks. :)
 
I agree that the cellular model is the best one to buy for a large group of people. Unfortunately, your math doesn't make sense to me. Money that you don't have to spend on an additional service is not the same thing as money that you don't have to spend at all on the iPad with wifi.

Additionally, T-Mobile coverage is basically non-existant where I live, so a free service that doesn't work isn't really worth anything.
 
zhenya said:
$100 off is still $100 off. You can use this circular logic but you are still paying an extra $130 for the cellular radio!

I have enough data to easily tether if and when I want to, and with iOS8 that is now a 1-click operation. I'll keep my $130 plus data fees thanks. :)
Click to expand...


Can someone PLEASE explain to me how the "one click" tether works? I just purchased a cellular Air because I couldn't get the tether to work as it's being advertised everywhere. But if it truly is one click I can take my cellular back and save $130.
How I have read it, is, the only thing needs to happen is the iPad and iPhone are on the same icloud account and the iPad would automatically connect to the phone. There shouldn't be any turning on Bluetooth (on both devices), turning on personal hotspot (on iPhone), then putting in the hotspot password (on iPad). But that is the only way I have gotten tethering to work, which is kind of an inconvenience. For the record, iPhone 6 plus and ipad Air 2 are both on IOS 8.
 
nolegirl said:
How I have read it, is, the only thing needs to happen is the iPad and iPhone are on the same icloud account and the iPad would automatically connect to the phone. There shouldn't be any turning on Bluetooth (on both devices), turning on personal hotspot (on iPhone), then putting in the hotspot password (on iPad).
Click to expand...
Bluetooth needs to be enabled on both devices for Instant Hotspot to work, since that is how they discover each other. You do not need to enable personal hotspot, and there is nothing else to be configured besides the iCloud log in. It's working reliably for me since iOS 8.1.
 
Rigby said:
Bluetooth needs to be enabled on both devices for Instant Hotspot to work, since that is how they discover each other. You do not need to enable personal hotspot, and there is nothing else to be configured besides the iCloud log in. It's working reliably for me since iOS 8.1.
Click to expand...

Thanks! That worked! Now does that mean Bluetooth needs to be on at all times on both devices? Wouldn't that drain the battery?
 
iPad stays at home 90% of the time.

But those few out and about occasions, the 200mb/mo plan is pretty sweet. Glad I got it on my Air last year.
 
nolegirl said:
Thanks! That worked! Now does that mean Bluetooth needs to be on at all times on both devices? Wouldn't that drain the battery?
Click to expand...
The iOS 8 continuity features are based on a Bluetooth LE profile. It uses very little power. Note that the actual data transfer with Instant Hotspot uses Wifi. Bluetooth is only used for device discovery.
 
nolegirl said:
Thanks! That worked! Now does that mean Bluetooth needs to be on at all times on both devices? Wouldn't that drain the battery?
Click to expand...

Hmmm. That's not working for me at all. Both my iPhone 5 and Air 2 are on iOS 8.1 but can't discover each other with BT enabled. I turned off wifi to simulate being outdoors. I'm on T-Mobile and have not enabled Hotspot. Any help would be appreciated.
 
dsc888 said:
Hmmm. That's not working for me at all. Both my iPhone 5 and Air 2 are on iOS 8.1 but can't discover each other with BT enabled. I turned off wifi to simulate being outdoors. I'm on T-Mobile and have not enabled Hotspot. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

For me, wifi needed to be turned on the phone and the ipad.
 
I struggled with this. I came from owning all the LTE models since the iPad 3 (except 4).

The decision is much harder because...

1) $130 upcharge is ridiculous, I can maybe understand it when the iPad 1 came out but now the difference should be between $50-$75.

2) Instant Hotspot (when it works) is a perfect replacement especially since I always have my phone with me.

So, I ended up getting the WiFi only Air 2 (my wife will use my LTE Air).
Of course, if they had a Space Grey LTE model in stock, I probably would have bought it.
 
dsc888 said:
Hmmm. That's not working for me at all. Both my iPhone 5 and Air 2 are on iOS 8.1 but can't discover each other with BT enabled. I turned off wifi to simulate being outdoors. I'm on T-Mobile and have not enabled Hotspot. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

You need the wifi radio on. That's how it works :)
 
So to clear up confusion:

To use Instant Hotspot:
1) Both devices must be logged into the same iCloud account
2) Both devices must have BT on for device discovery AND wifi on to make the data transfer connection
3) Once the iPad has connected once to the iPhone, it should do so automatically in the absence of any other remembered wifi networks and assuming 1) and 2) are true.

I guess this could be considered a 'pro' of the cellular iPad, as neither BT nor wifi need to be turned on...
 
Being able to use the iPad as a GPS device is a very big deal, and worth 130 bucks if you need it.
 
Your points are completely valid. I just wish they didn't charge $130 just for cellular. If it was something more reasonable, I'd be all over it. My sensibility just won't allow me to spend that extra amount just for a cellular antennae where on top of it, I have to pay for data.
 
Again, it's going to be worthwhile for some, not so much for others.

For me, it's proven to be worth it. But I use my iPad frequently in places where it's good to have a cell signal, and also good not to siphon battery off my cell phone unnecessarily.
 
KeepCalmPeople said:
So to clear up confusion:

To use Instant Hotspot:
1) Both devices must be logged into the same iCloud account
2) Both devices must have BT on for device discovery AND wifi on to make the data transfer connection
3) Once the iPad has connected once to the iPhone, it should do so automatically in the absence of any other remembered wifi networks and assuming 1) and 2) are true.

I guess this could be considered a 'pro' of the cellular iPad, as neither BT nor wifi need to be turned on...
Click to expand...

Great information! Thank you for the clarification!

----------
melman101 said:
You need the wifi radio on. That's how it works :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! It worked like a Charm!
 
zigziggityzoo said:
For me it was a worthwhile consideration simply for the TMobile free data. 200MB and then throttled (no overages) free all the time. I'm in.
Click to expand...

What do you mean throttled free all the time? T-Mobile gives free throttled data after the 200MB is used? Do you have a source?
 
Last edited:
For me, the LTE iPad is well worth the extra $130. When at home I don't have a problem using WiFi, we have a good provider and fast internet service through our cable company.

At work, WiFi is available, but depending on where you are could be spotty or very slow.

When out and about WiFi, very slow in most places. tethering to my iPhone just wears down the iPhone battery.

For me, the decision to get an iPad 4 LTE model was a good one. I have it tied into Family share plan and whenever I run into a WiFi issue I just turn off WiFi and bam I am running without any issues. Works great in high traffic areas where the WiFi is slow. and those slow or spotty areas at work are no longer an issue anymore. I can now catch up on personal emails or Facebook while on breaks. When I went on a recent vacation I never had an issue getting online, my travel mates however did since their iPads were just WiFi. While riding in the car with the LTE on and since the Cellular models also have GPS, was able to tell what places to eat, stay, get gas or attractions were at the upcoming exits using the iExit app. It was great. I will never get an iPad without LTE again. I was the envy of my travel mates. I have, as well as 2 of those travel mates have since bought iPad Air 2's with LTE.

The LTE Cellular model is worth it.

Once again, your mileage may vary, but with the experiences I have had this past 2 years since getting an iPad with LTE, I will never get one without it again.

My first iPad with LTE was the 4, then I got an iPad retina mini with it and have now upgraded from the iPad 4 to the iPad Air. Prior to the LTE models I had the iPad 1, and 3 and the original iPadMini WiFu only models.
 
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