Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

OSMac

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 14, 2010
1,456
8
If you have a 3G iPad do you ever use it or just wifi / wifi tether?
 
If you have a 3G iPad do you ever use it or just wifi / wifi tether?

Yep, every time I leave the house with it :) Having to tether would just be time consuming and a hassle for me. I like the fact e mails just ping in through the day, and are available to read immediately.
 
I use 3G

I got the 3G iPad in order to have the 3G ability when wi-fi was not available. I don't use it all that often often, but when I need it, I really need it.
 
I find myself using it almost exclusively. For light browsing and checking email it's just not worth the hassle of connecting to some strange wifi network. And most of the time I find myself on the go or in a spot where there is no wifi. I wish it were faster sometimes, but being able to be connected anywhere I go is more important to me.

About the only time I NEED wifi is to download. 20MB+ file from the App Store...
 
I turned it off a month after i bought my iPad and haven't turned it on since. I have a Clearwire 4G mobile hotspot that I use to get online with my MacBook Pro, iPad and iPod Touch. It's much better than having just one device with built-in 3G access.
 
Haven't turned it on yet... But planning to over the summer :) just switched my 16GB WiFi for a 3G model 3 weeks ago.
 
got a 4G phone... 3G is slow now... Lol

so I stop using the 3G a month ago since I bought it when it was first introduced and waited 4hrs in line!
 
All the time.

"There's WiFi everywhere" my ass. There's none in Central Park, my favourite restaurant on Fifth Avenue, my local laundromat, at work, JFK, or on a random bench at Hudson River Pier.
 
All the time.

"There's WiFi everywhere" my ass. There's none in Central Park, my favourite restaurant on Fifth Avenue, my local laundromat, at work, JFK, or on a random bench at Hudson River Pier.
Everywhere I go there is WiFi... :rolleyes: At home I have WiFi. At work I have WiFi. At any friends or family members house, they have WiFi. Most hotels and restaurants have WiFi. If I'm out and about with my iPad (rare) and I somehow need to use it online in a situation where my iPhone 4 will not do (even more rare), I just use my iPhone 4 as a personal hotspot and take advantage of my truly unlimited data plan. Feels great knowing I saved a load of cash by not bothering with an extra £100 on hardware and additional data plan each month for an iPad that simply would not get used to the full value.

Nobody in their right mind these days would have a separate data plan for portable devices other than their mobile phone.
 
I use 3G almost exclusively. I'm at work sitting in a truck where wifi isn't available. I stream Netflix for hours without a hiccup.
 
No, never. But as you can see from the replies to this thread, it all depends on a person's individual usage pattern.
 
The fact that you can use your iPhone as a Wifi hotspot (Verizon at the moment) renders the 'must get 3G iPad' irrelevant. You could also buy a Mifi and take it with you. Ok, the Wifi iPad does not have a GPS but I'm sure Apple will add that at some point which will take another small advantage the 3G iPad have over the Wifi version.

Then again, GPS is on the iPhone so just use that instead.
 
thought I´d use 3G more than I do.. rarely take my iPad out of the house
use mine for mostly books and games, in the beginning I had it with me all the time, but I realized my MBP couldnt be replaced :eek:
 
Everywhere I go there is WiFi... :rolleyes: At home I have WiFi. At work I have WiFi. At any friends or family members house, they have WiFi. Most hotels and restaurants have WiFi. If I'm out and about with my iPad (rare) and I somehow need to use it online in a situation where my iPhone 4 will not do (even more rare), I just use my iPhone 4 as a personal hotspot and take advantage of my truly unlimited data plan. Feels great knowing I saved a load of cash by not bothering with an extra £100 on hardware and additional data plan each month for an iPad that simply would not get used to the full value.

Nobody in their right mind these days would have a separate data plan for portable devices other than their mobile phone.

except for those of us who don't have a nice phone and want nothing to do with browsing the web on it or upgrading it

as a matter of fact, i killed the data part of my cell plan. that $15 bucks goes to the ipad's data plan
 
Yes, I use it, especially when travelling or working on location.
 
absolutely... lots. WiFi; prevalent but by no means everywhere. Not to mention WiFi does not necessarily equal faster. Many hotels have miserable WiFi and the 3G connection can be far superior.
 
I use the iPad's 3G mostly when I travel abroad...

When I'm home, I usually have WiFi but I tether my iPad to my phone when necessary. When I'm abroad, I buy a local SIM for the iPad and tether my phone and laptop to it. When I'm outside the US, I'm usually at a place that doesn't have WiFi available, so I use the the iPad's 3G a lot during those trips.
 
I used 3G a lot on my iPad. It's great to have the option to access the net when I need it. But then again I use public transportation where I can use the iPad during my commute.
 
I have to use 3G on my iPad all the time because wifi isn't available to me. I don't have DSL or Cable internet in my area. I wish it was, but for now 3G will have to suffice. 
 
I've used 3G a few times. I don't use it every month, and I don't use it every day when I buy it. When I decided to purchase the 3G version I knew I was not purchasing it to use the functionality all the time, I was purchasing it so that, if needed, I would have the option.

With that said, now with my Verizon iPhone and the mobile hotspot, I think I will only be getting a Wifi enabled iPad 2.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.