I guess the peace of mind of not having to worry about finding a charger is nice. I might look into external battery source just for traveling. Might workout OK then.
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How many of you are just going to tether to a WiFi iPad 2?
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I guess the peace of mind of not having to worry about finding a charger is nice. I might look into external battery source just for traveling. Might workout OK then.
Note that he says he's waiting for the 4.3 jailbreak, so no, he won't have to go the carrier enabled route for this. I use MyFi but once 4.3 has an untethered jailbreak and I see if/how the 4.3 hotspot feature works, I may be doing the same.
I don't get the point of tethering the iPad.
I costs you $25 per month on your phone to allow thethering. It costs you $25 to get the data plan for the iPad.
So it's a wash.
However the separate dataplan on the iPad comes with a separate 2 GB data and a lot more convenience and battery savings.
So why do people tether their iPad {unless they JB}?
I costs you $25 per month on your phone to allow thethering. It costs you $25 to get the data plan for the iPad.
So it's a wash.
However the separate dataplan on the iPad comes with a separate 2 GB data and a lot more convenience and battery savings.
So why do people tether their iPad {unless they JB}?
It's actually $20 extra, so you save $5 a month with Personal Hotspot (4GB Data Pro)
I jailbreak my iphone 4 last night to be able to tether my ipad w/ it, saved myself $130 and the monthly fees!
not yet, but the local buzz says you shouldn't have to wait too long for a 4.3 jailbreak to come out
And ability to share 4 GB between iPhone and iPad can be a plus, as a device can use more than 2 GB without incurring overage charge.
Exactly. I'm only averaging a GB or less on my iPhone monthly so that would leave me 3GB for my iPad and I would maybe only use a GB or so of that. It works out if you're not a heavy data user, but otherwise jailbreaking and keeping the unlimited may be ideal for some.
Tethering is $20, not $25 so that is $60 savings right there. Second you don't need to buy the iPad 3G so another $130 in savings. Third you get 4GB flexible total data you can spread between your iPad/iPhone however you want, vs. a 2GB hard limit on each if you get the iPad 3G plan. Finally the hotspot can be used with other devices at anytime if needed.
Although I'll be going the iPad 3G route, the biggest hidden advantage of tethering would be that you won't be tied down to Apple's 3G download limits (20mb on the app store, podcasts, iTunes, etc).
Another plus is the ability to do facetime anywhere on your ipad. You can't do facetime over 3g but can by using your iphine as a hot spot. These are all pluses but I still worry about the battery
I had a 32GB 3g ipad but had it stolen last summer. Since then I ditched the iphone for android with T-mobile...got the itch so went back to the ipad in January but got the 16GB 3g. However, I find AT&T's service so bad pretty much everywhere I travel in the US that I've been tethering the ipad to my android phone at t-mobile and it works 100x better.
So I think if you have a phone that can tether why wouldn't you do that rather than paying the rats at AT&T or Verizon another $30/month?
So I think if you have a phone that can tether why wouldn't you do that rather than paying the rats at AT&T or Verizon another $30/month?
That's a very good point. Although I wouldn't give up unlimited days with AT&T just for FaceTime on my iPad this thread made me realize just how valuable my Clear iSpot is. I was going to get rid of it and get a 3G iPad 2 or enable hotspot on my iPhone 4 but I don't think so anymore.
and let us not forget that even on the iTunes store we cannot download stuff over 20MB if using 3G.
What's the real benefit of GPS over not having it? I'm on that line, too, and I guess I'm struggling to convince myself that it is THAT much better.
Also, does the GPS chip work for all types of connection (wifi and 3g)? Or like visual voicemail can it only be used when you're pulling 3g data?
For me I plan to use the GPS in combination with Golfshot GPS to make for a great GPS system while playing. Have played a few clubs in the south that have GPS right in the cart and it is great. I am getting a Ram Mount so I can mount it in the cart or on my push cart. I plan to use my iphone for the hotspot if I need 3G. Just a better deal.
That makes sense.
So it has to do with some specific precision needed for GPS apps. I guess you can use it for directions, too, but my iphone already does that.
If the GPS works even when just using Wifi, my thought was to pay the $129 more for the 3g to get the GPS chip, but then just tether it with my iphone for $20 a month and save the iPad specific data plan cost.
That way I get the GPS chip, tethering (which is useful for me for a variety of business uses) and I can save a little. I have to have tethering whether or not I have a 3g or wifi iPad so it saves me some money. And as a bonus the tethering ensures I can use facetime anywhere. That will become more and more useful for business use as that program proliferates a bit more.
However, if the GPS chip only works over 3g connection or some other limitation like that, then it wouldn't be a benefit to me.
So after a long (and very informative) chat with Apple Tech, I've learned that the GPS chip will not operate if you're over wifi (or tethered). The GPS chip will only work if you are pulling 3g cellular data.
So this is how I see the calculus for those who already have an iPhone and don't want to do both the hotspot and 3g data plan services:
Wifi Only:
PRO
1. You can pay for tethering, and share data between all of your wifi mobile devices. You can use your ipad wherever you want. It is a more flexible plan, all in all, if you consider your business connectivity needs as a whole.
2. You can save money from having a separate plan for every device (which adds up). Plus, if you need or want tethering ANYWAY the combination of iphone, ipad, and mobile hot spot gets very pricy. An extra few hundred dollars a year just on data plans.
3. With your iphone, there's nothing you cannot really access from the lack of GPS chip in the iPad. The precision guidance and location services are available.
4. If you go the hotspot route you can use facetime from anywhere you have coverage.
CONS
1. There is the extra step required in tethering. And while your ipad may have a 10 hour batter, if tethering you are limited to your phone's battery at about 4 to 5 hours (estimated). You could buy a Zagg Sparq and counter this, but again, you've now added an extra step.
2. The 3g connection, while an additional data plan with additional cost, has a meaningful convenience factor associated with it that the wifi does not have.
3. While your iphone will take care of your GPS NEEDS, it is very nice to have guidance and maps available on the bigger screen. You won't miss out on anything with the iphone, but it is not as beautiful or optimized as with the ipad.
4. While "Find my ipad" will work for wifi only, the person who stole your ipad would have to get past your password and then log in to a wifi connection for it to be of any real use. If you have 3g and your ipad is stolen, you have a much better chance of immediately locating it.
Summary:
You would be happiest with the wifi iPad if you already have an iphone with GPS location services, if monthly costs are a meaningful factor, if you are willing to tradeoff a few conveniences for price concerns, including monthly costs, and if you want to be able to use face time or skype from any location (assuming you don't want to pay for both hotspot and 3g data).
You would be happiest with the 3g iPad if you are willing to pay higher monthly costs for higher convenience, if you don't have a smartphone with GPS capability, or if you want to have a more precise option for recovering your iPad if it is stolen or lost.
This is how I see it after reading a ton of threads today and considering everyone's thoughts on the matter.
So this is how I see the calculus for those who already have an iPhone and don't want to do both the hotspot and 3g data plan services:
Wifi Only:
PRO
1. You can pay for tethering, and share data between all of your wifi mobile devices. You can use your ipad wherever you want. It is a more flexible plan, all in all, if you consider your business connectivity needs as a whole.
2. You can save money from having a separate plan for every device (which adds up). Plus, if you need or want tethering ANYWAY the combination of iphone, ipad, and mobile hot spot gets very pricy. An extra few hundred dollars a year just on data plans.
3. With your iphone, there's nothing you cannot really access from the lack of GPS chip in the iPad. The precision guidance and location services are available.
4. If you go the hotspot route you can use facetime from anywhere you have coverage.
CONS
1. There is the extra step required in tethering. And while your ipad may have a 10 hour batter, if tethering you are limited to your phone's battery at about 4 to 5 hours (estimated). You could buy a Zagg Sparq and counter this, but again, you've now added an extra step.
2. The 3g connection, while an additional data plan with additional cost, has a meaningful convenience factor associated with it that the wifi does not have.
3. While your iphone will take care of your GPS NEEDS, it is very nice to have guidance and maps available on the bigger screen. You won't miss out on anything with the iphone, but it is not as beautiful or optimized as with the ipad.
4. While "Find my ipad" will work for wifi only, the person who stole your ipad would have to get past your password and then log in to a wifi connection for it to be of any real use. If you have 3g and your ipad is stolen, you have a much better chance of immediately locating it.
Summary:
You would be happiest with the wifi iPad if you already have an iphone with GPS location services, if monthly costs are a meaningful factor, if you are willing to tradeoff a few conveniences for price concerns, including monthly costs, and if you want to be able to use face time or skype from any location (assuming you don't want to pay for both hotspot and 3g data).
You would be happiest with the 3g iPad if you are willing to pay higher monthly costs for higher convenience, if you don't have a smartphone with GPS capability, or if you want to have a more precise option for recovering your iPad if it is stolen or lost.
This is how I see it after reading a ton of threads today and considering everyone's thoughts on the matter.
Don't forget the point that if you currently are grandfathered into an unlimited data plan for the iPhone and you go the tethering route (w/o jailbreak), you will lose your unlimited data plan and be downgraded to the $25/mo 2GB plan. (Unless of course you can work magic with AT&T).
Already thethering
I am using my iPhone 4 and iPad on 4.3GM and tethering works great in general
But when iPhone goes to sleep and I am not using connection on iPad for a while, iPad drops the connection randomly and I have to turn personal hot spot on/off to remedy this problem.
Hopefully this issue will be fixed somehow like iTunes went from 10.2 to 10.2.1
I am using my iPhone 4 and iPad on 4.3GM and tethering works great in general
But when iPhone goes to sleep and I am not using connection on iPad for a while, iPad drops the connection randomly and I have to turn personal hot spot on/off to remedy this problem.
Hopefully this issue will be fixed somehow like iTunes went from 10.2 to 10.2.1
I don't think that's a bug. When the I pad sleeps it drops the connection and when nothing is use the hotspot, the iPhone turns it off.