Now I have had my ipad on AT&T 3G, for a while now, and it's fairly fast and I know Verizon 3G will not be as fast as AT&T. But if they have the 4G LTE model, would it be a smarter move to go to Verizon on an ipad because of more coverage and speeds in the LTE area vs AT&T? Both have LTE here in my town, but I now moved my phones over to Verizon due to better service, no throttles, etc. I might as well move my ipad to them too. What do you guys think on this? Is the ipad still farily quick on Verizons 3G if need be?
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ipad 3 AT&T Data or Verizon?
- Thread starter nizmoz
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Anything that will really allow you to take advantage of LTE besides lower latency is going to eat your data plan like the cookie monster. I would keep your AT&T plan, especially if it is unlimited and maybe enable mobile hotspot on one of your verizon phones if they are on unlimited data.
Technically you are correct. The same usage on 3G or LTE will result in the same data consumption in most cases. But then what's the point of having LTE over 3G?
People are extrapolating that enhanced speeds and capability will likely lead to enhanced/extended usage. Maybe you stick to low quality video streams now due to 3G speeds, but find that LTE speeds let you enjoy the higher quality streams. THAT will eat your data plan in a hurry.
There's also the assumption that streaming sources don't measure your bandwidth and send a higher quality / lower compression stream on higher bandwidth connections automatically. Not sure if that happens today, but if it does (or starts) that would create higher usage on LTE than 3G for the same activities.
Not automatically, but plenty of video and music services use adaptive streaming, in which case it does. If you are just going to use it for checking email, surfing the web, etc... there will be fairly limited increases in speed over a good HSDPA/+ connection. So I would be hard pressed to give up an unlimited plan to get stuck with 2GB of data which can disappear in under an hour of sync time. Verizon's LTE marketing lists two use cases: streaming movies and downloading HD versions of them.
I guess I'm done "parroting"
Actually it's a "moot" point not a "mute" pointI had 2GB plan with AT&T when I got my ipad. I was not lucky to get the unlimited at the time. So that is a mute point. But the question still hasn't been answered.
but to add my opinion to the discussion it really depends on how often and for what purpose you use your data on the iPad. Plus, if as you say "Verizon has better service, no throttles, etc" why would you stay with AT&T? I also think paying a few bucks extra to use your phone as an access point is a better deal than paying a separate monthly fee for the iPad. That is what I do despite the fact I have a 3G iPad. I only have that because I want the GPS feature.It would be nice if the iPad 3 has both CDMA and GSM radios which would make the decision much easier.
As someone that has had an AT&T iPhone 4 at one point, and now Verizon iPhone 4S, I can say that in real world browsing use, it's not really noticeable how fast a page loads or simple download whether I had 3Mbps with AT&T or my current 1.XMbps with Verizon. Sure downloading large files you would notice it but then there is usually Wifi when I need major downloading. Verizon's LTE is in so many places that you would probably rarely fall back on 3G and even then, it would be more than sufficient for your everyday usage. The fact that Verizon's LTE network absolutely dominates AT&T and is constantly expanding, and the fact that they have continually said that they will have their entire data network covered in LTE by the end of 2013, would make me get the Verizon version.
However if you travel internationally then I would get the AT&T version. I know its probably a long shot but I am hoping for a single 3G/LTE model that has the current CDMA/GSM of the 4S and has LTE radios that will run on either AT&T or Verizon. Wishful thinking though.
However if you travel internationally then I would get the AT&T version. I know its probably a long shot but I am hoping for a single 3G/LTE model that has the current CDMA/GSM of the 4S and has LTE radios that will run on either AT&T or Verizon. Wishful thinking though.
Actually it's a "moot" point not a "mute" point
Ha! I'm glad I'm not the only person who bristles at the misspelling of moot!
That would seriously level the playing field on ipad data plans. Be really cool if it happens, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
How about faster web page loads? Quicker loads of news readers like Zite, Flipboard, Early Edition?
I have an iPad 1. I love it! The screen is gorgeous, long battery life, fast enough for me (CPU wise). As to no camera, I have one on my iPhone 4S. Only thing I am missing is 4G. If the iPad 3 (or iPad HD) has that I buy it, if not, I wait. Simple as that.
Irregardless, I will keep my iPad 1 w/unlimited AT&T (unless AT&T allows me to transfer my plan). So it makes sense for me to go with Verizon since I will be triple covered. iPhone on Sprint, iPad 1 on AT&T, iPad 3 on Verizon.
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With Verizon apparently having the overwhelming edge in 4G will AT&T try to sweeten the pot to capture more of the iPad 3 sales - like lower plan rates, data rollover? If so they better come out with it quickly since there will probably be an avalanche of sales when the product gets announced.
I guess if you keep it in your house and only use WiFi then you don't need a data enabled unit. My wife has the HP Touchpad (got it for $150
and she loves it. It never leaves our house and because of it I have a 23" All-in-one touch computer that I bought for her collecting dust because the tablet has all the apps that she needs.I have the same dilemma. Currently have AT&T iPad w/unlimited. Verizon has LTE in my cite and supposedly AT&T does also, although not sure good the coverage is.
AT&T Pros:
The AT&T iPad will drop to HSDPA (or if no LTE which would be faster than VZW's EV-DO rA.
Potentially be able to keep "unlimited" plan, although as of late it seems rather worthless (have iPads been throttled?).
VZW Pros:
VZW is supposed to begin providing single data plans for multiple devices. Not sure if iPad would be part of this or not.
More LTE coverage in more cities, however this is only useful if you travel frequently.
Still undecided.
AT&T Pros:
The AT&T iPad will drop to HSDPA (or if no LTE which would be faster than VZW's EV-DO rA.
Potentially be able to keep "unlimited" plan, although as of late it seems rather worthless (have iPads been throttled?).
VZW Pros:
VZW is supposed to begin providing single data plans for multiple devices. Not sure if iPad would be part of this or not.
More LTE coverage in more cities, however this is only useful if you travel frequently.
Still undecided.
Hasn't been that Long since AT&T rolled out their 4G network.
Makes a lot of sense what some of you guys have said about Verizon and reading this almost makes me want to go that route but I'll stay faithful to AT&T.
Makes a lot of sense what some of you guys have said about Verizon and reading this almost makes me want to go that route but I'll stay faithful to AT&T.
AT&T has said they'll be doing this as well. Personally, I'm holding off making a decision on any mobile devices this year until we know more about how these plans will work. How and when these are implemented will determine whether I stay with AT&T or not.
If you travel outside the U.S. then ATT is the way to go. In years past this has been an unlocked so you can buy a prepaid data sim in the country you are in and surf for cheap. OTOH in 98% of the world you'll be limited to WiFi outside the U.S with a Verizon version.
Of course, if for some kooky reason the ATT version isn't unlocked then all bets are off b/c ATTs roaming rates are insane.
Of course, if for some kooky reason the ATT version isn't unlocked then all bets are off b/c ATTs roaming rates are insane.
This may not be so. Don't forget that the Verizon iPhone 4S can be unlocked for international use. You can only use it with Verizon in the US, but when traveling abroad you can get a prepaid SIM for it. I would be surprised if this isn't the case with the next iPad also.
I have a feeling apple will tend to the needs of AT&T and Verizon and "lock" down the USA data usage to either one of those two providers while also providing an "unlocked" 850/2100 WCDMA band to be used in Europe/Asia/Australia.
So it's going to be hard to switch between AT&T and Verizon even though it's the same iPad (like the iPhone 4S chip) even with LTE.
So it's going to be hard to switch between AT&T and Verizon even though it's the same iPad (like the iPhone 4S chip) even with LTE.