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iPad but Which one to Buy Please Help
- Thread starter Wicked1
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TheBritishBloke
macrumors 68030
To the best of my knowledge you CAN NOT tether your iPhone 4 to your iPad, and that's going to be expensive anyway.
I have the 32GB 3G model and have no regrets, I particularly love it now as I'm on holiday in Germany, I just got a contract-free sim, paid 10 for one month's usage on my iPad, has been amazingly useful when travelling around.
I have the 32GB 3G model and have no regrets, I particularly love it now as I'm on holiday in Germany, I just got a contract-free sim, paid 10 for one month's usage on my iPad, has been amazingly useful when travelling around.
I have a 64MB 3G Wifi and actually just got rid of my iPhone 3GS. I discovered I can pretty much do everything I need (including text) on my iPad so why have two data contracts? I have even embraced the Murse. LOL
Night Spring
macrumors P6
likemyorbs
macrumors 68000
You're only referring to non-jailbroken devices, i assume. If you're jailbroken you iphone can easily be turned into a wifi hotspot, i do it daily.
TheBritishBloke
macrumors 68030
He never said he wants to jailbreak it.. So hence my response.
Oh, and bear in mind it's probably against AT&T's T&C's to tether your iPhone without one of their 'special' data packages.
likemyorbs
macrumors 68000
Night Spring
macrumors P6
TheBritishBloke
macrumors 68030
I could JB or not not a big deal in either case however I was thinking to tether my ip4 on the iPad, but since the 250MB plan is only $15 per month, not too bad IMO if I only use that much data.
I am just wondering what people think about the 3G model, or do I just go WiFi, is the 3G model pretty quick as I assum it uses the same 3G speeds as the iPhones.
I am just wondering what people think about the 3G model, or do I just go WiFi, is the 3G model pretty quick as I assum it uses the same 3G speeds as the iPhones.
I know size wasn't really mentioned here, but my advice to anyone in a similar position is to overestimate your usage. I thought I would be fine with my 16gb, but I had no idea just how many different things I would end up using my iPad for. I really should have gotten the 32gb.
and i really should have got a 64gb.
3g is useful and you should get it if you have no tethering option.
Basically i wanted mine as an extension of my mac for when i was out, i underestimated the amount of music i would need on there which eats my space more than anything else without having to go in and resync regularly. Not a big issue but it does annoy me i didn't think it out first.
3g is useful and you should get it if you have no tethering option.
Basically i wanted mine as an extension of my mac for when i was out, i underestimated the amount of music i would need on there which eats my space more than anything else without having to go in and resync regularly. Not a big issue but it does annoy me i didn't think it out first.
...get the 3G, at $130 for it you can never add it to the device after the fact...
For the size, at $100 increments over the life of the item, get the 64Gb... you can never add more storage...
For the size, at $100 increments over the life of the item, get the 64Gb... you can never add more storage...
I did have the 16GB Wifi iPad for a couple of months, using my Three MiFi to get online. This worked fine for me as I don't put loads of music on it and only a few videos at a time when travelling. However, I decided to up to the 32GB 3G recently as I got a bit fed up having to swap apps on and off, wasn't able to sync all of my work files up to it all the time etc, and I'm so glad I made that decision - there's no comparison between using Mifi to connect up intermittently and the 'always on' convenience of the 3G version in my opinion - I use it so much more now. And the extra space means I don't have to keep swapping videos on and off the device, and can sync all of my work folders up to it permanently (I use it for business primarily).
So would highly recommend 3G and if you can afford 32G or more, you'll be pleased to have the extra space.
So would highly recommend 3G and if you can afford 32G or more, you'll be pleased to have the extra space.
sushi
Moderator emeritus
I have an iPad 3G 64GB and love it.
IMHO, you can never have too much storage capacity, plus having 3G access is wonderful.
On a side note, I purchased my iPad through SoftBank Japan with a 2 year data plan contract. I am happy to say that I was able to use an AT&T micro-SIM while traveling in the US without JailBreaking the iPad.
IMHO, you can never have too much storage capacity, plus having 3G access is wonderful.
On a side note, I purchased my iPad through SoftBank Japan with a 2 year data plan contract. I am happy to say that I was able to use an AT&T micro-SIM while traveling in the US without JailBreaking the iPad.
I, too, have the 64GB with 3G.
My advice for the OP is to get as high capacity PLUS 3G as he can possibly budget for. Personally, I think even 64GB is not enough!
Winni
macrumors 68040
I went with the 16 GB iPad without UMTS/3G for a few simple reasons:
- The iPad is not meant to be your main storage device. That's what your Mac/PC is there for. If you want to watch a video on it, you'll copy it to the iPad, watch it and then delete it. Period. You'll probably won't be using it as your mp3 player either. Why? Because there is this thing called iPhone in your pocket. That leaves eBooks, and an eBook is smaller than your typical mp3 file. So unless you want to carry around the Library of Congress, you won't need much storage for that either.
- The iPad is not the mobile device everybody seems to believe it is. You'll use it mostly in bed, on the toilet and as a reading device in your living room or on your desk. You won't take it in the park with you because its display sucks in bright daylight and you'll be afraid that somebody might steal it from you. It's also just to big. For outside reading, buy a Kindle. You still have your iPhone for the rest.
- The iPad will also not replace your notebook. It sucks for writing unless you use an external keyboard, you cannot copy and paste between apps and apps cannot share the same files because there is no common file system. This quickly kills the iPad-as-a-notebook-replacement dream.
So what is the iPad? With its limited hardware and restricted operating system, it's basically only a (semi-)mobile surf board, eBook reader and game console - that's what it can do quite well. For everything else, the software is just too restricted to make it really useful.
- The iPad is not meant to be your main storage device. That's what your Mac/PC is there for. If you want to watch a video on it, you'll copy it to the iPad, watch it and then delete it. Period. You'll probably won't be using it as your mp3 player either. Why? Because there is this thing called iPhone in your pocket. That leaves eBooks, and an eBook is smaller than your typical mp3 file. So unless you want to carry around the Library of Congress, you won't need much storage for that either.
- The iPad is not the mobile device everybody seems to believe it is. You'll use it mostly in bed, on the toilet and as a reading device in your living room or on your desk. You won't take it in the park with you because its display sucks in bright daylight and you'll be afraid that somebody might steal it from you. It's also just to big. For outside reading, buy a Kindle. You still have your iPhone for the rest.
- The iPad will also not replace your notebook. It sucks for writing unless you use an external keyboard, you cannot copy and paste between apps and apps cannot share the same files because there is no common file system. This quickly kills the iPad-as-a-notebook-replacement dream.
So what is the iPad? With its limited hardware and restricted operating system, it's basically only a (semi-)mobile surf board, eBook reader and game console - that's what it can do quite well. For everything else, the software is just too restricted to make it really useful.
sushi
Moderator emeritus
I beg to differ.
Depending on your needs, the iPad can easily be used as a Netbook replacement.
As for typing on the iPad, it's fairly easy to type on the iPad and the auto correct feature works well so you don't need an external keyboard to type on it.
Already you can cut and replace between some apps and when iOS 4 is released this fall, we will have improved functionality in this area as well as many others.
Also, with the iPad 3G you get GPS which can be very useful when on the go.
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Copy and paste works between apps -- haven't yet found any app that you can type into that didn't accept copy and paste from other apps. I admit there are some apps that doesn't let you copy displayed info off of them, but that's a limitation of how that individual app is coded, not a limitation inherent in the OS.
Also, some apps do let you open up their files in other apps. I can have a file in GoodReader and open it up in Pages, for instance. Now if only Pages would let me save directly to GoodReader instead of having to email myself the file... 😀
But in any case, while the iPad doesn't replace a computer, it does make my commuting time much more productive than ever. Probably doesn't help if you are the driver and need to keep your eye on the road during your commute, but anyone riding as a passenger in a car or any form of public transportation will get a huge productivity boost with an iPad in their bag.
Everyone's usage varies but I disagree with these points.
1.) If you only use it in the house then limited space is OK. However, if you are traveling for a week then more storage space is tons better.
2.) Yes, it is the mobile device people think it is. If you are using it in an area without free wifi (like an airport that doesn't have it free or hotel that requires paying for it) then 3G is very handy. Lots of people have long commutes on trains or vehicles where space is limited and wifi isn't available. This will vary for people.
3.) It can't completely replace a notebook. But it can replace 90% of what most people are using a notebook for. I find I can defer the items I can't do on it for when I get back to a desk.
For some people a 16GB wifi is the best solution. But one person's usage doesn't match another person's. Based on the number of iPads being sold. I think it meets more needs than this would lead one to believe.
nateo200
macrumors 68030
sushi
Moderator emeritus
Why do you say that?
IMHO, a cheap cell phone with a 3G iPad would be a great combination depending on your needs.
japanime
macrumors 68030
He never said he was in the States and was going to use AT&T, either. Just sayin' 😉