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IPad shopping: to 4g or not to 4g...

VideoBeagle

VideoBeagle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2010
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App Q&A testing by request.
As my 1st gen iPad is largely down for the count :( it's time to shop for something new.
THE BIG QUESTION is, do i want 4g.

My iPad had 3g, but I only used it once for a cross country trip.

The main reason I'd want it if for the GPS functionality for maps. (I like the bigger screen)

Now, I have an iPhone, so in theory I can hook the new iPad to that and get the maps working, no? Or would that not work the way I think? (I've never tried the personal hotspot feature).

Thoughts? Opinons?
 
ACG12 said:
I've always found the hotspot feature to be a PITA with iPhones to iPads (constant disconnecting). If you can afford it, get the cellular version and have a painless experience.
Click to expand...

Yeah this. My first 4 iPads were wifi only, and I went with the LTE version when the Air 2 came out. I'll never go back. It's so convenient, and the extra $10 a month on my cell phone bill is more than worth it.
 
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ACG12 said:
I've always found the hotspot feature to be a PITA with iPhones to iPads (constant disconnecting). If you can afford it, get the cellular version and have a painless experience.
Click to expand...
It should only disconnect if your iPad sleeps for a minute or so, which saves your phone's battery life. You can easily activate your iPhone's hotspot from your iPad as long as you leave Bluetooth on.

@OP, Wi-Fi iPads don't have GPS, so your location will only update when your iPad sees nearby Wi-Fi networks. This won't do you any good on a highway or interstate.
 
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I've owned WiFi only iPad's in the past, and when I bought my Air2 last year I decided to get the 4G version as I was going to use it for travel. I'll never go back to WiFi only.

That seamless transition from home to out with full connectivity is great and is more than worth the extra cost. iPhone Personal Hotspots aren't reliable and drain the battery.

You'll find you use your iPad so much more with 4G, resulting in better value for money.
 
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Hang on...kinda off topic but you have a 1st gen iPad?! How long have you had it? How is it working? Can it even do anything?! That blows my mind. I wish I could keep an iPad that long. I'm gonna try to keep my iPad Pro as long as I can
 
Ghost31 said:
Hang on...kinda off topic but you have a 1st gen iPad?! How long have you had it? How is it working? Can it even do anything?! That blows my mind. I wish I could keep an iPad that long. I'm gonna try to keep my iPad Pro as long as I can
Click to expand...

I've had it since they came out. It WAS working great, til about a month ago, it developed the Grey Bar Of Death.
Til then it worked mostly fine for my needs, pretty much reading PDF's, comics, netflix. Safari is very crashy, though.
Despite having a bunch, I never got too much into doing games on it, so that's never been a big issue.

At some point I'll drop $40 on ebay to replace the LCD...would have done it already, but I order the wrong part :* (I got a ipod mini v1 that mostly still works ;) )


------

Gonna have to think on the 4G or not..like I said, other than literaly once, I never used it, and not sure the extra money is worth it for the GPS.. I'm figuring I'm looking at an iPad Air 2..i want the 9inch size (see above: Comics)...figure i'll get a longer life out of it then going for the air 1..Pro is way more than i need for sure..
 
Yeah I thought about getting a 4g iPad but then I realized when am I ever gonna use it? My entire city is blanketed in wifi and I mostly just use my iPad at home and at work. And what if I accidentally switch wifi off and go to sleep or something? I could run over my data cap easily with just backing up or whatever the hell is going on in the background.

So wifi for me. And those few times I want Internet awake from home and work, I can tether
 
Channan said:
It should only disconnect if your iPad sleeps for a minute or so, which saves your phone's battery life. You can easily activate your iPhone's hotspot from your iPad as long as you leave Bluetooth on.
Click to expand...

And that is my problem with it. The fact that it disconnects when I turn the screen off and having to reconnect every few mins is annoying. And connecting to the iphone hotspot isn't always that easy. I have to turn off the hotspot, turn it back on, and then hope the ipad actually sees it. And at times it doesn't, so I have to do those steps over again.
 
I'm in the same boat. I have owned only wifi iPads up until now. So I basically get out of the convo's so far is.

-LTE is good to have and not need then the other way around.

-hotspot isn't always reliable and could become tidious (sp)

Seems like it's worth it in case the need comes up
 
ACG12 said:
And that is my problem with it. The fact that it disconnects when I turn the screen off and having to reconnect every few mins is annoying. And connecting to the iphone hotspot isn't always that easy. I have to turn off the hotspot, turn it back on, and then hope the ipad actually sees it. And at times it doesn't, so I have to do those steps over again.
Click to expand...
Why do you have to turn it off then back on? I've never had to do that. I don't even have to touch my phone to connect my iPad to it.
 
I'm strictly for wifi models only. If I'm out & about that's what my phone is for. I don't like the idea of paying monthy twice for the same service for 2 separate devices.
 
Something to consider:
AT&T is offering certified refurbished 128GB LTE Air 2's for $427. I have confirmed with Apple that they will allow AppleCare to be purchased on these devices.
 
so you want the new ipad pro ? try to get it with 4g, if you don't have the money for both ipad pro and 4g than go with ipad air 2 +4g
 
Channan said:
Why do you have to turn it off then back on? I've never had to do that. I don't even have to touch my phone to connect my iPad to it.
Click to expand...

Not sure, but I'm glad I got a cellular mini 4. Not having to worry about trying to hotspot or find a wifi connection while out of my home is great. And Best Buy had it for $100 off, so it made it a no brainer for me to get it over the wifi version.
 
ACG12 said:
Not sure, but I'm glad I got a cellular mini 4. Not having to worry about trying to hotspot or find a wifi connection while out of my home is great. And Best Buy had it for $100 off, so it made it a no brainer for me to get it over the wifi version.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I also got a cellular iPad, but only because it was extremely cheap. Too cheap to not get.
 
You want 4g ONLY for maps? Then I would say don't bother, just put up with maps on your phone.

If you are ALWAYS using maps on the iPad and it is like a "must have" then I would say spend the extra money because it will be a lot easier and it is more accurate/reliable with 4g than with wifi due to the built in GPS chip.
 
mcorleone said:
I'm strictly for wifi models only. If I'm out & about that's what my phone is for. I don't like the idea of paying monthy twice for the same service for 2 separate devices.
Click to expand...
While for me, the convenience of having cellular connectivity on the iPad for $10/mo is worth skipping a couple of visits to Starbucks.
 
Personally have had Cellular on my iPads since the original one.

It just seems crippled without it.. No GPS, always hunting for a hotspot or fumbling with tethering

Just seems to defeat the object of an always on device.

In the UK Throw an EE PAYG Sim in it and add the £20 for 6 months data bundle in it nice and easy
 
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jbachandouris said:
Something to consider:
AT&T is offering certified refurbished 128GB LTE Air 2's for $427. I have confirmed with Apple that they will allow AppleCare to be purchased on these devices.
Click to expand...

Where are you seeing this price?

I see $705 without contract and $520 with 2 year contract

Edit: Nevermind, I found it.....but it requires a 2 year contract.....
 
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