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

Keep my Ipad or???

D

DigitalNinja201

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 17, 2011
15
0
So I bought an Ipad. I'm going to China for school and I read that Facetime is the easiest way to communicate. I'm trying to get my electronics needs sorted out and everything installed before I leave.

I bought the 16g with 3g, warranty and case for 749.00.

I currently have a Lenovo T420 which I am happy with as it is light and durable.

But thinking in hindsight $749 (before tax) Is only 300 bucks less than buying a refurbish 13" MBP.

I also have a Motorola Atrix (I'm not too happy with it.)

So I was wondering if I can get some ideas, and get my electronics sorted out well in advance before I go.
 
I would keep the iPad, personally - although, I'm unsure if the 3G will work there? With a Bluetooth keyboard, you can accomplish almost everything you do with a laptop with your iPad - and for everything else, the Lenovo will do just fine.

Agree with you on the Atrix - used one for a while, not so happy with it. iPhone now, happy as can be. XD
 
Yeah I just put my atrix up on eBay for 400 or best offer so I hope that will sell then I can get a iPhone 5 or 4 what ever I want I don't think I will need a 5 with the iPad 2 though... I'm going to double check online but I believe I can use the 3G in china.
 
I'm going to think about it for a little bit. I figure I should be able to get 700 out of my computer if not more... It's an i5 2520 with an upgraded screen, 9 cell etc...
 
calling
i cannot speak for china, but i think any trip abroad will be made a lot more pleasant with skype. that is what i use when i travel to japan. but, it wouldn't hurt to have several avenues (google talk, facetime, etc.) just in case a service is down.

3g
i'm rather confused by your first post. if i understand correctly, you signed up for a contract with an american carrier before you head to china. is your 3g going to work there? i really doubt it, and i strongly recommend you look into it more carefully. my recommendation would be to rely on wifi via a portable hotspot, because that will enable you to access the internet with multiple devices.

lenovo?
if you are going to be doing a lot of traveling, i cannot recommend something like the 11" air enough. personally, i travel with a 13" mbp on long trips (months or years) but for short trips (weeks or days) i just take my ipad. the mbp and lenovo are kind of large beasts that are necessary for some people, but i think many people would be just fine with the air.

atrix?
again, i don't know if this is even going to work. you could switch sim cards (maybe), but it will probably be better to just purchase a phone in china, right? it might be a good idea to wander around some ex-pat blogs, talk to your instructors, etc. to get a clear idea about the region you will be visiting and the best setup. my guess would be that a wifi ipad will be best, coupled with a macbook air 11" for tasks that need a computer, and a phone purchased in china (if tethering is available, this might be best).
 
Face time will work. Skype and google talk will as well, but both are recorded on servers so they can be quite slow.

I apologize for any confusion. I don't have a data plan right now with the Ipad, I would be buying a prepaid sim over there. They cost 1200 RMB but come with 1200 RMB in credits, for just a data sim. 1GB is about 60 RMB or 10 bucks. And 10gigs is about 200 RMB. Not too shabby considering here in Canada 10 gigs would cost you about 100 bucks.

I will be staying mostly in beijing, but I will be wandering around quite a bit exploring and seeing new stuff...

I really just want the most convenient option for me. I sometimes game on my laptop. But I think I will stick to portable gaming over there on my 3DS.
 
DigitalNinja201 said:
Face time will work. Skype and google talk will as well, but both are recorded on servers so they can be quite slow.

I apologize for any confusion. I don't have a data plan right now with the Ipad, I would be buying a prepaid sim over there. They cost 1200 RMB but come with 1200 RMB in credits, for just a data sim. 1GB is about 60 RMB or 10 bucks. And 10gigs is about 200 RMB. Not too shabby considering here in Canada 10 gigs would cost you about 100 bucks.

I will be staying mostly in beijing, but I will be wandering around quite a bit exploring and seeing new stuff...

I really just want the most convenient option for me. I sometimes game on my laptop. But I think I will stick to portable gaming over there on my 3DS.
Click to expand...

I see. It looks like you are quite familiar with the sim card situation, and so the ipad should work fine for you. if you want to use facetime, that is great, but i would download other apps ahead of time (like skype) just to make sure you have several methods of accessing people. it doesn't sound like you will be doing any heavy lifting with your laptop, so i would strongly recommend something like the 11" air as well. with the ipad and air you ought to be pretty much set. it doesn't sound like you need a pro or lenovo.
 
I'm afraid that the MBA will be too slow for me...

I was thinking about just returning the ipad and getting the unlocked iphone 5... and a macbook air maybe? I forgot to add that I have a kindle as well lol. So I don't use the Ipad for books.
 
DigitalNinja201 said:
I'm afraid that the MBA will be too slow for me...

I was thinking about just returning the ipad and getting the unlocked iphone 5... and a macbook air maybe? I forgot to add that I have a kindle as well lol. So I don't use the Ipad for books.
Click to expand...

The MBA is no slower than the iPad or iPhone. I have the Kindle and I use the iPad for reading, but it just depends on what want to do with it. What are you doing with your computer?
 
My advice is to take the absolute bare minimum of electronics with you in order for you to make the most out of being in a foreign country and don't be such a gadget freak as frankly you have way too many devices.

You basically just need a laptop and a camera, if you could get by on just an iPad instead of a laptop that would be viable as well but as a student that would be a challenge. You need to make the most of your experience so I would seriously recommend leaving everything else behind, if you need calls/texts then pick up a cheap dumb phone over there.
 
jaseone said:
My advice is to take the absolute bare minimum of electronics with you in order for you to make the most out of being in a foreign country and don't be such a gadget freak as frankly you have way too many devices.

You basically just need a laptop and a camera, if you could get by on just an iPad instead of a laptop that would be viable as well but as a student that would be a challenge. You need to make the most of your experience so I would seriously recommend leaving everything else behind, if you need calls/texts then pick up a cheap dumb phone over there.
Click to expand...

I have read this many times and i couldnt find sense in it.

Not one tiny bit.
 
Skika said:
I have read this many times and i couldnt find sense in it.

Not one tiny bit.
Click to expand...

The OP has an amazing experience ahead of them yet they are focused on bringing every possible piece of gadgetry with them instead of embracing the foreign country, so far they have:

- a laptop
- iPad
- smartphone (Atrix)
- Nintendo 3DS

And I'm sure there are other things the OP hasn't mentioned yet. Basically what I'm saying is don't go to a foreign country with the intent of being a forever alone, take what you need to keep in contact, to chronicle your journey and to do whatever work you need to do nothing more. Traveling is when you should try to remain the most unplugged.
 
jaseone said:
The OP has an amazing experience ahead of them yet they are focused on bringing every possible piece of gadgetry with them instead of embracing the foreign country, so far they have:

- a laptop
- iPad
- smartphone (Atrix)
- Nintendo 3DS

And I'm sure there are other things the OP hasn't mentioned yet. Basically what I'm saying is don't go to a foreign country with the intent of being a forever alone, take what you need to keep in contact, to chronicle your journey and to do whatever work you need to do nothing more. Traveling is when you should try to remain the most unplugged.
Click to expand...

there is some sense to that, but gadgets can also help you to connect with people via shared experiences with games, social media, etc. it also depends on what the op wants to get out of his experience.
 
I will be staying in an apartment a lot in Beijing. Other than that I will be going to university and exploring the city. I understand that I want to make the best out of my experience over there. I want to a phone with gps at least due to getting around the city and country. And data to look stuff up when I'm out of wifi range. This is the original reason I got the iPad with the 3G But It does seem to make more sense to get a MacBook pro or air instead of this iPad. And i can sell my attic and get an iPhone 4. I don't see a need for the 5 when all I want is data calling and texting.
 
DigitalNinja201 said:
I will be staying in an apartment a lot in Beijing. Other than that I will be going to university and exploring the city. I understand that I want to make the best out of my experience over there. I want to a phone with gps at least due to getting around the city and country. And data to look stuff up when I'm out of wifi range. This is the original reason I got the iPad with the 3G But It does seem to make more sense to get a MacBook pro or air instead of this iPad. And i can sell my attic and get an iPhone 4. I don't see a need for the 5 when all I want is data calling and texting.
Click to expand...

The iPod or iPhone is pretty handy when navigating cities. I sometimes use the iPad, but to be honest, it is a little awkward when walking around. It seems best-suited for sitting. I am not sure what your needs are, but so far it doesn't sound like you need a computer at all. In my case, I've found the iPad to be more than sufficient if I am traveling for a few days or weeks. Could you tell us more about what you want your gadgets to do?
 
palpatine said:
The iPod or iPhone is pretty handy when navigating cities. I sometimes use the iPad, but to be honest, it is a little awkward when walking around. It seems best-suited for sitting. I am not sure what your needs are, but so far it doesn't sound like you need a computer at all. In my case, I've found the iPad to be more than sufficient if I am traveling for a few days or weeks. Could you tell us more about what you want your gadgets to do?
Click to expand...

I agree, I recently traveled around Europe for about a week and had loaded my iPad up with offline guides to get around but even though I had my iPad with me most of the time I found it too awkward to use when out & about and also a personal security issue. I ended up trying to find open wifi hot spots (Mcdonalds is your friend) and use my iPhone in airplane mode with wifi switched on to get around via google maps.

I agree it is necessary to travel with some technology but I have gone overboard myself in the past with taking too many gadgets that either resulted in me wasting too much time playing with them or them just collecting dust and adding unnecessary weight to my luggage.
 
I'm going there for a year for school. I do need a computer. Ipad won't cut it. I need a keyboard, I need the multitasking. Just taking an Ipad is not really an option.
 
DigitalNinja201 said:
I'm going there for a year for school. I do need a computer. Ipad won't cut it. I need a keyboard, I need the multitasking. Just taking an Ipad is not really an option.
Click to expand...

So the iPad adds no benefit then if you need a laptop, my advice would be to sell it and use the cash for expenses when there for weekend trips and the like.
 
DigitalNinja201 said:
I'm going there for a year for school. I do need a computer. Ipad won't cut it. I need a keyboard, I need the multitasking. Just taking an Ipad is not really an option.
Click to expand...

A year for school? The iPad is great in an educational environment, especially for reading pdfs (I've digitized all of my stuff), and with a bluetooth keyboard, it pretty much does everything you'll need for any humanities program (90% of my work). I don't know what you are studying, though, and there is no doubt that a computer would be more flexible. At any rate, it seems like you haven't found a use for it in your life, so you might as well get rid of it.
 
Yeah I kinda know at this point I need a computer and a phone. I'm taking Chinese and Chinese history so I do need a computer... Now my options are between the MBA and MBP...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back