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Verizon Including Mobile Hotspot in iPad Data Plans at No Additional Charge
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yep, it's weird. Its one or the other here, yet both models can work on any network in the world outside the US. Curious.
It's not hard to imagine why AT&T wouldn't want an iPad made capable of being used on either network. It'd allow their customers to switch to another carrier. This way, they're more or less guaranteed that those devices will be locked into bring them revenue, regardless of how bad a job they do as an ISP.
I still think an important consideration is that many of us live outside an LTE coverage area, with either provider, and should, as such, still consider the quality of the 3G. At the rate AT&T is pumping money into LTE expansion, I think ultimately, both companies will have very similar LTE coverage. So the "fall-back" system matters more to me, when you travel outside the LTE coverage, how well does the "pseudo 4G" and the 3G work.
And the other great point. Same $30. you want 2GB or 50% more for your dollar at 3GB. Pretty substantial difference.
And the other great point. Same $30. you want 2GB or 50% more for your dollar at 3GB. Pretty substantial difference.
I think it's because AT&T doesn't want Apple to enable the feature, unless it's only available to users subscribe to their tethering 'enabled' plan.
I would buy the Verizon iPad if their coverage was good here in South Florida. Some people I know have Verizon phones and are always complaining the terrible coverage.
Hardly anyone's gonna tether an iPad to a laptop. Why would you do that, use a browser to connect to a browser? Now tethering a cellphone to an iPad is a lot more likely. And they're not giving away the hotspot tethering on the cellphone plans are they? (didn't think so). Like I said before androids can do it for free on Verizon now, don't know about iOS. I'm sure somebody will find a way, they always do.
It figures I read this after I ordered the AT&T model.
You can always cancel it and order a Verizon model. That's what I did. They are still scheduled for delivery 3/16/12.
In fairness, same for Verizon here. They certainly both had agreements with Apple in development that helps subsidize the whole 4G iPad price for either network.
I'm not sure why Apple went along with this, as neither AT&T nor Verizon are subsidizing the price of the 4G iPads. A $130 premium over WiFi is pretty outrageous as it is.
My question is if I could buy a 4G model from Canada, and then be free to choose between AT&T or Verizon by popping in a different sim.
All of this 4G dithering between companies has convinced me to step back and see where everything settles, and then maybe pick up a new iPad after they sort it out and we see what the kinks in the plans are from real users not know-nothing CSRs.
It's on Apple's store web site when you order. It is exclusive to the iPad right now.
I didn't realize the ipad cell plans were mo to mo. I am considering changing my order to a verizon instead of wifi only, as it would be handy now and then to be able to have 4G "on demand" for my laptop - but I am not keen on getting some kind of mifi device where I have to get into a contract as there will be plenty of months I won't use it. Any downsides other than of course having to have the ipad available and charged?
What's the difference...
So, I'm also considering cancelling my ATT pre-order and going w/ a VZW, but I'm confused by the coverage maps:
On VZW, they have:
- 4G LTE Coverage Area *
- 4G LTE Extended Coverage Area **
ATT has:
- 4G, DataConnect Pass
- Mobile Broadband , DataConnect Pass
What's up w/ the Extended Coverage Area on VZW? Is Mobile Broadband on ATT the same as regular 3G?
I'm in the darkest region of both, but still trying to figure out what the hell to do here. The carriers really should have had this sorted out w/ Apple before yesterday, that's for sure. I might just pre-order the VZW one and keep both on track to ship until the last minute.
-Rob
So, I'm also considering cancelling my ATT pre-order and going w/ a VZW, but I'm confused by the coverage maps:
On VZW, they have:
- 4G LTE Coverage Area *
- 4G LTE Extended Coverage Area **
ATT has:
- 4G, DataConnect Pass
- Mobile Broadband , DataConnect Pass
What's up w/ the Extended Coverage Area on VZW? Is Mobile Broadband on ATT the same as regular 3G?
I'm in the darkest region of both, but still trying to figure out what the hell to do here. The carriers really should have had this sorted out w/ Apple before yesterday, that's for sure. I might just pre-order the VZW one and keep both on track to ship until the last minute.
-Rob
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Am I crazy?
I'm sure someone else has posted this but at theoretical maximums won't the 5GB/month data cap on the LTE iPads be hit in around 8 minutes? So even if you're getting 10% max speed you only have 80 minutes of download time per month.
I'm sure someone else has posted this but at theoretical maximums won't the 5GB/month data cap on the LTE iPads be hit in around 8 minutes? So even if you're getting 10% max speed you only have 80 minutes of download time per month.
I can't figure this out either
I don't understand why free tethering on iPad is so much more important/valuable than an extra GB of data for same price? Maybe for some but not for all or most? 1GB of data will not go very far... For my use, if I have both my iPad and laptop with me, I will use the iPad for 90% of tasks in an situation outside wifi service or home/office wifi setting. What will you be tethering to? Most of us probably already have data plans for our smartphone plans. Now that is another situation in which the telecom companies are really sticking it to us. Charge for data and then charge again to tether to another device. I really detest policies of both of these companies and wish we had other viable choices.
I don't understand why free tethering on iPad is so much more important/valuable than an extra GB of data for same price? Maybe for some but not for all or most? 1GB of data will not go very far... For my use, if I have both my iPad and laptop with me, I will use the iPad for 90% of tasks in an situation outside wifi service or home/office wifi setting. What will you be tethering to? Most of us probably already have data plans for our smartphone plans. Now that is another situation in which the telecom companies are really sticking it to us. Charge for data and then charge again to tether to another device. I really detest policies of both of these companies and wish we had other viable choices.
AT&T has their own advantages. ESPECIALLY for phones. Rollover minutes is awesome. Rollover data would rock. And don't forget AT&T 3G service is twice as fast or faster than Verizon 3G. So if you can't get 4G, which is highly likely, you're stuck in 2.5G land.
On the iPad, maybe Verizon. But now that AT&T has LTE there's no way Id get a phone at Verizon.
True, but I usually pull no more than 2-3GB/month. And even with 4G, I don't expect to use any more data. I won't be downloading 1080 movies or anything like that. I just want the faster speed.
I expect 4G to make me more productive by taking care of business faster.
And the option to occasionally share the 4G connection with my laptop or other ipad is a big deal to me. I'll be able to dump my mifi plan.
What? I think you're confused. Just because it is fast it doesn't eat up more, yes you may browse more because it is faster and you can do more, but you're not sucking down 20MB/minutes
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/plans/?page=mobileBroadband
It just got added to the Apple website today. I looked last night, late, and it only showed the $30 and up plans.
I might get this internet service and this iPad if I could drop my data plan from my iPhone (after 19 more months), and use it with my MacBook too.
Interesting... They will have to mess it up in some way.
(I would like to be able to turn it off for a month if traveling outside of the country, or to transfer it to the foreign country service for a month, but that might be pushing it)
Interesting... They will have to mess it up in some way.
(I would like to be able to turn it off for a month if traveling outside of the country, or to transfer it to the foreign country service for a month, but that might be pushing it)
Super. I'm ditching my Sprint 4G hotspot and getting an iPad with Verizon. My Sprint has unlimited for 4G but I'm rarely in 4G service and since I use it mostly for web browsing and email I don't come close to using my max on 3G. Going with Verizon because in Seattle we have no ATT LTE.
I'm currently paying $59/month for a Verizon 3G mifi unlimited (grandfathered). But I've never used more than about 3.2GB in a month, and it's usually just under 2GB.
The Verizon 2GB plan with tethering is only $30/month and if I go over, it's $10 more per GB.
GOODBYE MIFI!
The Verizon 2GB plan with tethering is only $30/month and if I go over, it's $10 more per GB.
GOODBYE MIFI!
I think that's just it. They have quad-band 3G/HSPA+, quad-band 2G, and on the VZW models, dual-band CDMA. Getting an extra band of LTE may have been just one step too far. In any case, unfortunately, the LTE spectrum is scattered all over the place around the world, even more so than 3G was, and the spectrum that VZW and AT&T use is largely unique to them (though VZW does have some AWS space). I remember the days when a tri-band 2G phone was a "world" phone capable of working just about anywhere (except for CDMA networks, of course).
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Extended coverage may be a local roaming partner. There might be limits on how much data you can use there before you get cut off or throttled.
As for AT&T, "4G" includes HSPA+ (hence the reason we iPhone 4S users suddenly "received" 4G yesterday). Mobile Broadband is 3G/UMTS or above. If LTE is available there is a separate color for that. Of course, they use blue, dark blue, darker blue, and even darker blue, so it (deliberately) isn't that easy to tell the difference.
Keep in mind that Verizon has had the 1GB plan for $20 for a year now and AT&T has kept its $15 plan pegged at 250MB for that entire time. I won't be holding my breath for that increase.
AT&T knows that 500mb is the sweet spot for most folks and that they would lose tons of revenue if their 3GB data plan users switched to 500mb.
If AT&T offers tethering on the 3GB plan that would be great, but I am guessing they would like to offer it only when on LTE, not on 3G. Their 3G network could not handle the load.
I am a customer of AT&T for my iPhone and Verizon for my iPad. I actually hope to switch both my devices to the same carrier at some point. Verizon needs to have enough LTE coverage to keep me from falling back to their ultra-slow CDMA network. AT&T needs to have 3G coverage in rural areas to complement their LTE coverage so I don't lose signal when traveling. I prefer AT&T comes through because I get a bigger discount on my FAN data plan with them than with Verizon and because I have had nothing but good things to say about AT&T customer service in the last 30 months (extremely improved).
Anyway, I hope you are right about the 3GB tethering. I'm pretty sure they would have increased the 250mb plan months ago if they planned to since Verizon has had the 1GB plan since the iPad launched on Verizon. I'm not holding my breath for either.