Personally, I use LTE on iPad for 6-8 hours a day so the additional ~$5/week it costs for the device upgrade and accompanying Mobile Share line add-on is well worth the convenience for me.
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iPad Pro Whats the point of a WiFi Only iPad Pro ?
- Thread starter TheRealAlex
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Sorry I don't have a money tree in my backyard, compensated by buying the wifi only model. Phone has a hotspot feature.
130 bucks isn't all that much on top of the price of the iPad. I hear what you are saying though.
I could afford it, just can't justify it. Plus it's an extra data plan on top of that $130.
Fair enough. I can see cases where it would make sense for some people. Everyone has a different use case after all. My response was mostly to the OP who couldn't imagine why anyone would buy an iPad without LTE.
Can I ask you what you do on an iPad for that long daily where you are away from wifi? Just curious.
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I only buy WiFi, I don't need a cellular model as I get great speed with my wifi and I only take my iphone out and about. iPad stays in my house where my internet is. Plus if I ever take it out I can tether it to my unlimited data iPhone. I must be out of my mind for doing such a thing.
Kal.
There is a great feature on most phones now called Wi-Fi hotspot.
I'd bet most people that have an ipad have a phone. I played around with a pro today which finalized my plan to buy it. Never I'vem once thought about the data model. Can tether from my phone as the plan provides whenever needed.
Typo. I meant it would use extra data on the plan, and I would have to upgrade it. I'm still on Verizon, no unlimited data haha
Used to only ever buy wifi iPads but find cellular more convenient and worth the extra.
Sure I can tether but it's not ideal and is a battery killer. I even tried wifi only with the Pro but, since I use cloud services a lot, it's just easier to go cellular. Sold the wifi model, bought cellular, and never looked back.
For data I just buy a prepaid 12gb data sim (£30 with Three in the UK) which lasts for upto 12 months. Once it's out just get another.
Sure I can tether but it's not ideal and is a battery killer. I even tried wifi only with the Pro but, since I use cloud services a lot, it's just easier to go cellular. Sold the wifi model, bought cellular, and never looked back.
For data I just buy a prepaid 12gb data sim (£30 with Three in the UK) which lasts for upto 12 months. Once it's out just get another.
Opposite. When I had the WiFi only model, it stayed in the house always. BECAUSE I have the LTE Air 2, I always take it with me. So, I get a lot more use from the iPad -- one could perhaps even conclude that the LTE is CHEAPER in the sense that the price per hour of use is less than the WiFi only. I will be buying the LTE pro.
I noticed myself doing the same.
With cellular I don't even think about wifi coverage, having enough charge to tether and still last the day, taking a charger, etc.
More freedom, less hassle, so I always take it now.
Im still laughing at them considering a grocery store upscale.
i hate wifi only iPads for the simple reason if your ipad gets lost or stolen you're basically screwed, you might as well disable the passcode so you will get it back faster. maybe some day apple will include ' guest profiles ' so people with wifi only iPads will get them back
I've had 6 iPads now, starting with the original one and the first four of those were wifi/cellular. At that time wifi was not nearly as widely available and browsing the web and such on a 3.5" iPhone was a pain. I used my iPad out of the house much more frequently and used cellular data on the iPad just about daily.
Over the past 5 or 6 years, though, wifi has become available almost everywhere and I'm using a 5.5" iPhone 6+ now. I rarely take my iPad out of the house now and when I do wifi is almost always available. When it's not I simply tether to my phone and get nearly the same experience without spending an extra $150 or so on the iPad and $10/month for data.
It was when I got my 6+ that I stopped using the iPad as much and stopped carrying it around as much. At that time I started to realize that I no longer needed a cellular capable iPad, but I was pretty nervous about giving it up. I actually turned off cellular data on the iPad for 3 or 4 weeks to see how I would function without it. On the rare occasions I needed data and wifi wasn't available I tethered to my phone and I got through those few weeks without really missing it. I then cancelled the data plan on my iPad and when I replaced that iPad with an Air 2 I got a wifi only one and I haven't looked back since.
I just bought a 12.9" Pro and my dilemma with this one is whether I like the big screen enough to deal with the extra weight and bulk. I didn't even consider a cellular capable iPad this time around.
Over the past 5 or 6 years, though, wifi has become available almost everywhere and I'm using a 5.5" iPhone 6+ now. I rarely take my iPad out of the house now and when I do wifi is almost always available. When it's not I simply tether to my phone and get nearly the same experience without spending an extra $150 or so on the iPad and $10/month for data.
It was when I got my 6+ that I stopped using the iPad as much and stopped carrying it around as much. At that time I started to realize that I no longer needed a cellular capable iPad, but I was pretty nervous about giving it up. I actually turned off cellular data on the iPad for 3 or 4 weeks to see how I would function without it. On the rare occasions I needed data and wifi wasn't available I tethered to my phone and I got through those few weeks without really missing it. I then cancelled the data plan on my iPad and when I replaced that iPad with an Air 2 I got a wifi only one and I haven't looked back since.
I just bought a 12.9" Pro and my dilemma with this one is whether I like the big screen enough to deal with the extra weight and bulk. I didn't even consider a cellular capable iPad this time around.
Tethering. I do it maybe twice a month. I'm glad I didn't lay out the extra $ and service plan for something I would use that infrequently.
I agree. It is even truer in some countries. My last wifi-only iPad was the iPad 2. All iPads I bought after that have cellular radio.
For those that think that they have to have another monthly data plan, iPad data plans are prepaid. Even better, if you are in the US, T-Mobile offers free 200MB a month plan. In other countries, I can simply slip in any prepaid SIM, and only pay for data access when I need it.
Having said that, tethering through a phone is also feasible. Apple has made it easier since my iPad can detect if my iPhone is nearby, and allow me to select it as a hotspot automagically.
The only iPad that I would probably not bothered too much with cellular connectivity would be the big iPad Pro. It is big enough that I would treat it like a laptop (less portable, less impulse uses on the go), and we seem to be able to live with laptops without cellular radio just fine.
This is ultimately the reason I jumped ship from my grandfathered unlimited data plan last year. I wanted tethering more than I wanted unlimited data. Glad I did too... rarely get anywhere close to using all of my data...
I just never saw a need to get LTE on my pro, which i use every day for work. I have wifi at home and at the office. But if for some reason i didnt and i needed to get a file from my ipad sent off on the internet i can just airdrop to my phone and send it. Same thing if i needed a file on my pro, get it on my phone and air drop it to the ipad (tether isnt an option bc att unlimited data grandfathered).
Also if i was out and about and absolutely had to get an internet connection on my ipad, i can turn any corner and find a starbucks or panera with free wifi, heck even most mcdonalds i go to now have it. And i dont know the last hotel i stayed at that didnt have free wifi, they all have pay for faster wifi but always have a free option.
Also if i was out and about and absolutely had to get an internet connection on my ipad, i can turn any corner and find a starbucks or panera with free wifi, heck even most mcdonalds i go to now have it. And i dont know the last hotel i stayed at that didnt have free wifi, they all have pay for faster wifi but always have a free option.
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