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Shadyriley

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 27, 2009
328
0
I ordered the 16gb Verizon 4G iPad, first I got the 16gb wifi only iPad and had them change my order to 4G, becaus I wanted the option. But now Im starting to regret it. My iPhone is jail broken so I can use it as a personal hotspot with 3G, so I don't really need it...how much faster is 4G anyway?? I'm thinking to call and have them switch it again unless you guys can talk me out of it.....
 

desertrat23

macrumors member
Mar 8, 2012
47
1
Always better to have and not need than need and not have. Especially if you have the $130 to swing it.
 

sekazi

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2012
469
84
With the 4G you get GPS along with the option of internet. I have used my iPhone for my iPod's internet and it kills the battery fast.
 

SCAR504

macrumors newbie
Mar 8, 2012
12
0
Its just a good option to have. Maybe one day you will get tired of the 3g speeds.
 

WesCole

macrumors 6502a
Jul 1, 2010
756
14
Texas
With the 4G you get GPS along with the option of internet. I have used my iPhone for my iPod's internet and it kills the battery fast.

This is why I went with 4G...although, we don't have 4G where I live. We have pretty decent 3G, though. Anyway, I am going to rig an iPad mount in my truck and use the GPS when I go on trips; that is worth the extra money to me. :D
 

wirelessness

macrumors 6502
Jun 20, 2010
431
62
I wanted GPS. I think it's lame that the WiFi models don't include GPS. If it was a standard feature then more App developers would utilize this technology.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,573
22,029
Singapore
I have never understood the allure of using your iphone as a hotspot for your ipad.

To me, the allure of the ipad (and iphone, to some extent) is its always on feature. I have the urge to find something out, or have a few minutes to burn, just whip out my ipad, flip open the smart cover and start surfing away.

With the above alternative, I have to go through the hassle of toggling the hotspot option on and off as need be, and still have my ipad connect. Not to mention that it likely burns through your batt power very quickly, and I will want my phone to last all day exactly so I can take calls/messages. Sounds like quick surfing would be a real chore.

Not saying it cannot be done, but just like with trying to type an essay on page in your iphone, it doesn't sound really feasible or practical at all? :confused:
 

Thomas Davie

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2004
581
342
I bought the 64 gb LTE.

I only have access to 4g for 6-8 months, and then LTE. So yeah, one could say I'm wasting a bit of $. But I travel, *will* have LTE by September, and could afford it. I know I would have regretted it sorely.

Also, when the iPadx comes out, it will have greater resale value, or greater gift value.

Tom
 

pdawg

macrumors regular
Jul 9, 2008
193
1
Charlotte, NC
The convenience of having access pretty much everywhere you go is a no brainer for me. I would never consider a wi fi only model. For me it's worth the extra cost.
 

joshuaginter

macrumors regular
May 19, 2011
152
0
Canada
I have never understood the allure of using your iphone as a hotspot for your ipad.

To me, the allure of the ipad (and iphone, to some extent) is its always on feature. I have the urge to find something out, or have a few minutes to burn, just whip out my ipad, flip open the smart cover and start surfing away.

With the above alternative, I have to go through the hassle of toggling the hotspot option on and off as need be, and still have my ipad connect. Not to mention that it likely burns through your batt power very quickly, and I will want my phone to last all day exactly so I can take calls/messages. Sounds like quick surfing would be a real chore.

Not saying it cannot be done, but just like with trying to type an essay on page in your iphone, it doesn't sound really feasible or practical at all? :confused:

I completely agree. I have the Personal Hotspot feature and 2GB of data to burn every month in Canada. I think I have used the option twice or three times in six months. Having the option built into the iPad, although more costly, is much more convenient.
 

mikepas

macrumors member
Jul 25, 2010
48
0
Raleigh, NC
I went with a 4G LTE iPad for the mobile data options as well as having GPS on the iPad. While it will utilize the GPS when tethered to an iPhone I don't like the idea of draining the battery on two devices at the same time.

That and I want SPEED!!!
 

AlPlPlLE

macrumors regular
Jan 10, 2012
234
0
I wanted GPS. I think it's lame that the WiFi models don't include GPS. If it was a standard feature then more App developers would utilize this technology.

Why would you put a GPS on a device that has to be on wireless. Sure you can tether from phone or w/e to iPad to use its GPS, but then why not just use the phone. Lol
 

GearDriven

macrumors newbie
Feb 22, 2012
24
0
Tethering a tablet to a phone, while possible, and not really that hard, is still a pain. For all the work apple puts into making iOS "frictionless", having to pull out a phone and setup tethering followed by connecting from the iPad just isn't very sexy.

That said: a 2GB limit is ridiculous. I smoked through 2GB in under 20 minutes on my 4G LTE phone today. hat alone would make me tempted to tether whenever I need big data and use my data plan for other stuff.
 

puckhead193

macrumors G3
May 25, 2004
9,570
852
NY
The convenience of having access pretty much everywhere you go is a no brainer for me. I would never consider a wi fi only model. For me it's worth the extra cost.

agreed, having internet pretty much anywhere on the ipad screen is awesome. Plus there is no contract to sign so if you aren't using you can cancel it.
I never saw the reason to have 3g on my ipad 2 until I did a travel camp, nothing beats long bus rides while browsing MR!!!
 

thaghost

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
292
14
Winter Garden, FL
Tethering a tablet to a phone, while possible, and not really that hard, is still a pain. For all the work apple puts into making iOS "frictionless", having to pull out a phone and setup tethering followed by connecting from the iPad just isn't very sexy.

That said: a 2GB limit is ridiculous. I smoked through 2GB in under 20 minutes on my 4G LTE phone today. hat alone would make me tempted to tether whenever I need big data and use my data plan for other stuff.

haha wtf were you doing to go thru 2gb in 20 minutes? I am about 4 days away from the end of my billing cycle and have only used 1.5gb on my iPhone 4S haha.
 

scarred

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2011
516
1
I have never understood the allure of using your iphone as a hotspot for your ipad.

To me, the allure of the ipad (and iphone, to some extent) is its always on feature. I have the urge to find something out, or have a few minutes to burn, just whip out my ipad, flip open the smart cover and start surfing away.

With the above alternative, I have to go through the hassle of toggling the hotspot option on and off as need be, and still have my ipad connect. Not to mention that it likely burns through your batt power very quickly, and I will want my phone to last all day exactly so I can take calls/messages. Sounds like quick surfing would be a real chore.

Not saying it cannot be done, but just like with trying to type an essay on page in your iphone, it doesn't sound really feasible or practical at all? :confused:

With the wifi version, I perform those exact same steps. Turn it on and start using it immediately.

A lot of people use the iPad around home and around work where wifi is available. For the rare times when it is used outside of those environments, the iPhone hotspot works well.

I'm not sure what the confusion is all about. Are you near wifi most of the time, and do you already own an iPhone? Then don't bother with 4g. Are you intending to use this on the bus, train, or other areas without wifi? Then get the 4g...
 

iSingandiDance

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2010
581
0
You made the right choice. Having it doesn't mean you have to use it, and having the option is so much better than the alternative. This is especially true if more user-friendly data plans are rolled out.
 

eTip

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2009
443
26
I was kind of on the fence - but just pulled the trigger on a 32gb wifi. I have had a 16gb wifi iPad1 since day 1 and while there have been times that I wished I had purchased the 3G - they were few and far between. Usually, when travelling is when I would have found it useful but I can't justify the $130+ just for that. Its all in how you use your iPad though as to whether it's worth it. I use mine daily - I honestly can't remember going more than a day without picking it up and I probably average about 3-4 hours a day. However - I *rarely* leave the house with it. I don't have the need or time for it at work and even though I have a great bag for it - I don't find that I want to use it that often to make it worthwhile to take everywhere I go. If habits were different, if I took the train to work (as I have in the past) or if I travelled more then it might be a no-brainer. If something changes for me and then I would likely go with a mifi or something like that. Still, tough decision. Going from 16 to 32gb was an easier choice. There were far more times that I regretted not havinng more storage.....and I still may wish I got the 64. Oh well, in the end - I am just excited to be getting the new iPad.
 
Last edited:

thaghost

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
292
14
Winter Garden, FL
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.6; en-us; MB865 Build/5.5.1-175_EDMR1.25) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

as a project manager, I like the hotspot because I can go out to a jobsite and I can use the hotspot to connect my technicians computers
 

bidwalj

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2007
1,056
136
I ordered the 16gb Verizon 4G iPad, first I got the 16gb wifi only iPad and had them change my order to 4G, becaus I wanted the option. But now Im starting to regret it. My iPhone is jail broken so I can use it as a personal hotspot with 3G, so I don't really need it...how much faster is 4G anyway?? I'm thinking to call and have them switch it again unless you guys can talk me out of it.....

what do you plan on doing with data connection? are you using it to simply surf or will you involve any kind of media? from my exeperience, there is a day and night diff between lte and 3g for anything media. for surfing, lte is faster but 3g isnt bad.
 

eTip

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2009
443
26
Slightly off topic but this seems like a cheaper option for some:

http://www.truconnect.com/

Only 3G and you have to pay $5/mo just to keep it active but for some this might be a smarter choice. Anyone used them?
 
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