iPad owners - WiFi or Cellular?

[Odell]

I may be purchasing an iPad soon and I am trying to decide on WiFi only or WiFi and Cellular. For those of you who have iPads which did you choose and why?

 

A second question I just thought of; storage capacity - how much? I don't imagine I will be keeping my complete music collection on the iPad so storage may not be as big an issue. If I intend to watch a movie I would probably just remove it after I'm done watching.

 

Anyway, thanks for any insight.

 

As always, I am not looking for any fanboy ranting from either side. If you don't own, haven't owned and never would own an iPad then I can't see you adding much to this topic. Please respect that.

[Dkoellerwx]

I have an iPad 2. I went with the WiFi model, and then used what would have gone towards the cellular model to add hot spot capability onto my Sprint plan, that way I can still use it whenever wherever.

 

I use my iPad mainly for work/school purposes, so I have never had much in the way of music/movies on it, and can't say I see myself watching movies on it. If I am watching or listening, it's usually streaming. So for me, the smallest capacity was enough for me.

[MacinJosh]

I'm glad that you asked this question, as I'm looking into buying one as well.

[jroepcke51]

I have the Ipad2 (purchased when Sprint did not have one). I essentially choose to do the wifi and add hotspot onto my data plan. Has worked well. Only complaint would be the 2GB of sprint. It is surprising how fast one eats through it.

 

I went with the 16GB capacity. I have movies and games. pretty much it. I use it to keep myself preoccupied when I am traveling for work. I fly Southwest, so the $5 for internet works out really well.

[Odell]

If I decide to go with a Wifi+Cellular I think I will go with someone other than Sprint. I was reading somewhere else on here that having separate providers for tablet and phone helps to insure that you have access when one or the other is unavailable. I can see being in many places where Sprint coverage is lacking and I would still be able to get online with my iPad on verizon or ATT.

[jroepcke51]

If I decide to go with a Wifi+Cellular I think I will go with someone other than Sprint. I was reading somewhere else on here that having separate providers for tablet and phone helps to insure that you have access when one or the other is unavailable. I can see being in many places where Sprint coverage is lacking and I would still be able to get online with my iPad on verizon or ATT.

I understand your point. However, I travel to remote/desolate Indian reservations across the country (mostly western US, Midwest andsome Minnesota/Wisc). I have only found one place where sprint isn't (North/South Dakota). However, they have a roaming agreement with either USCell or Metro (not quite sure). I was able to get decent speeds and able to stay connected.

[pyroscott]

I have owned several tablets, with and without removable memory. I can say that it is a pain to have to constantly monitor the memory status of the device, deleting apps, movies and music to stay below the miniscule amount of memory. I suggest spending more on the memory and skimping on the cellular radio. Personally, I never saw a reason to buy a tablet that could connect to the cellular network. It would be convenient, but I figure I can always activate mobile hotspot on my phone for the times I need to use the tablet away from WiFi. Then again, my home and work are blanketed with WiFi, so someone who doesn't have that luxury would benefit by a cellular connection. It gets awful spendy to buy data on tablets though, and it adds up quick if you are doing anything other than web browsing, forum browsing or other data sipping activities. Personally, I would get the 32GB WiFi model. 16GB would work, especially if you were planning on upgrading within a year, but I would go with at least the 32GB if I was planning on keeping it for a long time. Then again, what do I know, I have never owned, nor would I ever own an iPad...

If you don't own, haven't owned and never would own an iPad then I can't see you adding much to this topic.

[Dkoellerwx]

I have owned several tablets, with and without removable memory. I can say that it is a pain to have to constantly monitor the memory status of the device, deleting apps, movies and music to stay below the miniscule amount of memory. I suggest spending more on the memory and skimping on the cellular radio. Personally, I never saw a reason to buy a tablet that could connect to the cellular network. It would be convenient, but I figure I can always activate mobile hotspot on my phone for the times I need to use the tablet away from WiFi. Then again, my home and work are blanketed with WiFi, so someone who doesn't have that luxury would benefit by a cellular connection. It gets awful spendy to buy data on tablets though, and it adds up quick if you are doing anything other than web browsing, forum browsing or other data sipping activities. Personally, I would get the 32GB WiFi model. 16GB would work, especially if you were planning on upgrading within a year, but I would go with at least the 32GB if I was planning on keeping it for a long time. Then again, what do I know, I have never owned, nor would I ever own an iPad...

 

I've had my iPad for almost a year now, and have never once worried about how much memory I'm using. But, like I said, I don't load much in the way of music/movies onto anything I own, I stream everything. So for me, the 32GB model would be a waste of money. Just depends on the way you will plan to use it.

[Odell]

I have owned several tablets, with and without removable memory. I can say that it is a pain to have to constantly monitor the memory status of the device, deleting apps, movies and music to stay below the miniscule amount of memory. I suggest spending more on the memory and skimping on the cellular radio. Personally, I never saw a reason to buy a tablet that could connect to the cellular network. It would be convenient, but I figure I can always activate mobile hotspot on my phone for the times I need to use the tablet away from WiFi. Then again, my home and work are blanketed with WiFi, so someone who doesn't have that luxury would benefit by a cellular connection. It gets awful spendy to buy data on tablets though, and it adds up quick if you are doing anything other than web browsing, forum browsing or other data sipping activities. Personally, I would get the 32GB WiFi model. 16GB would work, especially if you were planning on upgrading within a year, but I would go with at least the 32GB if I was planning on keeping it for a long time. Then again, what do I know, I have never owned, nor would I ever own an iPad...

 

Touché on that last part. I was just trying to head off those who don't like or use Apple products yet always feel the need to make snarky comments in Apple threads.

 

You make a very good point regarding storage. I usually end of regretting it when I go skimpy on the storage. I figured I would never need more than 8GB on my iPod and now I'm regretting that decision.

 

I know that the iPad data plans are month to month with Verizon (and perhaps the others) so I can see firing it up for a month if I'm going on vacation where I know I won't have WiFi access or where I think I'll have spotty Sprint coverage for navigation and such.

[nobius]

I have the iPad 2 with Verizon. If you get Cellular, I suggest getting a different carrier than your phone because you then have a backup connection method. The cellular option is month-to-month with no contract so can be turned on/off at any time. Verizon doesn't even charge me taxes. It's exactly $20 for 1GB of data from them. If you get the cellular version, you also get GPS.

 

I would get at least the 32GB model, which is what I have. iPad apps can be 500MB-1GB in size, especially games.

[owensri2]

I just purchased an iPad Mini (WiFi+4G) for my brother for Christmas. I have a Xyboard for myself with a 4GB Share Everything plan. We're going to share the data (2GB/person) for only $50/mo. It's base $30/mo for the 4GB plan, and $10/tablet added on with Verizon. Not too bad if you are asking me! Definitely choose the cellular model, because you don't have to have service. At least it is there and you could just add it later.

[pyroscott]

I know that the iPad data plans are month to month with Verizon (and perhaps the others) so I can see firing it up for a month if I'm going on vacation where I know I won't have WiFi access or where I think I'll have spotty Sprint coverage for navigation and such.

 

The cellular part goes a little into my reasoning for paying more for memory. If you are going to hold on to the device for quite a while, and the expense is laid out over more months of usage, it makes sense, but if you are planning on upgrading to the next iPad in 9 months, it seems like a waste to pay over $100 for a cellular radio, unless you plan on using that capability a lot...

 

As far as the memory, I bought the 8GB Nexus 7 and it is about as aggravating as when I owned the HTC Hero. I have maybe a half a dozen apps and games on it and I am up against the storage capacity all the time. I can't update the apps, I have to uninstall and reinstall. It makes me not want to use it anymore. I should sell it and get the 32GB model. 16GB might work, but on a computer, programs, OS updates, random files etc build up and eventually you run out of space with a small HDD. The iPad does not have microSD capability, and once the memory is full, it isn't easy to clean up...

[dedub]

As far as the memory, I bought the 8GB Nexus 7 and it is about as aggravating as when I owned the HTC Hero. I have maybe a half a dozen apps and games on it and I am up against the storage capacity all the time. I can't update the apps, I have to uninstall and reinstall. It makes me not want to use it anymore. I should sell it and get the 32GB model.

 

DItto here, the n7 is awesome, but the 8gig is not.

 

I have a 32 gig iphon5, and there is 13.6g used and 14.5g currently left.

 

I never even loaded any media on it, its all apps/games, pictures and videos (from the camera).

 

I still have an evo view 4g tablet with 32 gig and never even came close to filling it, though it does have a sdmicro slot anyway.

 

In any case, like others I suggest you get as much memory as you can afford because a) its not expandable, and you will probably use it up alot faster than you think.

 

Regarding cellular, I personally would not pay the extra for it because I hate all the data plans. I'd rather temporarily pay for phone tethering hotspot or what I actually did was get a clearwire voyager hotspot for $35 or 50/month unlimited wimax with no contract.

[iansltx]

I bought the VZW third-gen iPad, 16GB. If I had to do things over again with the current-gen iPad, I'd probably make the exact same purchase (albeit with the newer model). If I need to store tons of stuff, my phone is much cheaper (microSD plus now a lot of on-board memory), so I can't justify spending $100 on 16GB more of memory. I wouldn't get a Sprint iPad because then I'd lose carrier diversity (I can tether my phone to my tablet or vice versa for the best possible surfing experience). And the cellular capability (the iPad is unlocked and supports DC-H+ on down the line as well as VZ LTE) was one of the big reasons I sprung for the iPad when I did, as I already have (and had at the time) a Kindle Fire.

 

I use the iPad's cellular functionality a fair bit, and find it worth the $130. Having an LTE hotspot that can go for hours on end without needing to be charged is a big plus (I'm not sure whether the AT&T or Sprint iPads have hotspot functionality), and the iPad discharges more slowly when in hotspot mode than my phone does when pulling down LTE, so that saved my bacon at Sunday's F1 race. Hotspot aside, not hunting for WiFi or having to turn on tethering is really nice for a device of this size if I need to look something up (directions, web surfing, whatever). Plus the 1GB per month plan is generally enough for what I do on a normal basis, and thus comes out cheaper per month than some other VZW hotspot plan. I definitely don't steam long-form video over cellular, but who does?

 

Oh, and having GPS built into the device is great. You need the cellular version to get that.

[Odell]

Well I made the leap and got the 32GB WiFi + Cellular model. I love it so far! Got a little bit of a discount being Black Friday and all.

 

iOS devices have caught up with Android devices in my household at 3 each. My iPad and iPod touch and my wife's iPhone to my EvoLTE and our two Kindle Fires.

[DaQue]

Mine is wifi only. I didn't want to pay for a data plan. I thought I would have wifi at home and most places I go but as it turns out most of the stuff I wanted to do they block at the free wifi hotspots I use. I can't stream audio or watch video's. Where I have been staying the wifi turned out to be too slow for even Youtube. I move the fist of the month and the new place will have 30Mbps cable and my own wifi router so the Ipad will be a lot more useful. I just couldn't see paying for cell service for it and that limited its use.

[Odell]

Mine is wifi only. I didn't want to pay for a data plan. I thought I would have wifi at home and most places I go but as it turns out most of the stuff I wanted to do they block at the free wifi hotspots I use. I can't stream audio or watch video's. Where I have been staying the wifi turned out to be too slow for even Youtube. I move the fist of the month and the new place will have 30Mbps cable and my own wifi router so the Ipad will be a lot more useful. I just couldn't see paying for cell service for it and that limited its use.

 

The fact that the data plan can be turned on or off when I need it or not is what sealed the deal for me. You can also activate the data from the device so you don't have to go to a computer or call in. I also chose Verizon as the carrier so that I would have connectivity choice if I am in a poor Sprint coverage area.

[pyroscott]

 

The fact that the data plan can be turned on or off when I need it or not is what sealed the deal for me. You can also activate the data from the device so you don't have to go to a computer or call in. I also chose Verizon as the carrier so that I would have connectivity choice if I am in a poor Sprint coverage area.

 

You guys convinced me to consider a tablet with cellular data. The nexus 10 doesn't have it yet, so that leaves a nexus 7 on at&t (yuck) or a xoom... I am on a boycott of forked devices. The Kindle HD is more appealing to me than anything claiming to be android with a mfg skin on it.

[Odell]

It was a little strange to come out of my house and have a barely usable cellular signal on my EvoLTE but getting a full bar LTE signal on my iPad.

 

I set up the Verizon account and decided to test it out while my wife and I went out to breakfast. It worked beautifully. And doing a little surfing (Facebook, web surfing, uploading a couple pics to instagram, email, etc.) didn't use much data at all. I think I made the right choice.

[nahum365]

It was a little strange to come out of my house and have a barely usable cellular signal on my EvoLTE but getting a full bar LTE signal on my iPad.

 

I set up the Verizon account and decided to test it out while my wife and I went out to breakfast. It worked beautifully. And doing a little surfing (Facebook, web surfing, uploading a couple pics to instagram, email, etc.) didn't use much data at all. I think I made the right choice.

 

Well at least you can tether it to the iPad if you're ever in need of a LTE connection and happen to have your iPad with you...

[Odell]

As much as folks down this device I'm finding it a real pleasure to use. The screen is indeed beautiful ( I'm not saying it's more beautiful than any other device), the form factor works well for my hands and this screen size makes just about everything more pleasurable to do than on my phone or Kindle Fire.

 

I'm loving the app selection as well. I don't think I'll ever be an iPhone guy simply because I prefer the android look and feel in a phone but there is no denying that the iPad is a great device.

[Odell]

Here is a shot of the speeds I was getting with LTE enabled

[pyroscott]

As much as folks down this device I'm finding it a real pleasure to use. The screen is indeed beautiful ( I'm not saying it's more beautiful than any other device)' date=' the form factor works well for my hands and this screen size makes just about everything more pleasurable to do than on my phone or Kindle Fire.

 

I'm loving the app selection as well. I don't think I'll ever be an iPhone guy simply because I prefer the android look and feel in a phone but there is no denying that the iPad is a great device.[/quote']

 

Yes, I agree that the iPad is a great device, but there is no way I can give up the freedom that android, namely nexus devices, gives me.

[nobius]

As much as folks down this device I'm finding it a real pleasure to use. The screen is indeed beautiful ( I'm not saying it's more beautiful than any other device), the form factor works well for my hands and this screen size makes just about everything more pleasurable to do than on my phone or Kindle Fire.

 

I'm loving the app selection as well. I don't think I'll ever be an iPhone guy simply because I prefer the android look and feel in a phone but there is no denying that the iPad is a great device.

 

If there's anything I dislike about this site, it's the bias some people have about phones. I have an iPhone now, but I came from an Android phone so I've used both. Both are good, so it's a matter of taste and which ecosystem you already have. The more apps you have on one OS, the harder it is to switch. My main issue with Android is the difficulty in updating your phone. It's dependent on your carrier or on you perusing XDA.

 

BTW, don't be surprised if your next phone is an iPhone. The integration between the iPad and iPhone is stellar, and universal apps run on both without rebuying. I think the one thing I miss from Android is SwiftKey for its predictive text.

[Odell]

 

BTW, don't be surprised if your next phone is an iPhone. The integration between the iPad and iPhone is stellar, and universal apps run on both without rebuying. I think the one thing I miss from Android is SwiftKey for its predictive text.

 

The only way I see me getting an iPhone is if the screen size was equivalent to the larger Android phones and if iOS eventually allows greater customization of the home screen without jailbreaking. I like the fact that I an have a very spare layout to my screens and still have access to all my apps in the app drawer. Plus I am partial to Sense widgets. Well widgets period. Audio Manager widget is essential to my daily use of my phone.

 

I think I am good with having separate OS choices for the two devices. They perform two totally different functions for me so why not have two separate devices.

 

Oh, and the iPad keyboard in landscape is killer. I am two-hand typing almost as well as on a physical keyboard.