Apple IPad

[Texas Proud]

OK, I am sure there is someone on here that has an Apple IPad....

My wife wants one... and she wants one that has 3G... but I can not find any mention if you have to buy a 3G plan from a phone company or not...

Any help Any thoughts

 

[braumeister]

I have an iPad 2 and absolutely love it. It gets far more use than I ever imagined.

If you want one of the 3G models, you can buy it straight from Apple (easier, in most cases, than from an ISP). You'll need to decide in advance whether you want an AT&T model or a Verizon model. I have AT&T and am very happy with them.

Once you have your iPad in hand, you can activate the 3G service whenever you want, for a month at a time or continuously. You do that from within the iPad software itself (go to Settings, select Cellular Data and follow the prompts, including giving them a credit card number).

If you don't want to use the 3G capability, but just stick with WiFi, that's fine. The only time I activate a month of 3G service is when I go on the road and want to use my iPad instead of bringing a laptop with me.

 

[RockyMtn]

OK, I am sure there is someone on here that has an Apple IPad....

My wife wants one... and she wants one that has 3G... but I can not find any mention if you have to buy a 3G plan from a phone company or not...

Any help Any thoughts

Yes you need to buy a 3G plan.

 

[travelover]

DW has an iPad2, WiFi only, and loves it. I was skeptical, as we have a laptop and and a netbook that get little use, but she uses the iPad constantly. Any real w*rk gets done on her desktop.

 

[pixelville]

A data plan is optional for iPad 3G. You activate when you want and it is month to month. AT&T has $15 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB for 30 days usage. No overage charges, if you run out of MB, the 3G stops. Kind of like prepaid cell phones.Verizon also has similar plans. The provider websites would have more info.
When you buy the ipad, you will have to choose the provider upfront, so you get either CDMA or GSM, I believe. I own original ipad 3g and it has replaced my laptop for browsing, emails, etc. Love it. I usually activate the data plan when travelling. Since it is 'unlocked', I have also been able to use it abroad with a local GSM SIM in the foreign country.

 

[laurence]

A data plan is optional for iPad 3G. You activate when you want and it is month to month. AT&T has $15 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB for 30 days usage. No overage charges, if you run out of MB, the 3G stops. Kind of like prepaid cell phones.Verizon also has similar plans. The provider websites would have more info.
When you buy the ipad, you will have to choose the provider upfront, so you get either CDMA or GSM, I believe. I own original ipad 3g and it has replaced my laptop for browsing, emails, etc. Love it. I usually activate the data plan when travelling. Since it is 'unlocked', I have also been able to use it abroad with a local GSM SIM in the foreign country.

+1 you are not committed to a monthly bill. It's my plan to get the 3G version and only activate when we are on travel. Beats $10/night internet charges in hotels by a lot!

 

[check6]

If you don't get the 3g model I believe you will not have GPS capability.

 

[utrecht]

Not sure what you mean by GPS capability but I have a standard WiFi model and I can see where it is using MobileMe from my iPhone.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Get her the iPad2. She will be delighted.

 

[FIREd]

Technically, wifi-only iPads do not have GPS capability. IIRC, wifi-only iPads approximate your position by locating the wifi network you are connected to.

 

[check6]

Not sure what you mean by GPS capability but I have a standard WiFi model and I can see where it is using MobileMe from my iPhone.

Below are notes from the Apple website. Both models have location services but only the wifi+3g model has the GPS chip. The wifi only model uses cellular towers if available.


Notes:

1. iOS devices without a cellular connection only use Wi-Fi for Location Services (if a Wi-Fi network is available).
2. GPS is available on iPhone and iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models.

 

[Katsmeow]

I have an ipad that has 3G but I don't currently have 3G turned on. You are not locked into a plan and can turn it on or off as needed. I have an iphone and do have personal hotspot on it so when I'm not in a Wifi network if I want to use 3G I just network the ipad to my iphone through personal hotspot. If I was going to be somewhere where there was no Wifi I would probably turn on 3G for the duration of the trip but that doesn't come up often. I like having the 3G capability even if I don't use it that often.

 

[Rambler]

If you travel, get the 3G. $25 bucks a month for 2gb. No contract. Turn on the 3G when you need it. If you find after a month that you don't need it, just stop the service until you need it again.

I have the 3G. I love it. I started using the $15 250mb service, but found that (when I travel to the States) I need more an that. I travel often, so I leave mine on, but I could easily turn it off.

The iPad gets more use than my personal PC, although there are things it does not do as well as a PC (or a Mac). I have the original. Will probably upgrade when the iPad 3 comes out.

R

 

[eytonxav]

DW has an iPad2, WiFi only, and loves it. I was skeptical, as we have a laptop and and a netbook that get little use, but she uses the iPad constantly. Any real w*rk gets done on her desktop.

Dittoe with my DW.

 

[Chuckanut]

Here is a great article on things our iPad can do that most of us don't realize. I do not believe it is behind a subscription wall, but if it is, you can find this in the 8/21/12 WSJ at many libraries.

Ten Tips and Tricks Every iPhone and iPad User Should Know - WSJ.com

 

[Midpack]

I never would have bought one (I'm too cheap), but I got an iPad2 as a gift. But I've been thrilled beyond all expectations with it, and I use it way more than my WinPC now. If something happened to mine, I would indeed replace it despite the cost.

The current model iPad is 4G LTE I believe, not 3G. Mine is wi-fi only which has been fine for me, not hard to find free wifi even in most hotels (I haven't seen a hotel that charged?). But having 4G LTE/3G (a $130 premium) and enabling it only as needed is an attractive option, I wouldn't need/want on contract commitment. I suspect you and DW will love it...

 

[steelyman]

Great info on this thread I have wondered about (I do not currently have an iPad). How do you (de)activate 3G? Through AT&T's website? If you have it activated and do not deactivate, do they automatically keep billing you?

 

[FIREd]

Great info on this thread I have wondered about (I do not currently have an iPad). How do you (de)activate 3G? Through AT&T's website? If you have it activated and do not deactivate, do they automatically keep billing you?

You turn on/off the 3G data plan directly on your iPad (no need to go through AT&T). The plan renews automatically until you decide to cancel.

 

[steelyman]

You turn on/off the 3G data plan directly on your iPad (no need to go through AT&T). The plan renews automatically until you decide to cancel.

Thanks - that works for me . I will probably shell out for one when the next model comes out - I have used one (a friend's) while visiting out of state earlier this year and loved it.

 

[W2R]

My iPad is wi-fi only, and this is perfect for me since I am such a homebody. I can always use my mini-iPad (= iPhone) during the occasional moments when I am away from home and have the time to get online.

I use my Dell Windows 7 hotter-than-greased-lightning laptop more than my iPad, but the iPad is a great toy and very entertaining.

Ah, new technology! How could we survive without it.

 

[explanade]

Lot of business hotels apparently charge for Wifi. The big chains like Hilton, Hyatt also charge, sometimes like $20 a day.

They cut down the bandwidth too.

If you travel and stay in smaller hotels in small towns in Europe, many will charge, depending on the market. Even when they offer free Wifi, the speed is substandard or you have these painful authentication -- tying in a long password string into a browser each time you try to use the Internet after not using.

With iOS 6, they will include turn-by-turn driving directions. But to use this feature, you need a data connection and a GPS chip. iPad 3 (the one with the Retina display) will get this feature as well as Siri in the fall when they release iOS 6 for it.

It's also widely expected that Apple will announce a 7 or 8-inch model at a lower price to compete with the 7-inch Android tablets which sell in the $200-300 price range (Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7). This is expected in September.

 

[PaddyMac]

I haven't stayed at a hotel within the last two years that didn't give me free wifi. I might need to join their points program worst case (Omni in Atlanta). Note that Hotels.com often say "wifi additional" but then its free when you get there.

I just got back from Europe and while the hotel asked for a new code each day, if you know how to set your Safari preferences on the iPad, it will remember the username and code. All you do then is go to the hotel webpage and click "login". Annoying but not an issue once the password is saved. Otherwise it's a drag I agree. It's not easy to find, you really have to dig around in Settings > Safari under every option to find the "remember password" setting!

 

[explanade]

The other factor is speed and security. 3G may be faster than hotel wifi and you're not sharing with other hotel guests.

The iPad with the mobile radio just gives you an option, if there are affordable data plans, which is the case in Italy and England.

For a trip in Sicily in 2011, I ended up using the 3G through a Mifi at some of the hotels, which didn't have Wifi or was down. Speeds were often better than hotel wifi too.