Wifi or Wifi + 4G????

[awtryau89]

I know this has been bantered about here before but I wanted to see what kind of responses I got when I explain my situation. I am trying to decide between the Wifi only or Wifi-4G. To many it seems like a no-brainer but for me its a little different.

My company pays for my iPhone 4S and the bill. They also allow me to have the tethering plan so I can use my computer in airports, etc as I travel. So I get 5 gigs of data every month.

I submitted for a company iPad but they turned me down. They told me if I wanted one I could pay for it myself and use it on our servers. I am about to grab one and I do want to use it for work some to make things easier as I travel and it will probably split duty at 60/40 personal/work usage. They will not allow me to add it to my AT&T bill they pay though so if I get the 4G I am paying for data (most likely pre-paid).

So, I am trying to decide if its worth paying the extra cash for the 4G connectivity and flipping the bill for a data plan when I have 5 gigs sitting here every month. I usually do not get past 1.5 gigs and I know my iPad usage wouldn't put me close to using it all. I always have my phone with me so I'm usually not in any situation where I would be without data. So its really all about the money. I'm not worried about resale or anything like that. I usually pass my old toys down to my teenagers. The pros are I have 4G speeds and not using too much of my iPhone's battery. Are there any I am missing? What would you guys do? A little help please.

 

[Garz]

I chose mine with LTE. But if they pay for your iPhone data with tethering, I'd get wifi only. The downside to tethering is it torches iPhone battery.

 

[awtryau89]

Well the battery argument is the 1 con I was seeing. When tethering though, I am usually near a power supply. Most of my tethering is done in a car or at the airport. Not sure the battery argument is going to be enough to sway me that direction.

 

[woodiah]

Actually sounds like you have made your decision - I am in the same situation and went wifi only on the iPad 2. My dilemma is if I want to upgrade to the "new" iPad


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Just_Me_D]

Like Garz stated earlier, the Wi-Fi only version is the logical choice being that your company pays your iPhone bill AND allows for tethering at no cost to you.


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

 

[mikos]

Wifi

I vote for wifi only. I went through a similar process and ended up with a wifi only iPad. My reason was simple, I didn't want another data plan to carry around. I most likely will get the new iPhone with LTE when it's released and I would rather use my iPhone as the hotspot, to tether my iPad, laptop, wife's iPad, etc.

I ALWAYS have my phone with me so it's not an issue about what should be the hotspot. I'm happy with the wifi only iPad, hasn't been an issue where I've ever been stuck. I can either use my iPhone or hit the closest Starbucks.

 

[Just_Me_D]

...(snipped)... I'm happy with the wifi only iPad, hasn't been an issue where I've ever been stuck. I can either use my iPhone or hit the closest Starbucks.

'nuf said.




Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

 

[awtryau89]

Yeah, I was leaning this way for sure but wanted to make sure with a little reinforcement. Now I have to decide about size. I may cheap out and go 16 gig since I have iTunes Match already and use SkyDrive & Picasa for all my pics. I think I would use less than 3 gigs for all my apps, etc and then have the rest for movies and games if needed.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Yeah, I was leaning this way for sure but wanted to make sure with a little reinforcement. Now I have to decide about size. I may cheap out and go 16 gig since I have iTunes Match already and use SkyDrive & Picasa for all my pics. I think I would use less than 3 gigs for all my apps, etc and then have the rest for movies and games if needed.

Under those circumstances, the 16 GB version should be more than enough.


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

 

[mikos]

May want a 32

I was debating between the two but got the 32, glad I did. The file sizes for games is only getting bigger, with better graphics and so on. Max Payne is 1.3GB, so it takes up quite a bit more space than any of the casual games.

I use my iPad for work and home, so I have a fair amount of work files, personal stuff, and some streaming apps. All those take up about 15gb. If you are thinking of using your iPad for a few things like work and home, you should go larger if you can. For the record, that 15gb is just apps and documents, I don't have any music on my iPad.

Speaking of music, you can upload 20,000 songs to Google Music and stream it to iOS devices using a few different apps. That storage is free, so take advantage of that as well. Another great way to save space.

 

[Peligro911]

It depends if turning on tethering and being near power and turning it on is something you want to do Is it worth saving some money

Also tethering data will be slower than the LTE iPad .. is that ok ?

As far as size I def recommend anything bigger than 16. If you want to have a decent amount of stuff at your finger tips




Sent Into Orbit from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

 

[dino195]

Well, my work enviornment is totally different than yours as I am in a different location everyday and work outdoors but I decided to go with the 4 g model, not only because it was necessary for my business enviornment, but because a lot of the location services like weather apps and gps will not alway be accurate or even work with the wifi only model.

I bought the 64 gig wifi-4g model because I wanted to buy the best and most up to date model with the most memory. My thinking is that it will last me longer before I need to upgrade or it becomes obsolete. Also, I figure it will have better resale value when it does come time to upgrade.

 

[pkcable]

My experience with ATT 3G, was that it is incredibly slow on an iPad, and tethering might make that even worse. That being said I would probably STILL opt for the wifi only version. Hopefully you will often have wifi available, BUT when you don't the tethering plan would work in a pinch. Who needs an extra 20-30 a month the extra data plan would cost you and the cost premium for getting the 4G iPad.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

If you have the extra $130 to spend, get the wifi+cellular data. It's not month to month. If you don't wanna continue the data plan, then just deactivate and activate whenever you please. Tethering just drains the heck out of the battery. AT&T works fine for me. HSPA+ But so far in my areas LTE isn't good.

I went from a wifi only iPad 2 to a 3 wifi+cellular radio. Only because I had a use for cellular data. If you really, truly have no use for it then just stick with wifi only.

 

[BlackBerryBoy813]

I went with wifi only and just use my Verizon iPhone as a hotspot. I just couldn't talk myself into getting another data plan. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Personally, I can't see the logic in buying a 3G iPad if you already use an iPhone or any smartphone. Of course, I'm excluding business use. You could always get on the web with your iPhone/other smartphone as well as tether the iPad. Am I alone in thinking this way?


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

Personally, I can't see the logic in buying a 3G iPad if you already use an iPhone or any smartphone. Of course, I'm excluding business use. You could always get on the web with your iPhone/other smartphone as well as tether the iPad. Am I alone in thinking this way?


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

Obviously

 

[mfm77]

Personally, I can't see the logic in buying a 3G iPad if you already use an iPhone or any smartphone. Of course, I'm excluding business use. You could always get on the web with your iPhone/other smartphone as well as tether the iPad. Am I alone in thinking this way?


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

Agreed. I eagerly await the iPhone 5 when I can tether it to my new iPad at 4G speeds.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Obviously

(laughing)...I was worried for a while, but mfm77 came to the rescue.


Just Me, D
(Tapatalk - iPhone 4S)

 

[awtryau89]

Well, I ended up with the Wifi only 32gig. I have tethered a few times already and got decent battery life. Never an issue running it down too low. I too will be getting an iPhone5 and assuming its LTE will have that for tethering in about 6 months. I just do not use my iPad for GPS. I have Navigon on my iPhone and a car mount. I could not see using the iPad in my car easily. Its all what works for each situation. Thanks for all the advice.