I don't really see the point of buying one of these without at least having the option to add it to a data plan. It is a mobile device. The moment you step away from a location with Wifi, should you be satisfied that your $600+ device no longer works?
In New York or Chicago, and other similarly dense cities, that might not be as bad as it would be in Houston or Atlanta.
You do have the option to add it to a data plan, but for many of us, it's easier and less expensive to simply purchase a pre-paid SIM (regarding data) for a limited timeframe and renew it as needed.