Is the iPad 3g really worth it? I dont know which to buy?

[sepehrsh]

Im a student, and will be using my ipad at school mostly, or home. Do I need the 3g? it might be helpful just to have as a a backup if wi-fi is not available. But is it worth the extra money?

 

[Ipheuria]

Do a search people have already answered this about the first gen iPad, and it's also been answered in a few of the new iPad 2 threads. There are a couple of things to consider resale value, capacity vs connectivity and whether you have an iPhone 4 with a data plan already. The Personal Hotspot feature coming in 4.3 means you can turn your phone into a Wifi hotspot meaning you wouldn't need an extra 3G connection for the iPad.

 

[touchyphone]

If you want GPS, get the 3G. Thats the sole reason I got the 3G. I wanted to use NAVIGON and Maps on my iPad

 

[swooshme]

If you want GPS, get the 3G. Thats the sole reason I got the 3G. I wanted to use NAVIGON and Maps on my iPad

I have a question regarding the GPS on the iPad. I also was contemplating getting the 3G version soley, from what I've been reading, the GPS is more accurate on it. I would like to know how that works if you don't actually activate the AT&T 3G service, if it is just as accurate.

I have an iPhone 4 already jailbroken and I have MyWi. But I'm afraid that if I "tether" from iPad to my iPhone and try to use GPS or any other "Location Based" services/apps, that they will have problems with accuracy?

Can anyone speak from experience regarding this?

 

[JRoid]

I have a 3g + wifi, and seem to like it. Well, since i now have an iPhone 4 on vzw, i'm thinking of cancelling my 25/month with att for 2gb. I would save 5 bucks connecting to my mobile hotspot now.

 

[touchyphone]

I have a question regarding the GPS on the iPad. I also was contemplating getting the 3G version soley, from what I've been reading, the GPS is more accurate on it. I would like to know how that works if you don't actually activate the AT&T 3G service, if it is just as accurate.

I have an iPhone 4 already jailbroken and I have MyWi. But I'm afraid that if I "tether" from iPad to my iPhone and try to use GPS or any other "Location Based" services/apps, that they will have problems with accuracy?

Can anyone speak from experience regarding this?

It works fine without 3G service. It just doesn't have assisted GPS, but can get a GPS lock and be very accurate. FWIW never been wrong ever on about 1,000 miles of Navigating via my iPad.

You have no reason t wrry about mywi, jailbreaking or any gps issues, thats just some weird thoughts you have....and i dont know why.

 

[swooshme]

Thanks. 'll have to do more research. I see people buying bluetooth gps receivers for their wifi iPads to increase accuracy.

 

[touchyphone]

Thanks. 'll have to do more research. I see people buying bluetooth gps receivers for their wifi iPads to increase accuracy.

Yes, but I believe you need to be JB'd for that to work from what I understand!

 

[anon(27512)]

Im a student, and will be using my ipad at school mostly, or home. Do I need the 3g? it might be helpful just to have as a a backup if wi-fi is not available. But is it worth the extra money?

I'd say go ahead and get it. You'll never know when it could come in handy, and besides your already spending a lot of $$ why not spend the extra $130 and get a 3G version?

 

[andyheron]

It entirely depends on how you want to use it. I don't have a home broadband connection so the 3G was my only option. I never take the device out of the house though (except to my parents who have Wi-Fi) so if I had broadband at home then I would only have got the Wi-Fi version!

 

[dandbj13]

My first iPad was a day-one, wifi only version. I kept it for exactly as long as it took for them to release the 3G version, and never looked back...

until now.

I like using my iPad when I'm out and about. Where I live, wifi is not ubiquitous. It is certainly not present when I am in a car, bus, or otherwise commuting. Those are the times when I want connectivity. Though I do not come close to using 2GB of data, (I have the $30 unlimited plan), I couldn't live without connectivity. Most of the apps I like to use require, or are enhanced by connectivity.

My ambiguity comes into play with the Personal Hotspot feature. For $45 a month, I can have 4GB of data, more than enough for me, and save $15 as I spend $60 now between the two devices. I also understand that FaceTime works just fine over hotspot. By dropping my data plan for the iPad, I would actually gain the ability to use FaceTime on the iPad over the iPhone's 3G based hotspot. That is extremely enticing.

I think I just talked myself into dropping my iPad data plan. The $130 I save on the device, I can put into doubling the storage and an accessory. Done.

I hope my answer helps you as much as your question helped me. Good luck. There are no bad choices.

 

[sphinx23]

I wouldn't get the 3g one,a wi-fi one can be connected to your phones network and most places now have free wi-fi available