I want to hear from all you 3G ipad owners, has it been worth it?

[hazy2k11]

I have the Wifi version of Ipad with the Mifi dongle which gives me speeds of about 7mb and i can connect my laptop, PS3 and Iphone to it

 

[jnewell]

The other reason the 3G versions are "worth it" in my view is the real GPS chip. Yeah, I could type in zip codes or street addresses for apps like weather, restaurant, etc. I'd rather let the GPS chipset do the work.

Is that really worth $100 extra, when you could just type in a zip? And iPad can use wifi to determine location also. Not worth that to me.

Yes, but I wouldn't say it is $100. I allocated half of the upcharge to the 3G radio and half to the GPS. WiFi hotspot location often doesn't work. Typing in addresses all the time is a drag - I wouldn't do it, so I wouldn't use the iPad for as many location-sensitive purposes. Could I live without it? Sure, but that's a slippery slope argument - I got along just fine before the iPad, so I guess I could live without the whole thing.

 

[GamerizonCM]

ipad

Paying for the 3G that is. Cause to me, having a wifi only ipad is kinda pointless and dumb. Ipad is something most people would want to bring with them everywhere, so with a wifi only you have to always rely on a wifi network to connect whereas 3G you always have a connection no matter where you are. Glad I got the 3G.

I want to hear from you 3G owners how you found it so far? Any of you regret it and find you dont use 3G much?

The iPad is great!

 

[jmbarker]

Most def.

 

[noddy]

I deliberated a lot whether to go wifi+3G or wifi only. Here in the UK, it was an extra £80 for the 3G model (16gb) so it wasn't a lot of money. I decided on the wifi only version and here are my reasons:

I'm on an unlimited data contract on my iPhone, so I thought tethering was a good option. This actually works well.

I have BT Broadband in my home, which allows me access to BT Openzone and BT FON hotspots.

3G is very hit and miss in Birmingham- most of the time, my phone is running on Edge. I go to London a lot and you're lucky to get a phone signal there, let alone 3G or Edge.

I wasn't keen on the black strip on the 3G model- I like the all silver look of the wifi version. Purely aesthetic I know, but that's me!

If I go abroad, 3G is an astronomical cost, so getting the 3G iPad wouldn't have been worth it. I went to Mexico last year and had to switch off my iPhones' 3G capability. There are lots of horror stories here in the UK about customers who've been on holiday abroad and got a huge bill when they've returned, without knowingly using any data. I was charged £10 when I first went to Mexico, for data being consumed in the background over just 3 days. I was charged £2 for receiving a voicemail that I never listened to!

Last but not least- I don't plan on taking my iPad with me when I'm out. I can't take it to work, and I really don't want to be carrying it around when I'm out socially. Again, when we were in Mexico, i noticed the US crowd brought Ipads, laptops, macs etc to dinner with them whereas the brits didnt. Im guessing it's probably more socially acceptable to do this in the USA, but take an iPad into the pub here, and everyone will laugh at you (or steal it)..

I know consumers in the States have better data deals than we do, so I can see their point of view also and I can see 3G being more attractive there.
In hindsight, the only thing I'd buy 3G for is the GPS for Find My iPad. I say this, as I wasn't aware there was no GPS chipset in the wifi only version until I read this thread!

 

[noddy]

Correction - £100 extra for 3G, not £80

 

[Dr Umfufu]

I would be lost without 3G on my iPad 2. I use it on the train every day and check out my email, forums, FaceBook, app store etc... I do most of my downloading at home on WiFi simply because it is faster.....

 

[Macette]

I thought long and hard about 3G or no 3G. Got 3G in the end it's on it's way now should have it next week. I wanted to be able to travel with it so I hope it's good. But mostly it will be at home but I didn't want to regret not having 3G. Good stand by if my iMac gets sick.

 

[madhatter61]

Saying that 'buying ipad wifi only is dumb' is a dumb statement itself.


Buying ipad wifi only is actually smart, you can buy a wifi only ipad AND a mifi device for LESS that the cost of an ipad 3g. And with a mifi device u can hook it up to multiple devices, proves to be more cost effective that an ipad 3g.


Do some research before making ridiculous statements next time OP.

This is the arrangement I have, plus I have a car charger for the Mi-Fi.... works great. The service is the same ... 5GB/mo for $50 ... Verizon. The advantage is upgrade is $100 for 4G ... which you can't do with 3G built in. You'll have to wait til the next model comes out. I use Wi-Fi where available for big downloads ... doesn't go against my total cap.

Only feature I didn't get was GPS ... I have a Garmin anyway.

 

[Kaykaykay]

If I go abroad, 3G is an astronomical cost, so getting the 3G iPad wouldn't have been worth it. I went to Mexico last year and had to switch off my iPhones' 3G capability. There are lots of horror stories here in the UK about customers who've been on holiday abroad and got a huge bill when they've returned, without knowingly using any data. I was charged £10 when I first went to Mexico, for data being consumed in the background over just 3 days. I was charged £2 for receiving a voicemail that I never listened to!

...

I know consumers in the States have better data deals than we do, so I can see their point of view also and I can see 3G being more attractive there.
In hindsight, the only thing I'd buy 3G for is the GPS for Find My iPad. I say this, as I wasn't aware there was no GPS chipset in the wifi only version until I read this thread!

You generally set yourself up to get ripped off if you use 3G overseas on your home data plan. Instead, all you have to do is get a local micro-SIM if you have a 3G iPad and travel abroad. Reasonable prices, and you can use your iPad as you please. That's the beauty of buying an unlocked device.

In parts of Asia, you can get unlimited data for about $25 USD a month, no contract, for instance. That's hardly a wallet-buster. I spend more at Starbucks in one week.

 

[Macette]

When travelling because iPad is not locked I intend to pick up a pay as u go sim. I travelled with my iPhone locked to uk network. I had to sit in mcdonalds for free wifi not a good idea. Lol

 

[GoGoGadgetGirl]

My iPad was an anniversary gift last year..first thing I checked was to see if it was the 3G model. YES! Since we are always on the go 3G really comes in handy especially for GPS and finding things to do while you're out and about. For me its all about simplicity..the less devices for connection the better

Sent from my iPad 1 using iPF

 

[sophist]

Someone said above that the wifi only version had no GPS chip so that the user would have to enter post codes in an app. I don't think this is correct.
I have wifi only version but apps that rely on your location and provide information on what is in the area find my location without me entering any information.

 

[jnewell]

The wifi version will use wifi hotspot locations to approximate location if it can, but there are a lot of places where that's not going to be possible.

 

[JWKessler]

I figured if I was going to be investing in an iPad, it would be silly to cheap out only to regret it later, so I got the 3G version (Verizon) and maxed out the memory. It took longer to save up for it, but I figure I won't be tempted to replace it in a few months after realizing I needed more capability.

That said, I've yet to sign up for 3G service - but i've only had this thing for a couple of weeks.

I do have a question relating to that. Do you have to be in range of a WiFi signal in order to sign up for 3G service? Or does it let you sign up using the 3g connection? I was thinking I would sign up when I actually needed the service, but I'm not sure if that is possible.

I asked this question in the local Verizon store and got an answer that indicated the clerk was just making something up.