When it came out last year, nobody knew which iPad to buy. Everybody here got the model they thought would work, but nobody was sure. Now, after spending almost one year with it, we know exactly what we—and you—need
The only people who actually need 3G connectivity are:
The only people who actually need 3G connectivity are:
- those who commute a lot and don't have a Wi-Fi connection in their trains or buses and
- those who really need to be connected at any time in any place, in the middle of a park, a road or the street c) those who travel a lot without a laptop internationally or domestically
- those who don't live in dense urban areas without Wi-Fi everywhere
- people who think an extra $130 is not too much to pay for insurance to have it when you do hit the road and think tethering to a smartphone or Wi-Fi hotspot is too annoying to do every time you need to have a connection.
The other deciding factor is the GPS. None of us have used the iPad for true GPS location services. In cities, Wi-Fi geographical positioning works perfectly well. Those who need real GPS in the car or trekking may need an iPad 3G. However, a smartphone will serve that function better than the iPad, since they are smaller, lighter, and their form factor and screen size is good both for cars and walking
The other major consideration is cost.
AT&T's plans are simple: 250MB for $15/month, or 2GB for $25/month, though overages will screw you more with pre-paid plans vs. post-paid. Verizon offers a broader range of options, and gives you a better deal if you're going to be using more data: 1GB for $20/month; 3GB for $35/month; 5GB for $50/month; 10GB for $80/month. Quick summary: If you are gonna just a little bit of data, AT&T is a better deal, but if you're going to use a lot, Verizon is a better deal.
