I sold my Air 2 and bought a 12.9 2018 Pro 64 GB only wifi in November 2019. In the last months my use of ipad is really increased and for the future I’m considering more GB and LTE options.
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iPad with cellular: why?
- Thread starter clunkmess
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As I'm sure I stated earlier in the thread: Financing is another advantage. Most carriers like AT&T offer Next programs. Sure, you can do a no interest promotion through a card like Best Buy's, but then it's up to you to make the right payment amount before the rate expires.
With Next, AT&T requires the exact payment amount it takes to pay it off in 30 months. Now that AppleCare can be purchased monthly 'forever,' it's not a bad deal.
Of course, if you have the $1000 to buy outright, that's the best option.
With Next, AT&T requires the exact payment amount it takes to pay it off in 30 months. Now that AppleCare can be purchased monthly 'forever,' it's not a bad deal.
Of course, if you have the $1000 to buy outright, that's the best option.
If Verizon actually utilized eSIM on their iPads, they would be quite ideal.
They frequently offer $100-200 discount with installment plan bringing down the LTE iPad cost to same as wi-fi and you get 24 months 0% APR to boot.
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They frequently offer $100-200 discount with installment plan bringing down the LTE iPad cost to same as wi-fi and you get 24 months 0% APR to boot.
[automerge]1586185465[/automerge]
I don't have a Best Buy card but I expect it probably allows auto-pay so you could set and forget the fixed monthly payment amounts.
I admit, its pretty rare I need to use the data connection on my iPad and most of the time if I'm away from wifi I just tether. However, on occasion I have found that the data service with my iPhone carrier is too slow, but I can choose another separate carrier on my iPad temporarily which works better in the area I'm at.
Also, like many my hotspot data on my plan is limited and if I go over my limit I much prefer to buy a one time data boost separately on my iPad rather than wrangle with my carrier to get a one time hotspot increase.
Also, like many my hotspot data on my plan is limited and if I go over my limit I much prefer to buy a one time data boost separately on my iPad rather than wrangle with my carrier to get a one time hotspot increase.
For me it’s carrier incentives and also discounts as too why I get the cellular enable iPad Pro. Plus the extra benefit of being able to connect the network when I’m not in WiFi is a plus. I work a lot out in the field so it‘s great to be able to just unlock my iPad Pro and just start working instead of connecting it to my phone hotspot.
The iPad is my main computing device with LTE a favored option.
That. The iPad is starting to become the main computing device for more and more people, and having all the options for mobility is the way to go. LTE brings connectivity everywhere and full GPS.
I skipped LTE on my 2018 12.9 Pro upgrade but later wished I had bought it as I wanted the GPS functionality. I ended up buying a Bluetooth GPS unit for about the price of LTE ...
Some cell providers charge extra to allow tethering from your cell phone. And AT&T at least can get you cellular on your iPad on an as-needed monthly basis. So rather than pay for that tethering all the time, including when you don’t need it, some may prefer to pay a bit extra to have native cellular they can leave off except in times they might need it (like on a trip).
Never had an iPad without cellular. As i used to live mostly in hotels during the last 20 years a fast cellular connection was always better than the mostly awfully slow hotel wifi. Even better since the EU made data roaming mandatory, which allowed me to take advantage of cheaper contracts, after i was in a different country nearly every night during my work blocks. Sure, tethering sometimes works, but i just rather have an independent connection on each device, one sim per phone, watch, phone.
iPad without cellular is a broken iPad, don’t leave home without it.....
Even though I may use wifi at home, I like the capability of having cellular on my iPad. When I travel, I like the fact that my information can not be intercepted and scoured at airports or other public places. On my AT&T plan, it is only a relatively small additional cost, well worth the security. And, as others may have mentioned, I like the GPS.
I think it’s pretty simple- iPad with its own cellular plan makes sense if you use it fairly often away from WiFi. The more often, the more it makes sense. The less often, the less it makes sense.
I'd add that it also depends on your ability and/or desire to make use of a phone hotspot.
Right, forgot to include that part.
Or if they want gps. Edit- but they don’t need an actual data plan for that, I believe.
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I bought iPad with cellular because I don’t have a smart phone. So, using my feature phone as a hot spot is not possible. And I don’t want to rely on varying quality of public wifi. With cellular, my connection is always fast. 150 to 250 Mbps, 35 bucks per month. I consider that a good deal.
GPS - no data plan required.
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Yeah, Bluetooth GPS unit cost me $100 for my non-LTE iPad.
I’ve decided it’s not something i need not when i have 100GB of data i can use from my phone. Plus when at work i use the work WiFi.
Live in Florida. Had a hurricane. No power for 4 days. Will never again purchase an iPad without cellular service. It’s that simple.
When you buy from a carrier, you don’t get a choice.
I “upgraded” my cellular data plan for my phones and unexpectedly lost my hotspot option. I have to “upgrade” again to get it back. So having the iPad be cellular keeps me from having to worry about wether or not hotspot is on my phone plan.
having the freedom to use the iPad wherever there is a signal is a nice convenience.
I “upgraded” my cellular data plan for my phones and unexpectedly lost my hotspot option. I have to “upgrade” again to get it back. So having the iPad be cellular keeps me from having to worry about wether or not hotspot is on my phone plan.
having the freedom to use the iPad wherever there is a signal is a nice convenience.
that sounds worth it to me. I went with WiFi only thinking I would be smart and save money since I could use a hotspot but the battery drain when doing this is huge on both devices. It sucks the life out of them.
