New ipad question

[navytoy]

I have decided to buy a new iPad 4 128 GB. My question is do I buy an iPad 4 with only Wi-Fi or do I buy an iPad 4 with Wi-Fi and 4G? I do have an iPhone 5S 64 GB that I could use as a hotspot. What is your opinion?

 

[J. A.]

I have decided to buy a new iPad 4 128 GB. My question is do I buy an iPad 4 with only Wi-Fi or do I buy an iPad 4 with Wi-Fi and 4G? I do have an iPhone 5S 64 GB that I could use as a hotspot. What is your opinion?

There's a thread in iPad Air forum that will show you a few opinions: http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-air-forum/117443-without-cellular.html

 

[vespa5]

It depends on what kind of setup you have. I personally have a rooted Android phone with Sprint's unlimited data plan. So I basically ride my iPad Air (Wifi only) on my Android phone's 4G LTE connection without having to buy "data packages" for a finite amount of data usage for a tablet. You can do this with a jailbroken iPhone as well.

Now if you have an iPhone 5S that you are willing to 'jailbreak' and feed off its 4G connection, by all means, just get the Wifi only version. But if you want to keep it legitimate and pay for "data packages", then by all means get the LTE version and pay for that extra data feature to use your iPhone 5S as a hotspot.

 

[J. A.]

It depends on what kind of setup you have. I personally have a rooted Android phone with Sprint's unlimited data plan. So I basically ride my iPad Air (Wifi only) on my Android phone's 4G LTE connection without having to buy "data packages" for a finite amount of data usage for a tablet. You can do this with a jailbroken iPhone as well. Now if you have an iPhone 5S that you are willing to 'jailbreak' and feed off its 4G connection, by all means, just get the Wifi only version. But if you want to keep it legitimate and pay for "data packages", then by all means get the LTE version and pay for that extra data feature to use your iPhone 5S as a hotspot.

Interesting that you needed to root your Android to use it as hotspot for your iPad Air. I can use my Samsung Galaxy S3 (not rooted) as Personal Hotspot via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi without problems for my iPads.

Also, it's possible to use my iPad as Personal Hotspot for the other iPad (they're both not jailbroken, and I just connected them, even entered this forum with the one connected to the other.) I suppose an iPhone can also be used as hotspot for an iPad without being jailbroken.

 

[twerppoet]

Whether or not you have hotspot capability on a device is 'almost' always a matter of whether it is included in your data plan. It has to be enabled by the carrier. Rooting or jailbreaking to add hotspot ability to a phone or device is a gray area, or at least I'm not sure of it's legal implications. No doubt the vary depending on what country you are in.

At the very least your carrier's EULA (End User License Agreement) probably gives them the write to charge you or terminate service if they catch you at it.

Most carriers in the U.S. now include hotspot ability as part of the standard package, so the question is becoming less of an issue.


As for the original question. It all depends on how often, in what situations, and the level of connivence you desire when using the iPad mobile. If you are going to use it out and about rarely, or when you do you expect to sit down and use it for an extended period of time, the hotspot solution should be fine. If you want to whip the iPad out anytime, anywhere, and start using it immediately, you may soon regret saving money on the cheaper model and several dollars a month to include it in your plan. Or not. Depends on your money vs. convenience threshold.

I tend to go the convenience route. But that's me.

The GPS, which is not in the wi-fi only model, should also be considered. If you think you may use the iPad for any kind of mapping or navigation, it will work much better with the cellular model.


I probably said much the same thing in the link Johanna supplied, but I was feeling chatty.