DawnM Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 What do you have? Ipad Mini? 10" ipad? Wifi only? 3/4g? If you have 3/4g and don't have it attached to your cell plan, how much do you pay per month? I am possibly getting a new iPad. It will most likely be one I keep with me more than I have been keeping one with me. Help me pick. I don't want to spend over $650 if at all possible. I have a $550 Apple gift card but could put a little more into it if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Seeking, I think you mean you don't have 3g or 4g. I believe all ipads have wifi. We only get the ATT 3g-ready ipads b/c Verizon requires a contract for 3g (or 4g?). We purchase data for a month at a time. I haven't needed it for about 6 months. Nice! I have a "full" ipad 2. I love it! FaceTime w/ dd makes her being at college easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I've had both- started with the top of the line 3G full size iPad when they first came out. A few years later and I have upgraded to the mini with only wifi. I love it! I have an iPhone, so the duplicate 3G was unnecessary. I absolutely love the smaller size - my dh has the full size and it just seems cumbersome after using my mini! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 Yeah, that is what I figured……personal preference. SIgh. I can't decide. I don't have to order any time soon though, so I can think this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Have you gone to a store to see them in person? It really does help to see and feel, I think. But yes, I am not really out of the house all that often, and there is free wifi in so many places these days. I dont have a smart phone either - but i have an ipad2 my mom gave me for my b-day a year and a half ago. I keep it with me ALL the time in the house, but not always out of the house - its kinda heavy to take to the grocery store! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Don't forget to look at their refurbished products. Great savings. I have an iPad 2 wifi only. I am very happy with this model. We just got my dh, my daughter and my mom one during a GameStop buy 2 get 1 free sale. They are pre owned, but in great shape. I could not live without my ipad now. I told a friend that it ranks up there with if the refrigerator breaks and you have to immediately buy a new one. That is how I would feel about my ipad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 The people I know who have cellular tablets are those who need them for business - constant emails, documents in the cloud, etc. If you needed occasional access in a non wifi place, you could tether your wifi pad to a cellular phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I went from an iPad 2 to an iPad mini, with Wifi only--not the 3g. It fits in my purse and I have my bible app on it so I use it at church, going off the church's Wifi. I have never felt the need for the 3g on it because my iPhone has that and any time I'd need to use the 3g, I can use my phone (normally maps or maybe a store app for a coupon or something). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 No, I have a prepaid phone that does not allow tethering. The people I know who have cellular tablets are those who need them for business - constant emails, documents in the cloud, etc. If you needed occasional access in a non wifi place, you could tether your wifi pad to a cellular phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 No, I have a prepaid phone that does not allow tethering. :lol: My phone allows tethering, but I never use it, as there is so much free wifi around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I have an iPad 2 with wifi only. I have a purse designed for commuters to use to hold a small laptop or tablet. (not pretty, but very practical). When we travel, if the hotel doesn't have free internet, we rent a mifi, which is also nice for long car trips (because DD can then watch netflix)-it's not very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Don't have exactly what you're looking for, but I got a Google Nexus 7 for my birthday in November and it's the same size as the iPad mini. I got the wifi only model, and the ONLY place where I've wished I had a 3g/4g version has been at my IL's house for Thanksgiving. :) But the size is absolutely perfect. I use my tablet every morning for my Bible reading plan, and a 10-inch tablet would be much harder to hold for reading. I haven't found any reason to have a larger tablet. Doesn't T-Mobile have a deal where they will give you a certain (small) amount of free data each month if you purchase an IPad or other tablet from them? I don't remember the details, but if I was iffy on whether I needed 3g/4g or not, I'd definitely consider going with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I have the original iPad. Full size and wifi only. I LOVE the big screen (typing on it now)! When I need data access and don't have wifi available, I use my cell phone data - my phone does a personal hot spot. It works great for those rare times when I need it. I don't mind the extra weight of the full size screen. The iPad is still in the original Apple rubbery folio case and I have a cool neoprene sleeve I bought off Amazon for $5 to carry it in when I leave the house. It fits exactly in my bag so I am happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I have a 4G Mini. For an extra $10 I can share data with my cellphone, and I almost never go over my data limit. I love having the capability to get on the internet even when wifi isn't available. The mini is a nice purse size too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 After searching a little more, I think I would be better off getting a mifi to pair for those times I need wifi. I have a pre-paid cell, so no adding a tablet for $10/mo and shared data. I also cannot tether or use my phone as a hotspot. It is ok, I prefer the savings. Also, I am getting an Apple gift card, so unless I sell it and then use the $$ for something else, I will be getting an iPad through Apple.com. I am leaning towards a mini. I think I would be more apt to carry it along with me. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 How do you tether your iPad to your iPhone? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I love my regular sized iPad, but I don't carry it with me all the time. If I was going to do that, I would definitely want a mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I have the iPad mini, and I LURVE it. I don't always carry it with me, but if I'm going someplace that will involve siting and waiting (Scouts, docs, dentist, etc), I make sure I have it, so I can read a book or play a game. I only have wifi, because I have it on my iPhone,but sometimes I wish I did, simply because it's easier to see on my iPad, but those instances are pretty rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I have a regular-sized iPad 2 with WiFi only, and I carry it with me all the time. It's not really significantly bigger than a notebook or binder; it fits in the large back pocket of my bag (ostensibly for a changing pad). I still have very young children, though, so I carry a large bag with me; perhaps when I no longer need a large bag, I will find the full-size tablet to be too big. It wouldn't fit easily into a purse. Having WiFi only is rarely a problem. It accesses the WiFi at home with no problem, and so many places have WiFi for free now. Occasionally, if we need directions, we find a convenience store or McDonald's and use the WiFi there. Really has not been a problem at all. (I don't have a smartphone either, fwiw, so when I am out and about, I have no internet access. Not a big deal.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I understand that you have a credit with Apple. Their products have excellent "build quality", etc. We don't have an iPad. We have an incredibly inexpensive (less than USD$100, including 16% tax and shipping) Android Tablet. 7", 1 GB RAM, a better screen than most in that price range, etc. Ours only has WiFi. My wife ordered the Tablet, on a Friday afternoon. 3 weeks ago. It was delivered to our house the following Wednesday morning. Charged the battery, learned a little about how to use it, and it went with us, *early* that Friday morning, on a trip to Bogota. The hotel had free WiFi in the room. A huge number of places here have free WiFi and I'm sure that's more common in the USA, Canada and Europe, than it is here. If you are going to be somewhere out of range of WiFi, on a long distance car trip for example, then, having 3G or 4G capability would be wonderful to have. (The highways here in Colombia have almost continuous GSM service available, and I assume that is also the case in the USA). These things are quite powerful, and very cool, once you get over the "Learning Curve", which I haven't begun yet. DD is our "expert" with it at this time. I bought a Kindle book, a day or 2 ago, and have it on KindleForPC (we don't have a Kindle), and I am going to install the Kindle application for Android and I will be able to read it on the Android Tablet too. You can do it with your iPad. We ordered a thing to protect the Tablet, that also has a USB Keyboard, but it hasn't arrived yet. That should make it much easier to use :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiMomNP Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I have an ipad 2 with 3G. I do keep a data plan on it. It is $30 a month. I don't know how much data I get for that (I don't remember). We are on grandfathered at&t unlimited data plans on our smart phones so I tend to use the phone when no wifi is available. My DH just got Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet with just wifi and he has no problem finding wifi spots when he travels for work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Unexpected Party Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I have an original iPad that I have carried on me nearly every day since they first shipped out. I don't take it with me when I hike. That's about it... I do not have a laptop, so it serves that purpose as much as it serves any kind of "web machine" purpose. I do a great deal of writing on it. I do use the spreadsheet and presentation software as well, but not as often. My desktop is not in the homeschool room, so I frequently download PDFs to it vs printing them out for lessons. My son has a mini. I do not care for the smaller size and would not want the smaller size for how I use my tablet. Clearly the weight doesn't bother me as I've been lugging the heaviest, oldest model around in a pretty bulky case for over three years now. I am upgrading at Christmas and I went with the iPad air. I am looking forward to the lighter weight but also the newer features. I never considered going down to the mini, nor did I consider upgrading from wifi only to wifi+3G/4G service. In all the years I've had the iPad I've never been in a situation where having that ability would have gotten me what I wanted. (If I were away from home I had wifi; if we were out of power and the internet was out I was someplace where the 3G service wouldn't have worked anyway.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I've had a full size, and a mini, and I now have an Air. I LOVED my mini, but mainly went with the Air because it's a lot lighter than previous full size pads, and the overall size is smaller (though the screen is the same size). I was going to get the retina mini, but after looking, I decided to go with the Air with 4g. I pay $10 to add it to our 10 gig data share plan with ATT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.