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The Apple iPad 2 is hard to resist, and for those who already own an iPad first-generation, impossible to justify.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, onto more important matters. Such as: Should you buy an iPad 2 with 3G service from AT&T or Verizon? Or should you save the $130 extra that a 3G radio in an iPad 2 costs and use your iPhone as a personal hotspot for your iPad instead?
In my last blog post, I answered the AT&T vs. Verizon 3G iPad question: According to two different reports, AT&T's 3G data network is faster than Verizon's.
As for the second question, I did some tests this afternoon using Speedtest.net on my first-generation iPad. I wanted to see which was faster: the first-gen iPad's AT&T built-in 3G radio, or using my iPhone 4 as a personal hotspot for my iPad, which I connected to my iPhone via Wi-Fi. I ran Speedtest.net three times using each connection method, then averaged the download and upload speeds.
The winner? My iPhone 4. When I used it as a hotspot for the iPad, the average download speed I got on the iPad was 1830 kbps and upload speed was 1022 kbps. By comparision, the average download speed using my iPad's built-in 3G connection was 1300 kbps, with an average upload speed of 251 kbps.
Your mileage may vary, as the cliche goes. But if you're only going to need 3G data service occasionally on an iPad 2, and you always have your iPhone (or other tethering-capable smartphone) with you, you might save yourself the extra $130 and just get a Wi-Fi-only iPad 2. You'll have to pay $45 monthly for the tethering privilege, however (but there's no contract), which includes AT&T's top data plan for $25 per month plus an additional $20 per month for tethering. That's compared to $15 a month for AT&T's least expensive iPad data plan (also no contract needed). Verizon's iPad 2 data plans begin at $20 per month. Also, the big differences in speed that I experienced might be less significant on an iPad 2, which is considerably faster than the first-generation iPad.
Just something else to consider as you wait in line at the Apple store. Oh, and Steve Jobs would say, one more thing: If you already bought an iPad 2 with built-in 3G and you're saying to yourself, "Damn! Should have bought the Wi-Fi only," I bet you could sale your iPad 2 on Amazon or ebay and even make a small profit. Supplies are still tight.
I had to use all my will power to not go out and buy the new iPhone 4S since I am not yet eligible for an upgrade. So to reward myself for being strong, I went out and bought myself the iPad2. It's all about moderation... lol Whenever the iPhone5 launches though, I'll be all over it.
Posted by: ATT | October 18, 2011 at 12:17 PM
Based on the options you showed us, I think it would be more benefit to get an IPAD2 with 3G in the long run. As we can see, iPad2 with 3G costs about $130 more than a Wifi only with an additional $20 monthly plan. If I used it for a year, the total cost would be $370 (130 + 240). Without 3G, a required tethering plan cost $45/month. For the same 1 year plan, the total cost is $540! Doing this for another year, I would waste $340 away! It would not make sense to me to go with the tethering plan since I don't need to upload heavy stuffs from iPad2. Secondly, another benefit for getting a 3G can be more apparent is when you travel to another country, especially in the far-east regions. I was told by the locals that you can't tethering using your 3g phone in another country since your sim card and your USA service carrier doesn't work in those regions, but you can buy a much cheaper phone time from the local carriers for the ipad2 equipped with 3G. I hope you can confirm that!
Posted by: Sean | January 22, 2012 at 12:03 AM