4 Reason Why Not to Buy AT&T's 3G iPad
The cheapest version of AT&T's iPad 3G sells for $629, compared with the $499 price tag on the original iPad, which features only WiFi connectivity. Not too mention the hefty international data roaming rates below:
- $24.99/month: 20 MB
- $59.99/month: 50 MB
- $119.99/month: 100 MB
- $199.99/month: 200 MB
1 - AT&T 3G Data Congestion - The AT&T 3G iPad was released today and implies that users really want to go use their iPads outdoors or on the go? I am not sure I agree with this and think most Apple iPhone users learned their lessons with AT&T. I think the iPad is great and will likely buy one for the family when they figure out the video/flash thing but not the 3G version. Why would you want to compete for cell phone tower access when there are plenty of Wi-Fi networks? I can already see the emails from angry customers saying "here we go again" with the poor AT&T data coverage and data congestion.
2 - Indoor Wi-Fi is Sufficient - The iPad has lots of utility for me in the following locations: Bed, Office, Airplane, Family Room, Coffee Shop. All of these locations I frequent have Wifi and I am not sure paying AT&T for 3G is worth it. On the other hand, if the iPad was 4G, LTE or Wimax enabled that might be a different issue and I might be more inclined to subscribe to a data service. However, wifi competes with paid 4G, LTE, Wimax and it remains to be seen if mainstream wireless users will actually pay for higher data speeds on the go.
3 - 3G Creates Battery Life Issues - The last issue that will likely make headlines soon is the iPad battery drains too quickly always looking for a 3G cell phone tower. I have heard the having too many apps on the iPad drains the battery significantly and 3G is only going to amplify the problem.
4 - VoIP Works Fine - A little secret that most people don't know is that the iPad works just fine with Skype, Google Voice, or Truphone VoIP services for phone calls. Why pay extra for an expensive data plan?
Jail Breaking your iPhone is probably the best option. Watch this video from KenRadio to learn more.
Jail Breaking your iPhone is probably the best option. Watch this video from KenRadio to learn more.
