If you plan on using it outside of the house then it possibly is. I’ve never bought a cellular iPad because I’ve always tethered them to my iPhone when away from my WiFi. However some can’t tether or find it inconvenient.
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iPad Pro Is it worth to spend extra $$ on iPad Pro with cellular?
- Thread starter maverick786us
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I never asked a question about my own usage.Well, good news. You answered your own question several times over. Cellular iPad Plan isn’t needed for your use cases any longer.
you asked a roundabout question/scenario/pondering about whether cellular data plan was needed and then provided your thoughts on why you should cancel it. A question doesn't have to be explicitly asked to be a question.
The topic is about whether iPad Cellular is worth it (Bolded the parts). You put your two cents about whether you should cancel your iPad Cellular plan and went through reasons why it would or would not be worth it to you. And that is okay. We all have our use cases on why something may benefit our productivity or enrich our lives or not.
Sorry for my ignorance but I'd like to ask a couple of noob questions regarding cellular iPads:
1- Does the GPS function work even if:
a) It doesn't have a SIM on it nor any eSIM data plan on it?
b) If there are no WiFi spots around nor tethered hotspots for triangulating the position... would the iPad still accurately know its position on say, Google Maps, by using its GPS to directly communicate to positioning satellites without having to rely on WiFi or cell towers?
2- If the answer to any or both of the above scenarios, how much more battery would the GPS drain? Minimal? Considerable in the sense that it would knock out say 2 or 3 hours out fo the average 10 hours?
Sorry for my noobness. Asking because I too was considering a cellular iPad for using maps in the wild, but if I do it wouldn't be to get a data plan on it, as I wouldn't need the internet that frequently. The places where having access to Maps would be useful have no WiFi nor even good cellular reception, sometimes no signal at all.... so I am under the impression that on places like this the GPS on the iPad would be pointless? Am I wrong?
Again, sorry for my ignorance on this subject.
1- Does the GPS function work even if:
a) It doesn't have a SIM on it nor any eSIM data plan on it?
b) If there are no WiFi spots around nor tethered hotspots for triangulating the position... would the iPad still accurately know its position on say, Google Maps, by using its GPS to directly communicate to positioning satellites without having to rely on WiFi or cell towers?
2- If the answer to any or both of the above scenarios, how much more battery would the GPS drain? Minimal? Considerable in the sense that it would knock out say 2 or 3 hours out fo the average 10 hours?
Sorry for my noobness. Asking because I too was considering a cellular iPad for using maps in the wild, but if I do it wouldn't be to get a data plan on it, as I wouldn't need the internet that frequently. The places where having access to Maps would be useful have no WiFi nor even good cellular reception, sometimes no signal at all.... so I am under the impression that on places like this the GPS on the iPad would be pointless? Am I wrong?
Again, sorry for my ignorance on this subject.
It is true GPS (e.g., like a Garmin device), not WiFi triangulation so it works in the absence of WiFi or a cellular data plan - I use mine in the wild. For map usage, you would have to have data downloaded - in the wild, I use GaiaGPS. As to battery usage, I have not seen any significant impact due to the GPS itself.
I always get the cellular option. So many times when traveling the WiFi in hotels has been awful. I have a $20 a month add on to my husband’s ATT phone plan for unlimited.
Agree that it is true GPS device.
With regards to map usage, iPadOS 17 now allows the downloading of offline maps so you can use the iPad's GPS on the native Map apps without a cell signal and the map will properly display. I haven't use this feature on the iPad but have on the iPhone and it's great! Of course, third-party options exist, but I often prefer the native solution mostly because it seems to be either better integrated or, I guess, I can just point out the source of the bugs/problems (aka complain loudly) when it doesn't work right. LOL ;-)
It is worth it for me as I do not want to use public WiFi due to cybersecurity risks and tax my iPhone battery with hotspot. Others might have different preference.
True. I use GaiaGPS for its wide variety of topo maps. The native app works as well with the iPad as with the phone.
Taxing the iPhone battery with long hotspotting can be a true concern. I also don't have cellular service on my cellular-enabled iPad. However, there are times when I need to have cell connection when using my iPad (e.g., using Obsidian and documents are store in the cloud and need connectivity to sync, etc.). I try to monitor the battery of my iPhone in such cases, but yes, it is not always convenient....
I don't need it often on my cellular Mini 6 so I go with the 5GB/150 days/$10 T-Mobile plan and just renew it if I need more.
Neat!
I wish though that instead of 150 days that the plan would allow for say 1 year with date being extended each time the service is accessed. Well, I'm sure that's wishful thinking. It plays too favourable to the consumer.
I purchased the cellular model, but I probably won’t next time.
My carrier, T-Mobile, provides 50 GB of free hotspot in my plan. So I use that instead of the cellular on my iPad. Making it rather useless. Except for GPS in the few times I open the map on it.
Each situation differs though.
My carrier, T-Mobile, provides 50 GB of free hotspot in my plan. So I use that instead of the cellular on my iPad. Making it rather useless. Except for GPS in the few times I open the map on it.
Each situation differs though.
I used to get a cellular iPad Pro every time, but last year I got the WiFi-only one since I use my iPad at home or at the office 99% of the time. Even when I travel, I use the iPad only in the evenings in a hotel room and hardly ever bring it with me when I go out.
For that 1% of cases where I'm out and about with it, I just use a hotspot from my iPhone. Yes, it can be taxing on the battery, but at least I've got a 15 Pro Max with a massive battery in it so it's not too much of a trouble for me personally, and paying 200+ EUR for a cellular model (the price difference is massive where I live) just isn't worth it.
This way I save 200 EUR from the start and the added savings of not having a separate cellular plan adds up to an even bigger saving, I could get another iPad mini with the savings alone if I needed one.
For that 1% of cases where I'm out and about with it, I just use a hotspot from my iPhone. Yes, it can be taxing on the battery, but at least I've got a 15 Pro Max with a massive battery in it so it's not too much of a trouble for me personally, and paying 200+ EUR for a cellular model (the price difference is massive where I live) just isn't worth it.
This way I save 200 EUR from the start and the added savings of not having a separate cellular plan adds up to an even bigger saving, I could get another iPad mini with the savings alone if I needed one.
fully agree. in today's context, dun really see a need to get cellular.
rather keep the excess cash in my pocket
I just got my iPad and haven’t enabled cellular data yet.
But I have a good friend who’s a very successful realtor. He’s constantly on the go, and uses his iPad as his laptop. The cellular feature is great for him; no matter where he is, he can just pull over anywhere, look something up and send an email or whatever.
That use case isn’t for everyone, but it’s great for him.
But I have a good friend who’s a very successful realtor. He’s constantly on the go, and uses his iPad as his laptop. The cellular feature is great for him; no matter where he is, he can just pull over anywhere, look something up and send an email or whatever.
That use case isn’t for everyone, but it’s great for him.
If your iPhone has data sharing, then it’s almost pointless. But that said, I have it on a 12.9” iPad Pro and use it overseas where it’s heavenly to use for dang near everything.
We have two iPads: wife’s iPadAir with cellular, and my iPadPro without cellular. When not at home, my wife uses her iPadAir all the time and having Internet access is very handy. I rarely use my iPadPro this way so decided to save the then $130 plus taxes for cellular.
Also note, not only does cellular incur the additional charge at purchase, but you need a subscription for service as well. As a third device on my AT&T plan, that meant about $15+ a month or about another $200 per year for this. Cellular becomes an expensive subscription to my mind and wallet. Justified for my wife, not for me.
Also note, not only does cellular incur the additional charge at purchase, but you need a subscription for service as well. As a third device on my AT&T plan, that meant about $15+ a month or about another $200 per year for this. Cellular becomes an expensive subscription to my mind and wallet. Justified for my wife, not for me.
