Carrier Verizon iPad Gen.3/iPad Air Questions

[JulesK]

I'm thinking of selling an iPad 1 and giving my parents my iPad 3, and then upgrading to the Air. Any insights on the following would be greatly appreciated:

(1) The iPad 3 is on Verizon, and I'm currently on the pre-paid $30/month plan. I recall, when I first got it, that if you stopped the plan for more than 5 months or so, Verizon would cancel the SIM. My parents will rarely, if ever, use the cellular feature, so they may just cancel the plan. Does Verizon still cancel the SIM? I have couple of extra SIMs in case, but wanted to find out.

(2) Is there a difference between the WiFi only Air and the cellular version (other than the cellular capability and price, of course)? I rarely use my iPad outside of a WiFi signal and am thinking of saving money by tethering it to my iPhone 5S when needed (otherwise, I'm spending at least $120/year to include it in my AT&T mobile share plan). I recall that earlier wifi-only versions did not have the gyroscope or something like that, but am not certain.

Many thanks!

 

[rui no onna]

No GPS on wi-fi only model.

 

[JulesK]

No GPS on wi-fi only model.

Thanks. That's unfortunate, but I guess that's why the iPhone exists.

 

[Akack]

1). Yes verizon will cancel your count after several months of inactivity ( think its 5 months of inactivity but would call to verify). After accnt is cancelled your SIM card will be useless and will need a new sim if you need to use cellular data. Easiest option to get another verizon sim would be eBay since Verizon stores are very reluctant in giving you a prepaid sim. Sims off eBay are less than $ 10.

 

[JulesK]

1). Yes verizon will cancel your count after several months of inactivity ( think its 5 months of inactivity but would call to verify). After accnt is cancelled your SIM card will be useless and will need a new sim if you need to use cellular data. Easiest option to get another verizon sim would be eBay since Verizon stores are very reluctant in giving you a prepaid sim. Sims off eBay are less than $ 10.

Thanks. That's going to be a hassle for my parents, although they might use the 3 mainly on wifi, so I'll just include one of my extra Verizon SIMs when I ultimately sell it in the future. I regret getting a Verizon iPad, as opposed to an AT&T model.

 

[rui no onna]

Thanks. That's going to be a hassle for my parents, although they might use the 3 mainly on wifi, so I'll just include one of my extra Verizon SIMs when I ultimately sell it in the future. I regret getting a Verizon iPad, as opposed to an AT&T model.

AT&T deactivates their SIM cards after a period of inactivity, too. It might even be for a shorter period than Verizon.

 

[AndrewS]

I don't think you need to get a new SIM. I only used 4G/LTE twice or 3x per year. I would use it for the month I purchased and I would cancel before the end of the month so I wouldn't get a recurring charge.

I would then get an email a few months later saying my account was closed. I could create a new account the next time I needed it on the same SIM with no issues whatsoever.

 

[Markrose]

Oh, also may not be important to you but the iPad air wifi only weighs exactly 1 pound but the wifi and cellular one weighs 1.05 pounds. Again, may not be a deal breaker for you.

 

[scaredpoet]

Thanks. That's unfortunate, but I guess that's why the iPhone exists.

One thing that may help: if you tether to your iPhone, then the iPad Air can use the iPhone's GPS to get your location.

Of course the GPS location will be that of the phone and not the iPad, but given the relatively short range of Bluetooth and Hotspot Wifi, it probably won't be that big of a difference.

 

[N54TT]

I have a Verizon ipad3 and just got the verizon air. You can cut down the micro sim in the ipad3 to a nano and it will work in the air. However in my case I wasn't able to view my account in the air. I ended up having to use a new sim anyway to be able to get full functionality and view/edit/cancel my account on the ipad. Verizon in General is a pain in the way they handle sims. I have read some people say that att burns sims too, but I have an att ipad2 that I haven't had a data plan in years...and still have the ability to activate a plan on it.

Lte versions as mentioned have gps that wifi versions don't. One of the benefits even if you don't have an active plan is that you could use it as a standalone navigation. Just need a navigation app like navignon that doesn't require cellular signal.