Worth it to get non-3G iPad?

[Anonymous]

Is there any point in getting a non-3G (so wi-fi only) iPad? I'm thinking about getting one for DH for Father's Day but am balking at paying 3G prices. We don't have smartphones or even text plans (though would love to get one but again, we're not paying an additional $1200 a year for that over what we already pay). He has an iTouch already. If we're not doing 3G, is it pointless then?

[Anonymous]

not at all pointless. we have the wifi iPad and it is great - if you have wireless in your house. lots of places have free wifi nowadays too, and offices, so you can use it many places. i can't see why you'd need 3G unless you were on the road constantly.

[Anonymous]

plus - you can download newspapers and articles and read them where you don't have wifi. there is an app for that... of course.

[Anonymous]

i have the wi-fi version and only use it at home. A coworker bought a wi-fi prepaid card that he uses for internet connectivity - the device cost him $100. Another co-worker uses a verizon wi-fi hotspot that costs him $30/month. I like the big screen on the ipad. much easier to read the newspaper or watch Neflix on.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your responses. We do have wi-fi in our house. DH would primarily use it for his commute on bus/metro; re: the app that lets you download newspapers and read them later- is that something he could do in 5 mins at home while he's getting the kids ready for daycare?

16, 32, or 64GB?

[Anonymous]

I think PP was referring to Instapaper. It's great, but maybe more than 5 minutes if you want to pick your articles individually. Also, there are plenty of actual newsreaders like the NYTimes app, that will download large portions of the daily newspaper automatically (so maybe 30 seconds of time or less to check and make sure they're downloaded before he leaves the house). Also, I download and read lots of library books, which get downloaded once at home, and then they remain on the iPad for a couple weeks while I read them.

I definitely don't think you need 3G for casual use. Wifi-only is 98% of the use anyway.

I think 16GB is plenty. You need 32GB only if you're planning to use it to store lots of photos or movies or TV shows. Go cheap.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not pointless - I have wi-fi only and its great. I use mostly at home on our wi-fi network. Yes, he can set it so it automatically reaches out and gets what he wants so he can read it later - and even if he doesn't set it - takes two seconds to update cache.

I have 16 GB - with the caveat that I only store 3-4 albums of music on it and all my books are in the cloud except for the 2-3 that I am reading and I only have about 100-150 photos - and I cannot see ever running out of room. And I have about 80 apps.

[Anonymous]

If his use is going to be mostly during his commute, I would consider the 3G. I just got a Wi-Fi only 32 GB, but I'm using it mostly at home (no commuting usage), plus I also have an iPhone if I ever feel the need to use it as a hot spot when Wi-Fi is not available.