Katie mentioned on this week’s episode that she wished she’d bought cellular. I’ve done both cellular and wifi and with my current iPad Models (10.5" and 12.9"), I have a cellular and a wifi - the more portable being the cellular one.
I love the ability to pay for data and just turn it on as I need it, but I’m wondering what you have and how well it works for you?
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My iPad Pro is a cellular one and it is a must for me, as I am traveling with it, delivering presentations, etc.
I am accessing my own Synology Cloud downloading my presentations, syncing data, loading mails and also templates for almost anything. I do my mails on airports or in coffeeshops, read newspaper on the road, etc. … a cellular option is a must for me as I am very often on the road in Europe and way beyond.
At home I have an older one which is just staying there and being used as a kind of central home automation iPad being used for HomeKit and other automation tasks - that one is wifi only though it used to be cellular as well but it does not carry a SIM card anymore.
I’ve bought a cellular one since I got my first iPad and have never used the cellular connection. Not even once. I decided to go for cellular ‘just in case’, but my next iPad will for sure be Wifi only.
I have had both configurations, currently happy with WiFi only. I don’t travel a lot, when I do there is usually WiFi available at the destination. Also have ample space on my data cap in the iPhone, and since the Hotspot feature is FINALLY working well, this is a great fallback option for my use.
Still getting high capacity ones so I can keep plenty of media local and available though.
Same here.
With the ability to easily connect through my iPhone, to me the cellular option on an iPad isn’t worth the up charge for the device and expense of another data account.
Well, I have no cellular plan at all. In my country it’s really expensive so I just try to have most things available offline and it kinda works. If I were to buy data plan I would just connect it to my iPhone.
I keep just the wifi model, I don’t go out to places like Starbucks to work, so basically everywhere I go I have access to secure wifi.
I have the 256GB iPad Pro 10.5, so I keep almost all of the content I want on device. So if I do find myself on the train or something I have the content.
Personally I struggle to see the value in having a seperate data allowance for it, I am on a cheap carrier here and so if I desperately need network on my iPad I just use my phone as a hotspot.
I think of the cellular upgrade as something that really needs to earn its value, if I found myself using my hotspot all the time I would consider it, but I don’t and so I only need wifi.
The ability to get an internet connection anywhere is one of the headline features of the iPad for me. I’ve had cellular on my main iPads all the way since my first generation one back in 2010.
The one time I didn’t get cellular was the iPad mini I picked up so I’d have a smaller option than my 12.9" Pro. Since it was a secondary device, I decided to save money (both up front and monthly cell fees) and bought a WiFi-only model. I figured I could just tether. Now, I regret that decision. I’d probably use the mini more if it had a cell connection.
So, cellular all the way from here on out.
I bought two cellular iPads back when T-Mobile was giving away 200Mb/month with phone plans (a deal retracted a year ago). However I found I almost never used it. My next iPad Pro (come on, baby, hurry up!) will be a WiFi model, and I’ll just use my iPhone as a hotspot if (very rarely) needed.
I have WiFi available most places I need to work with my iPad (and use a VPN for unsecured networks).
My iPhone is on an unlimited data plan with an ample hotspot allowance, so I just tether when there’s no WiFi available.
I have been WiFi only on all of my iPads. If needed I turn my phone’s hotspot on and pair the iPad to that and I’m in business.
Only ever had WiFi on my iPads. I do occasionally use my phone to create a hot spot. My iPad is primarily for comsuming media and rarely for generating stuff. I don’t use any mobile devices for e-mail or much more than reading with one exception, I do use Scrivener on my iPad to work on various projects when the mood strikes me. The iPad also replaced my original kindle and my kindle paperwhite too. The original is now archived in a place of honor because I have the case autographed by a number of my favorite authors. The paperwhite is out on loan to a friend sharing our Amazon books account as we share common reading interests. It’s working out well.
I have wifi only because it was cheaper and I wouldn’t want to buy an extra data plan. Every day in my lunch break I write a little and afterwards tether my iPhone to my iPad to sync Scrivener. That’s most of my mobile data usage on this iPad. It would never be worth the extra money for cellular. BUT, boy, this tethering each day is annoying me!
I have the wi-fi only iPad Pro 10.5” I use my iPhone as a hotspot. No need to pay extra for data when it all comes from the same bucket.
I’ve had the iPad 2,4,air1, IPP 12.9 and 10.5 ALL have been WiFi. When I need a cellular connection I just hotspot but it does kill my phone battery. I’d like to go cellular one day but with hotspotting available I can’t justify the cost.
My first iPad was cellular, but I almost never used it (I rarely travel for work, and office has WiFi). Since then all of mine have bees WiFi and I never really missed it. I suggest new iPad purchasers buy cellular though until they know what works best for them.
Wifi only for me too…
I do not travel much either, so i don‘t even use tethering a lot.
For vacations and occasional data needs i have an LTE router and buy data only when i need to.
I have cellular, and it’s not connected. Got it as a just in case tool. Figured it was cheaper than buying a new iPad if my circumstances changed.
Will be getting a new phone and plan soon. Probably set up the connection then.
Used to have the cellular iPads but current one is Wi-fi only. I tether to my phone (plan has 10 times as much data as I use) if needed and use Cloak (now called encrypt me) on public Wi-fi.
The cost saving on the original purchase coupled with avoiding the additional monthly data charge for the iPad is significant.
I had a cellular iPad air 2 and never used the cellular data. 
So when I purchased my iPad Pro 10.5 I got a wifi only model. I like Katie, wished I had purchased a cellular version. I’m using my ipad pro as my portable computer instead of my MBP.