Since my last column, Apple has announced its long-awaited tablet device, the iPad, at prices from $499 to $829, depending on memory and connectivity. By the time you read this, there will actually be iPads in the wild, since the release date was April 3, at least for the Wi-Fi versions. I strongly recommend that if you’re responsible for the technical vision of your company, you invest $500 for the cheapest iPad (16GB of storage, Wi-Fi only) and get a glimpse of what the future looks like.
Of course, it’s possible that the future doesn’t look like an iPad, but the device shouldn’t be dismissed as “just a big iPhone.” It’s not a phone at all, which has drawn some criticism from the geek crowd. Nor does it have a camera, another affront to the faithful and nerdy. The iPad is, first and foremost, a high-quality display screen that fits comfortably in your hands—at a bit less than 10 inches, you can carry it around or use it on the couch. It’s important that the iPad responds nicely to touch, both as a virtual keyboard and as a device that goes beyond mouse-and-click to the gestures that have become second nature to anyone with an iPhone. But the iPad is primarily a mobile visual device.
The iPad is a book, TV and a map. Apple has already shown us those applications, and they look really inviting. But the iPad is also a patient chart, an order pad, an x-ray, a menu, a checklist and a lot of other things people won’t think of until they hold one in their hands, which is why I encourage you to get one as soon as possible. Sure, Apple will announce a better model next year, but if your job involves staying ahead of the competition, I wouldn’t wait. Unless you know you’re going to be a heavy media user and need more storage space, the 16GB, Wi-Fi-only version is the one you should buy.
Let me back up a moment and talk about network connectivity. The iPhone has both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular data connectivity. They’re different. Wi-Fi moves data at about 50 megabits per second but requires you to be near a “hot spot.” 3G is a lot slower, doing just a bit more than 1 megabit, but is available almost everywhere with a decent cell signal (which varies from provider to provider and location to location). There are lots of places with free Wi-Fi. A cellular data connection from any provider will set you back $30 to $60 per month. So, Wi-Fi means fast, free, limited range, and 3G means slow, expensive and almost everywhere. If a good Wi-Fi connection is available, it’s the preferred avenue.
Mommy, what’s a MiFi?
With the iPad, there are basically two product lines: those with Wi-Fi only and those with Wi-Fi and 3G (like the iPhone). The 3G versions cost $130 more (including a first “try it” month of data service), with an optional $30 per month AT&T data plan (just like the iPhone, but without the two-year contract). There are several reasons I don’t recommend buying a 3G version.
First, it’s more expensive. Second, it will use more power, reducing the time an iPad can run on battery (although Apple claims a phenomenal 10-hour running time). But the real reason is it’s built into the iPad. I don’t think this is the best value. If you really need 3G, you should maximize its usefulness across all the devices you own.
The answer: your own wireless data plan. I’m a big believer in Verizon’s wireless broadband service (EV-DO Rev A). It costs $60 per month for 5GB of download (don’t exceed that limit, though, because the sixth gigabyte you download in a month will cost you a nickel a megabyte—or $50). Of course, the iPad doesn’t have a place to plug in a wireless broadband modem, it only has a “dock” port to connect to your personal computer, like iPods and iPhones. So you’ll need a “wireless broadband router” like the Verizon MiFi.
The MiFi basically creates a Wi-Fi hotspot wherever you have cellular data service, and you can connect up to five Wi-Fi-capable devices. This makes it more useful than having a built-in 3G capability that only supports the iPad. The cool thing is that Amazon will sell you a MiFi for $0.01 if you sign up for two years of Verizon’s data service (www.amzn.com/B0029ZAJ0K). Sprint makes a similar product (the Overdrive), which is worth a look if you need connectivity where Sprint’s 4G WiMax network is available, since it has higher speeds than EV-DO. There’s a discounted $49 price for a two-year commitment.
By the way, if you need only Wi-Fi when you’re away from your home or office wireless network, check out Boingo (www.boingo.com). For $10 per month, it’s an easy way to access wireless in many hotels, restaurants and airports. I’ve recommended this to my friends who don’t need to be able to access the Internet from a moving vehicle or away from places where Wi-Fi access is available. Of course, we’re not too far away from a day when Wi-Fi (or something similar) will be available almost everywhere. Hey, when I was a boy, there was no Wi-Fi on airplanes. You kids get off my lawn!
Got those low-down satellite blues
Speaking of limits on data, a relative called me up the other day to say his Wild Blue (satellite broadband) connection was running very (very!) slowly. He pays for 1 megabit per second download and 200 kilobit per second upload, and was getting about one-tenth of that. It turns out Wild Blue has an interesting clause in its contract (the Fair Access Policy, or FAP), which lets it severely throttle your speeds if you exceed a given amount of up or down traffic in any 30-day window of time. In my relative’s case, that was 12GB of downloaded data. Neither my sister nor my brother-in-law are heavy Internet users, so their exchange student’s Skype video calls back home are the prime suspect.
What’s worse is that the FAP is more complicated than that, since you get dinged for multiple violations. And you can’t get back to your normal speed until your 30-day window drops to 70 percent of your plan. All this makes me leery of recommending satellite broadband, except as a last resort to dialup.
As always, I recommend cable Internet service if it’s available (followed by DSL, wireless broadband, satellite and, last, dialup). I’m quite spoiled by the 14 megabits down, 4 megabits up I get from Comcast cable at home. And I know it’ll come in handy when my new iPad arrives.
