# No ISP for iPad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833 "2010-04-03T16:26:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/61 "2010-04-05T14:43:24Z")
> [@troub](#): > > why should that be necessary? Ever had to update your drivers? Same difference. > [@](#): > > That wasn’t really the point. Incorrect - that was the very point that started this entire line of conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/62 "2010-04-05T15:47:49Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Because you need an ISP to have wifi. And if you have your wireless service through ATT, they are your ISP. You don’t need a separate ISP to access WiFi. My Blackberry works this way, in fact if I’m in a free ATT WiFi hotspot (like all McDonalds) I don’t even have to do anything, my phone automatically switches from ATT 3G to WiFi. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/63 "2010-04-05T16:21:23Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > And if you have your wireless service through ATT, they are your ISP. You don’t need a separate ISP to access WiFi. My Blackberry works this way, in fact if I’m in a free ATT WiFi hotspot (like all McDonalds) I don’t even have to do anything, my phone automatically switches from ATT 3G to WiFi. The iPad that just came out does NOT have 3G connectivity. Only wifi, so as mentioned before ( **Dewey Finn** ) you will still have to maintain a connection with an ISP, or rely on leeching from neighbors or other places with free wifi. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/64 "2010-04-05T17:00:01Z")
iPad with WiFi only is available now. iPad with WiFi + 3G won’t ship until late April. So, the currently available iPads can only gain access to the internet through a WiFi connection, whether that be through your own ISP, leeching off of your neighbors, at your office, or in a WiFi hot-zone. Once the iPad WiFi + 3G becomes available, you’ll then have the option of buying a no-contract monthly plan for 3G service. It’s ~$15 a month for 250MBs. Or, ~$30 a month for unlimited. I only plan to use it around the house, since I already have an iPhone. I think I’ll try and snag a 32GB iPad (wifi only) today. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/65 "2010-04-05T18:43:02Z")
Oh look! Another Apple rocks/sucks thread. Is it monday already? Would it kill anyone to just answer the damned OP and leave the evangelism at home? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/66 "2010-04-05T18:59:08Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I will buy one if it runs Android You’re in luck then. Check out the [Adam](http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-flash-ipad-comparison-app-competition-0873197/). IMO it beats the iPad across the board. Better battery life, better screen (actual 1080 HD screen), better connectors built in, camera built in, does multi-touch, thinner overall. Oh yeah…runs on Android too and can multitask and run Flash. The only thing the iPad really has over it is the App store (and utterly owned by Apple for anything you want) but then the Android store is not exactly lacking and will presumably get even better. Should be out in another few months. Wish people would read a little before making these investments so they would be less susceptible to the hype. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/67 "2010-04-05T19:06:31Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > iPad with WiFi only is available now. > > \ > > I only plan to use it around the house, since I already have an iPhone. I think I’ll try and snag a 32GB iPad (wifi only) today. FYI there are reports circulating that many iPads are having notable issues with their WiFi access (as in not working or very slow). [Here’s one article on it](http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/04/ipad_users_repo.html;jsessionid=NAKQB113YGVOXQE1GHOSKHWATMY32JVN). A Google search can find you plenty more. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/68 "2010-04-05T19:30:27Z")
That Android table looks very nice but a small company like that is going to have a hard time selling them. If somebody like Sony or HP or Toshiba made 1 then I could see it being successful. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/69 "2010-04-05T19:43:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > … > > Wish people would read a little before making these investments so they would be less susceptible to the hype. Netbooks and tablets (such as the iPad) cost a month of lattes for the average user and end up in the bin in under a year. Hardly an “investment”. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/70 "2010-04-05T19:44:49Z")
People spend $500 a month on latte? I guess I need a raise. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/71 "2010-04-05T20:14:30Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Oh look! Another Apple rocks/sucks thread. Is it monday already? > > Would it kill anyone to just answer the damned OP and leave the evangelism at home? My daddy can whip your daddy! :rolleyes: Funny thing is, there are a lot more people saying Apple sucks than the other way around, and I know that simply ain’t the way it is. People I know bitch about their Windows machines All The Time. And the computers at work (HPs runnung Windows) suck big time. I guess happy people just don’t complain as much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/72 "2010-04-06T00:49:23Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > My daddy can whip your daddy! :rolleyes: > Funny thing is, there are a lot more people saying Apple sucks than the other way around, and I know that simply ain’t the way it is. People I know bitch about their Windows machines All The Time. And the computers at work (HPs runnung Windows) suck big time. > I guess happy people just don’t complain as much. 🙂 Well, us Mac users have to constantly be reminded how much of our own money we’re wasting on hardware while elsewhere it’s been perfectly replicated and vastly improved upon by third-rate manufacturers and open-source software models. You know, 'cuz we’re so disappointed with Mac stuff, and we just blindly buy Apple products even if we don’t need or want them. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/73 "2010-04-06T01:22:42Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Well, us Mac users have to constantly be reminded how much of our own money we’re wasting on hardware while elsewhere it’s been perfectly replicated and vastly improved upon by third-rate manufacturers and open-source software models. You know, 'cuz we’re so disappointed with Mac stuff, and we just blindly buy Apple products even if we don’t need or want them. I don’t think that they (windows users) understand the phrase “Falling on deaf ears”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/74 "2010-04-08T19:24:17Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > You’re in luck then. > > Check out the [Adam](http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-flash-ipad-comparison-app-competition-0873197/). IMO it beats the iPad across the board. Better battery life, better screen (actual 1080 HD screen), better connectors built in, camera built in, does multi-touch, thinner overall. Oh yeah…runs on Android too and can multitask and run Flash. > > The only thing the iPad really has over it is the App store (and utterly owned by Apple for anything you want) but then the Android store is not exactly lacking and will presumably get even better. > > Should be out in another few months. > > Wish people would read a little before making these investments so they would be less susceptible to the hype. According to the [comparison chart posted on gizmodo in late January](http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/01/slate-showdown-ipad-vs-hp-slate-vs-joojoo-vs-android/) the Adam has a lower resolution screen than the iPad(the HD is on the output channel, not on the actual screen), no flash support, and availibilty in spring 2010. The Slashgear story you linked to says it was going to be demoed at Mobile World Congress with Flash support but noted it had been pushed back to a June release date. The most recent I can find was another [Slashgear story saying it has been delayed till Q3 2010](http://www.slashgear.com/tegra-2-serious-issues-delaying-notion-ink-icd-compal-tablets-0179993/) citing issues with getting Flash to work and the core video chip, Nvidia’s Tegra 2, having “serious issues”. At this point I’m not sure I’d count on it as a serious contender. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/75 "2010-04-08T20:20:34Z")
nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/76 "2010-04-08T20:45:55Z")
mangeorge, just make sure you’re not getting rid of your home computer when you get your ipad. You’ll need a desktop version of iTunes (NOT what’s on the iPad or your iPhone) to receive firmware updates (which you can get from a disc/thumbdrive from someone with an internet connection), and a hard drive to back-up to. Also, 16GB will probably fill up pretty fast, so you’ll want someplace that archives your music/media for you. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/77 "2010-04-08T21:22:43Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > According to the [comparison chart posted on gizmodo in late January](http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/01/slate-showdown-ipad-vs-hp-slate-vs-joojoo-vs-android/) the Adam has a lower resolution screen than the iPad(the HD is on the output channel, not on the actual screen), no flash support, and availibilty in spring 2010. Here is a [more recent link](http://gizmodo.com/5471559/notion-ink-adam-tablet-caught-on-video-specs-finalized) on the finalized specs for the Adam which notes a better resolution than the one you listed (albeit still not quite as good as the iPad…huge mistake there I think) as well as Flash support. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/78 "2010-04-09T00:03:10Z")
If specs were what really mattered, Microsoft’s pen computers would have been a big hit five years ago. Windows Mobile would be outselling iPhone. This has nothing to do with specifications. All that matters is the applications and the user experience. Pen computing failed despite having high resolution displays, finer control over the UI, the ability to use the device as a graphics tablet, full access to major apps like Office, and more. Pen computing failed for one major reason: The user experience sucked. We’re at the point now where UI matters more than anything. My computer is three years old, and I have no desire to upgrade. My office laptop is two years old, and I’m thinking of asking if I can skip my next upgrade because I don’t need it. Both machines do everything I want as fast as I want to do them. Aside from specific power users, this will increasingly be the case in the future. UI is everything. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/79 "2010-04-09T00:20:06Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Aside from specific power users, this will increasingly be the case in the future. UI is everything. Should the iPad catch on this year, 2012’s Microsoft knockoff device will be a source of considerable UI amusement. Oh yes, decent iPad review here: [Ars Technica reviews the iPad - Ars Technica](http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/04/ipad-review.ars/) ---
**Author:** ![jdenoyon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@jdenoyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdenoyon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833/80 "2011-09-23T20:22:49Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > None of those cites relates to the issue raised - Apple releasing some sort of update that invalidates or bricks your iPad for connecting a third party SD card reader to it. The possibility of that happening is absurdly small. It’s like saying I’m at risk of bricking my iPhone because I use a third party power cord for it. What’s the next bogus claim going to be - that people will brick their iPads/iPhones if they connect it to a non-Mac computer? Same difference. Well, as the iPad has NO USB port and no card reading slot, the use of SD cards is moot! No cd/dvd drive, no card reading slots, no USB port, nada. They don’t need to release any sort of update to prevent use of ‘third party SD card readers.’ I know this because I’ve done a fair amount of research on the iPad 2. Right now, the lack of a cd/dvd drive and a usb port are what is stopping me from getting one. I regard the keypad as genius. The screen/monitor is also outstanding. (I don’t know why they felt it in their best interest to leave out such key components on what could have otherwise been potentially the greatest system available!) In other words, if I have data I need on the iPad but that data is stored on another device, I’d have to email it to myself to store it on the iPad! Also, to ~put~ data in an external device, I’d again have to email said data myself and retrieve/transfer the data to data storage on another computer… That’s a lot of extra work if you’re dealing with a lot of data that needs backup storage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-isp-for-ipad/534833.md?page=5)