Inside the new iPad's 4G LTE mobile data: AT&T vs Verizon

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  • Reply 21 of 44
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    Too bad there are different LTE bands across the world. That's a lot of specific models Apple needs to make.



    There are 43 operating bands listed, although only about half seem to be occupied, though many are probably not active. At any rate it's a lot more than the 4 UMTS "3G" operating bands used by the iPhone around the world.



    I've asked and researched how many LTE operating bands the MDM9615 can support at once and have came up with no answer. I assume it's at least 2 because the MDM9600 can support 2 but that's as far as I can feasibly speculate.
  • Reply 22 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bigpics View Post


    Those who follow Apple forums know the adage about the wisdom of "skating to where the puck is going to be, not where it is" well.



    Yet for all the detail, the article offered little in the way of useful projections about what the LTE situation is likely to be even 1 or 2 let alone 5 years from now. And I'm talking about build-out and technology not pricing - as that's clearly more impenetrable. But I was under the impression that Verizon not only has more LTE installed, they're also installing more of it at a faster pace.



    Anyway, the more I read, the less I feel I know about which behemoth to cast my lot with.....



    ...and unless something convincing pops up otherwise, I'll probably go with Verizon because they have full LTE coverage in the places I spend 90% of my time.



    To realize that the major overall point of the article is that both AT&T and VZW have wi range between data speeds and neither can be called better than the other since they both have severe limitations in one way or the other and BOTH render the whole 4G bandwagon (regardless of LTE or "we call it 4G") useless within the first few days of a billing cycle due to ridiculous data caps.....



    I mean who really gives a shit that you can download movies at 40mbps when your data cap is already exceeded after downloading ONE movie or a handful of HD YouTube videos??????
  • Reply 23 of 44
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CarlosViscarra View Post


    I mean who really gives a shit that you can download movies at 40mbps when your data cap is already exceeded after downloading ONE movie or a handful of HD YouTube videos??????



    Also, I don't have mine yet, but I've heard that on some devices/apps/sites (I forget who senses and does exactly what with what info on which devices), your connection type/speed is noted and sites that offer multiple versions of media (as YouTube often does) will automatically send you higher res versions if your device is on 4G rather than 3G, thus chewing through your data plan even faster unless you realize it, don't want/need that version and specifically take action otherwise...
  • Reply 24 of 44
    brutus009brutus009 Posts: 356member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bigpics View Post


    Also, I don't have mine yet, but I've heard that on some devices/apps/sites (I forget who senses and does exactly what with what info on which devices), your connection type/speed is noted and sites that offer multiple versions of media (as YouTube often does) will automatically send you higher res versions if your device is on 4G rather than 3G, thus chewing through your data plan even faster unless you realize it, don't want/need that version and specifically take action otherwise...



    Netflix, for example, throttles their streaming according to your bandwidth. Apps and web clients that use this technique need to begin offering "throttle" buttons, else risk losing traffic due to onerous indirect user costs.



    AT&T has proposed that content deliverers might subsidize data usage.



    <random googled article>

    http://pocketnow.com/smartphone-news...or-subscribers



    But what's that going to do to the consumer? Will app prices go up? Can web clients play ball? How will this affect their business models? If we aren't paying AT&T, who will want our money instead? Will developers now be expected to pay for finite perishable resources similar to the current state of insulting consumer-oriented data plans? We're already getting fleeced, and now they want to fleece businesses too.



    Frankly, I think that this is going to cause a lot of problems.
  • Reply 25 of 44
    Lots of people in the Apple forums are having problems with 4G dropping or not connecting at all. Quite many have much better luck just turning LTE off completely. Seems in areas of weak coverage the iPad has problems. This is in addition to all of us outside the US who can't get 3G to work without a reboot and those having WiFi problems.



    And still no comment from Apple.
  • Reply 26 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    ATT is NOT LTE.



    This statement is factually invalid. AT&T does offer LTE.
  • Reply 27 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jodyfanning View Post


    Lots of people in the Apple forums are having problems with 4G dropping or not connecting at all. Quite many have much better luck just turning LTE off completely. Seems in areas of weak coverage the iPad has problems. This is in addition to all of us outside the US who can't get 3G to work without a reboot and those having WiFi problems.



    And still no comment from Apple.



    I've heard of this, but I have not experienced it.
  • Reply 28 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr. X View Post


    Does anyone know the URL to the Google coverage map that AI posted above? I looked around but couldn't seem to find it.



    Those maps are screenshots from our app 'Coverage?' - which is as far as I know the only way to actually overlay and directly compare coverage maps from the various carriers.



    We also have two more limited and less frequently updated free versions in the app store: '4G Finder' and 'LTE Finder'.



    As a daily Apple Insider reader it is a thrill to see our app used in an article here, but I wish Daniel would have actually mentioned the apps by name and provided a link too. :-)



    - Chris // www.technomadia.com
  • Reply 29 of 44
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by radven View Post


    As a daily Apple Insider reader it is a thrill to see our app used in an article here, but I wish Daniel would have actually mentioned the apps by name and provided a link too. :-)



    That serves no purpose other than advertising. That's not the point.
  • Reply 30 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    That serves no purpose other than advertising. That's not the point.



    I'm not at all a fan of gratuitous advertising - but linking to a useful tool featured in an article is not advertising, it is a service to readers and saves them having to dig up the link themselves.
  • Reply 31 of 44
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    That serves no purpose other than advertising. That's not the point.



    The point is good blogging etiquette and not providing any attribution implies it's your own work.



    Notice the AppleInsider.com watermark on the speed chart? That's to keep unscrupulous (but lazy) folks from stealing that chart without some attribution.



    Given that the coverage discussion is a significant point of the conclusion the app attribution should be there as the source of the images.



    Especially since there is a Verizon vs ATT LTE article on Technomadia's site that DED lifted these two images from.



    http://www.technomadia.com/2012/03/v...-lte-networks/



    By stripping the captions the DED article also implies the top image is Verizon while the bottom is AT&T. In actuality the top image is LTE only and the bottom is LTE + 4G (HSPA+).



    Looks like a nifty app. If I was still traveling a lot I'd get it.



    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cover...388815949?mt=8



    Disclaimer: Before this thread I never even knew of this app or the technoadia website. Nifty lifestyle.
  • Reply 32 of 44
    What a stupid article, you go into the trouble of point out 3GPP Releases in a chart, then do not tell the reader if the LTE iPad supports Release 8 or Release 9 or both!?!



    WHERE IS THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING?



    Also, why not call out what speed implementations (theoretical) AT&T and T-Mobile support the other two 3G/4G technologies (DC-HSDPA & HSPA+) the new iPad supports?!
  • Reply 33 of 44
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by libertyforall View Post


    What a stupid article, you go into the trouble of point out 3GPP Releases in a chart, then do not tell the reader if the LTE iPad supports Release 8 or Release 9 or both!?!



    WHERE IS THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING?



    Also, why not call out what speed implementations (theoretical) AT&T and T-Mobile support the other two 3G/4G technologies (DC-HSDPA & HSPA+) the new iPad supports?!



    You think that's bad? Look at the screendump from Postulant and WardC who both display Speedtest.net from a WiFi connection, discussing cellular. I must be missing something here...
  • Reply 34 of 44
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post


    You think that's bad? Look at the screendump from Postulant and WardC who both display Speedtest.net from a WiFi connection, discussing cellular. I must be missing something here...



    You certainly seem to be missing something. Only Postulant posted speedtest data, and all but one of the data sets were cellular.
  • Reply 35 of 44
    I'm a loyal AT&T customer, but I opted for the Verizon iPad.



    Verizon has LTE coverage around where I live, and AT&T does not. Though, that isn't the main reason I went with Verizon.



    The 2 (*3) main reason are:

    1) Free hotspot tethering - I'm a light user, and it allows me to drop it from my AT&T iPhone. I don't use much data, so it's a waste to pay for it on a monthly basis. Over a year, this savings alone will more than pay for the $130 premium to buy the 4G-capable iPad (more like 6-7 months). I'll probably only use it for a couple of months out of the year. If/when AT&T follows suit, this will narrow the deciding factors between iPad 4G models.



    AT&T iPhone tethering: $20 x 12 months = $240 annually. Factoring in the $130 iPad 4G premium, for the same $240, that still leaves me 5-1/2 months of $20/month iPad data plan, which I really doubt I'll use.



    Until carriers stop charging extra to add a feature to use the data I'm already paying for (hopefully Verizon's move with the new iPad paves the way), this will be my long-term strategy.



    2) For $5 more at the baseline data plan, Verizon offers 750MB more data. Granted, at the $30 level, AT&T offers 1GB more than Verizon, but I don't foresee my needs being that much. AT&T and Verizon may eventually adjust their deficient plans to mirror the better that each offers at those given levels. This could contribute more to LTE coverage (if AT&T follows with free tethering) as being the deciding factor, or possibly loyalty, as to which iPad 4G model chosen.



    *3) Verizon offers LTE in my area - AT&T does not.



    So, if AT&T offered free tethering and 1GB of data for $20 per month, that's the model I would've chosen, even though AT&T doesn't have LTE in my area.



    If AT&T makes those changes by next year when the next iPad comes, that's probably the iPad model I'll get. Until then, Verizon's offering the better deal for me.



    IF (big IF) AT&T starts allowing customers to use tethering without charging extra (I don't need the 2GB of extra data for that $20), I'll no longer have the need for a cellular data iPad - saving even more money by buying the WiFi-only model. GPS, the other included feature on the 4G iPad, isn't enough of an extra benefit for the cost, if I don't need the data connection.
  • Reply 36 of 44
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by muppetry View Post


    You certainly seem to be missing something. Only Postulant posted speedtest data, and all but one of the data sets were cellular.



    My bad, only Postulant. But why has he displaying 'iPad' with the WiFi icon instead of the carrier? This makes no sense as the article discusses the difference between AT&T and Verizon...
  • Reply 37 of 44
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post


    My bad, only Postulant. But why has he displaying 'iPad' with the WiFi icon instead of the carrier? This makes no sense as the article discusses the difference between AT&T and Verizon...



    The WiFi icon in the upper left corner is only displaying what he was connected to when he took the screenshot of the SpeedTest results page.



    The first column in the results page lists the type. All the icons, except for the last one show a cellular connection icon. The second category shows the date and time of the test.
  • Reply 38 of 44
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Thanks Solipsism, guess I need glasses after all. I've been procrastinating this for quite some time, perhaps a '2X' screendump would've saved me the embarrassment.
  • Reply 39 of 44
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WardC View Post


    Ahem. I have AT&T and their LTE is nothing short of great. And I am in Fort Worth. I would take AT&T over Verizon anyday.



    Uh...yeah....isn't that where ATT is based...DFW? Well duhhhhhh is works great there.



  • Reply 40 of 44
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    I have AT&T in NYC and there LTE gives me 30-40 I sometimes get 40-50. It's consistently faster than Verizon.
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