Which iPad for non-US cellular coverage ?

[SvenG]

We have the first iPad model, bought on the very first day it was available. It is time to get a new one.

Since we are cruising full time we don't have constant connectivity and we are no longer the Apple know-it-alls we used to be.

We'll be leaving Mexican waters after the hurricane season and want to get the iPad which is MOST likely to work on pre-paid cellphone networks outside the US and Mexico. We don't trust the Apple.com pages and would like actual customer insights.

Thanks.



-Sven

[roetter]

i used the iPad1 and iPad3 as well as iPhone4, 4s and 5 in many place in Europe, the Caribbean, and in the Galapagos without any problem. You may want to get a nano SIM cutter for the the newest iPhone and iPad as the places you are going to may not have the smaller SIMs or the cutter.

I was recently in the Bahamas and the lady cut the SIM right there. In another Caribbean island I had to cut it myself with a template I had and a sharp kitchen knife. Scary, but it worked.

Search Amazon for "nano SIM cutter" they are available for less than $5.

All Apple GSM devices will work. Some do a better job of supporting the local frequencies for the higher speeds (4G) than others.

[belizesailor]

Can you buy unlocked iPhones/iPads in the USA now? I heard that umlocking phones in the USA was now potentially illegal?

[capttman]

The I pad 3 and newer come unlocked

[Bash]

The iPad 3 and iPad mini allow you to change SIM cards. This is easily done by the consumer.

[SmartMove]

Wow, I didn't know I could change out my sim ... Cool!

[ozskipper]

I travelled through 6 countries last year (flying not cruising- sadly). At each airport I would buy a local prepaid sim and remove my own sim from my iphone. No probs. cheaper calls home than my regular sim. Access to 3g networks. The main thing we had to remember was to make sure we got a sim with data included. Not just calls and text. But aside from that we had no problems at all with our iphones.

If you buy your ipad outright and not on a Plan from a telco, it shouldn't be locked I would assume.

[SvenG]

Based on what I've read (conflicting opinions) either the AT&T iPad or the Verizon iPad will work or not work in most of Europe (for example). The cellular bands supported appear to be different between the different versions.

Here's a link to one discussion.

Maybe the G3 connection will work everywhere and it is only the LTE connection that won't ?



-Sven

[roetter]

Originally Posted by SvenG

Based on what I've read (conflicting opinions) either the AT&T iPad or the Verizon iPad will work or not work in most of Europe (for example). The cellular bands supported appear to be different between the different versions.

Here's a link to one discussion.

Maybe the G3 connection will work everywhere and it is only the LTE connection that won't ?

-Sven

Only the GSM versions of iPad and IPhone work. Version and Sprint are CDMA based. Has nothing to do with cellular bands. All iDevices are quad band and work all over the world on GSM operators. Europe, Caribbean, South East Asia, Central America are all GSM. Korea and Japan have both GSM and CDMA.


AT&T is GSM. However if you buy from AT&T it will be locked to them. If your contract obligations are up then AT&T will unlock your iPhone on request. The forms are online. Go to AT&T.com and search for "device unlock".

If you buy and iPhone, iPad or iPad mini from Apple direct, at full price, then they are unlocked out of the box.

The other options you have for data is to buy a Huawei MIFI router. It is basically the data portion of a GSM phone on the front end and on the other end a WIFI router. You can get a data plan on it and share it among several users. This may not be allowed by all providers though.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by roetter

Only the GSM versions of iPad and IPhone work. Version and Sprint are CDMA based. Has nothing to do with cellular bands. All iDevices are quad band and work all over the world on GSM operators. Europe, Caribbean, South East Asia, Central America are all GSM. Korea and Japan have both GSM and CDMA.

Ok, not saying you are wrong, just that I still don't grok it. Went to Wikipedia and found this ...

Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. It should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne, CDMA2000 (the 3G evolution of cdmaOne) and WCDMA (the 3G standard used by GSM carriers), which are often referred to as simply CDMA, and use CDMA as an underlying channel access method.

Which reads as if GSM sits on top of CDMA ?

I wish I had a diagram showing the seven-layer model of all this stuff.

I also wish Apple would clearly state if the iPads sold for AT&T or one of the other carriers are really physically different (I think they are) so it is not just SIM dependent. If they are not physically different why do you have to specify which carrier you will be using (at some point in the future) when buying the unlocked iPad ?

Thanks,



-Sven

[GrowleyMonster]

There are third parties that can unlock your iphone or ipad. See 6.1.2 Jailbreak 6.1.2 Cydia Jailbreakme iPhone Jailbreak for iOS iNeedJailbreak.com and other sites. I bought my iphone 4 and my 4s already unlocked. My 4 I bought in a shop in Sim Lim Center in Singapore. My 4s I bought in the US, directly from apple, not through one of their stores, which do not stock unlocked iphones. Also, I understand that the Verizon sold iphone 5 uses a SIM, and that the SIM side of the phone is unlocked, and functional on a GSM network. I have no first hand experience with the Verizon iphone 5, though so do your homework before whipping out the credit card.

Personally, I prefer the Samsung Tab2 7" tablet over any idevice. It is easily rooted and the battery life puts the iphone to shame and also handily beats the ipad. There are more navigation apps for droid than ios. The 7" tablet can function as a voice phone. But the Samsung Note2 is looking pretty good, as well.

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by SvenG

Ok, not saying you are wrong, just that I still don't grok it. Went to Wikipedia and found this ...

Which reads as if GSM sits on top of CDMA ?

I wish I had a diagram showing the seven-layer model of all this stuff.

He is right ... buy a full price device from Apple, not from ATT (GSM, locked) or Verizon (CDMA, locked), and you will get a GSM device that works on all GSM networks.

You are overthinking this ... seven-layer model ... no need for it ...

BTW, ATT devices are no different than the standard Apple sells ... they are just locked. Verizon devices are different ... can't make them work on GSM network ... and Apple states that.

[s/v Jedi]

Confusion.

iPad comes factory unlocked. Get the GSM one from/for AT&T and it will work with GSM SIM cards around the world. T-mobile is GSM too. (this is all info for gear bought in the US).

iPhone does not come factory unlocked unless you buy the unlocked version from http://store.apple.com. I paid $700 for my iPhone 4S factory unlocked. The ones you see for $200.- are locked. The ones you see for $100 or free are old models.

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Confusion.
iPhone does not come factory unlocked unless you buy the unlocked version from Official Apple Store - Buy iPad mini, iPad, iPhone 5, MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac mini, and more. - Apple Store (U.S.). I paid $700 for my iPhone 4S factory unlocked. The ones you see for $200.- are locked. The ones you see for $100 or free are old models.

I look at it as ... nowadays iPhone comes from the factory unlocked unless you buy a cheaper carrier subsidized version. As I said, buy a full price to get an unlocked device. You get what you pay for ...

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by Richard_W

You are overthinking this ... seven-layer model ... no need for it ...

You may be right but it will be a fly-through purchase so getting the wrong one will be a lot more expensive than just the cost of the phone. Old habits die hard too, even if you are retired



-Sven