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Buy Apple iPad 3G or iPad Wi-Fi?
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Want an iPad? Don’t know whether to buy the cheaper Wi-Fi only model or the fancy iPad 3G? It’s a simple conundrum, but one that’s worth getting all the facts about before jumping into iPadland.

The cost, calculated
If you buy a Wi-Fi only Apple iPad, there’s only the cost of the device to consider. In the UK, the cheapest option is the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad, which will set you back £429. The other Wi-Fi only iPads cost £499 and £599, for the 32GB and 64GB editions.

Want to go 3G? You’ll have to add a hundred pounds onto the basic cost of the iPad — prices range from £529 to £699. Vodafone’s 3G data plans will add either £10 a month or £25 a month to this (1GB a month/5GB a month plans). Over a year, this equates to an additional £120 or £300. The final cost, for a year? It varies from £649 to a frankly scary £999, for a maxed out 5GB a month 64GB 3G iPad.

To make the most of an iPad 3G, you won’t just have to pay an extra £100, but an extra £220. And that’s for a low-end 1GB a month data plan and a 16GB iPad 3G. It’s enough to buy an iPod Touch on top. This decision isn’t getting any easier…

3G vs Wi-FI, in real terms
You’ll only want to use 3G connectivity on your iPad when you’re out of range of a Wi-Fi network. Why? Because even on a high-end data tariff, you’ll only have a few gigabytes to play with each month. This will suit you just fine for casual browsing, but as soon as you start streaming music or video over 3G, you’ll eat up your allowance very quickly. Your home Wi-Fi connection, if you have one, will almost certainly be quicker than 3G too.

The 3G model also brings an important extra feature to the iPad’s arsenal — GPS. This is a must-have for any location-aware apps, such as maps and location finders. You’re most likely to want this functionality when you’re out and about, so it boils down to one simple question: do you want to take your iPad out of the house, or not? 3G makes the iPad a much better gadget for retrieving emails and social networking updates when out and about, but are you really happy to lug around a 730g gadget? It’s worth noting that the 3G version of the iPad is slightly (50g, just under 10%) heavier than the Wi-Fi only model. Other than GPS, there are no basic performance benefits to having the 3G model.