

4G LTE most anticipated for new iPad, says Twitter study - madmath
http://networkdynamics.org/2012/03/09/the-new-ipad/

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dbuxton
This obsession over theoretical network speeds always surprises me. It seems
to me that when 3G is good, it's __really __good, and that improving things
like signal strength/coverage and decreasing network congestion will have a
much greater impact on user experience than any network technology
improvement.

What consumer applications other than video streaming will see a significant
boost from 4G LTE? Or is it just hype, like megapixels on cameras?

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madmath
Well, I would say faster for the same price is better in this case, so the
consumer is winning here... But you're right, that's plenty more than we
need...

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vyrotek
Personally I'm amazed that we still need to create tablets with mobile
internet built in them. You won't ever catch me signing up and paying for 2
mobile data plans. Can't we hurry up and get to the point where we pay for one
'pipe' and have all our devices use it?

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r00fus
> Can't we hurry up and get to the point where we pay for one 'pipe' and have
> all our devices use it?

The problem is that sometimes I may not have the other device with me, or the
battery on that device may not be up to the task. With the single device
having it's own connection, it's easier to develop, test, sell and for the
user to diagnose problems.

What _would_ make sense, is if I had a single "account" with a provider, and
all devices would be tethered to the account - maybe this is the logical
extension of what Verizon has in mind when they talk about "family data
plans"... not just for phones, but data (and voice) devices tied to a
provider, each pulling off the same large quota.

AT&T has a good idea with connecting their wifi presence to their accounts, in
my experience, 802.11g/n just isn't good enough of a roaming experience -
often times I would _shut off_ my wifi so the weak wifi didn't get in the way
of the much more reliable 3G (otehrwise my maps/directions would just wig-out
while I drove by a starbucks or AT&T store). A new wireless standard that
meshed better would be a huge win here.

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twiceaday
The real problem is that they want to monetize every bit of utility you get
out of their services. Having one convenient pipe would cost about $500 a
month.

