Data usage: PC vs ipad

My husband and I travel 6 months of the year and depend on a Verizon mi-fi for internet access. We both do a lot of surfing and reading (news junkies) on the web. We pay for 6GB / month and are looking for the most efficient way to use it. If we had 2 ipads would we use less data for web browsing and reading than we do using 2 PCs? (Not that it matters but he's got Windows, I'm switching to Mac )


Lori

Verizon charges $50 per month for 3 GB of data if you have an iPad. They also have other data plans which are all inclusive but are more expensive. Unless you do a lot of video and file downloading to the iPad, 3 GB of data is quite a bit. I use their 2 GB plan which is only $30 per month and I don't come close to using half of it on my iPad 3 cellular version.

You should use less data on the iPads than the PCs. By the way, it doesn't matter if it's Windows or OS X. Browsing the web, watching videos, downloading files, it's all the same.

You'll likely use less content on a mobile device because you won't download files but if you stream media, you're bound to use a lot of bandwidth. What kinds of things do you do on your iPad?

We don't currently have an ipad, but I'm angling for one... ;-))

I am familiar with all the permutations of Verizon's data plans...but I'm just wondering if there is technical proof--like a chart or something--that could illustrate usage differences, if any really exist, between the ipad/PC, in hopes it would prop up my argument in favor of an ipad purchase. For convenience, I use my iphone for a lot of email/social media stuff and am always surprised how little of my phone-plan data I use. Meanwhile, we use the mi-fi for our 2 computers' internet access and we seem to be using a lot of data. For example, using Verizon's Access Manager, I can track usage in any block of time. If I open my MSN email, respond to a couple email, then open a browser to get on Facebook, check this forum and read a couple threads, and maybe look at a couple other websites, I can easily use 10MB in 10 minutes. With both of us doing this, our 6GB goes quickly. This month we used google maps on my phone A LOT and this is the first time I'll ever go over my 2 GB plan. We rarely watch youtube videos on our PCs because they use too much data...would that be any different on an ipad?

I do understand that Windows and OS will be the same. It just makes me happy to exclaim that I'll soon be a Mac user. I should have it in my freshly manicured hands Nov 23...yeah, I'm a little excited.

Lori

I tether my iPad off of my iPhone and use both constantly, mostly web browsing. Costs me about 500MB to 1GB of data per month.

As of about a year ago, the average web page was 1MB (source). So, 10MB in 10 minutes is about right if you're quickly moving from page to page.

If you're really concerned about your data usage, install a usage monitor. Take a look at this list.

We do use the Verizon Access Manager. I'm not a techie so don't really understand all the stuff that happens "in the background" but it is my understanding that data comsumption is less from a mobile device--smartphone or tablet--compared to a computer when accessing the same website. And I also know there are many websites that have a "mobile version" versus a "full version". It is my assumption the mobile version is more data efficient. When we're home, data comsumption is never a concern but when we're on the road, it is.

quiltnrun said:

I'm not a techie so don't really understand all the stuff that happens "in the background" but it is my understanding that data comsumption is less from a mobile device--smartphone or tablet--compared to a computer when accessing the same website. And I also know there are many websites that have a "mobile version" versus a "full version".

Click to expand...

You will only save bandwidth if you view the mobile site (and even this isn't a guarantee) - viewing the full site on a mobile device saves you nothing unless some content isn't loaded (such as Flash content).

Take a look at this for a list of tips on how to save on bandwidth. Essentially, disable or don't use non-essential services. Don't need Siri? Don't use it. Don't need iCloud? Don't use it (iCloud is reported to use quite a bit of data - see here). In short, just keep an eye on things and be aware of any reports that might suggests problems with data usage such as this popular set of stories about iOS 6 using cellular signals even when connected to a WiFi network (see here and here for example).

There are no really good charts for what you are asking - as each person's data usage is different. The only chart that would mean anything would be one that you were tracking for yourself. The reason I say this - is I travel all year - and my usage (all by myself) can has hit 20 GB in a month. Most months I usually use about 4GB - on LTE with my MiFi serving my iPhone, iPad and MBA.

One thing about the iPad is that you can have a separate contract for it - and turn it off and on as needed. You can also use it for tethering.

I can give you a gut feel - my highest usage months - it is because I sell software - and I those really high usage months I downloaded the software off of my computer - so for sure you can suck up data usage when downloading anything. At home - my usage is much higher as I have 2 kids who love Spotify and Netflix (and a pile more computers connnected as well) No matter the device - if you are streaming a lot of content - then you are going to need more data. That is the bottom line.
Internet data usage jumps; Netflix makes up one-third of bandwidth use - The Washington Post

My phone is a separate account from our mifi as we do deactivate the mifi when we are home. My phone never goes over 2G/mo, and even when it does go over 1G it's because we've been using the Google maps. So I guess the only thing we can do is turn off all Flash, which we've done, and try to access the mobile version of sites we go to, when available.

Thanks for the help.

Your iOS device doesn't run Flash - I was noting that a full site might have Flash content which wouldn't be on the mobile version (and thus, you'd save bandwidth). Because of this, content can't be streamed through it. However, I don't know if it would still be downloaded. Regardless, I'm over analyzing this - just watch your bandwidth and you'll be fine.