Using an iPad Overseas and Extended Warranties

If you buy a U.S. 3G iPad and take it to Europe, can you swap in a 3G SIM card from an authorized iPad carrier there to avoid AT&T (T) roaming fees?

I haven’t tried it, but Apple (AAPL) says the answer to this is yes. The company told me that if you insert a SIM from one its partner carriers, the carrier settings get set automatically when you plug in the SIM, though in some cases you might need to have connected your iPad to iTunes recently for this to work correctly. Apple adds that you can even use a SIM from a non-partner carrier, though in that case, you’d have to manually enter the carrier settings on the iPad. Note, however, that the iPad uses a new, smaller size of SIM card that not all carriers sell yet.

What is your view on extended warranties for a new laptop? My homeowner’s insurance covers accidental damage, but I am debating whether to buy a basic extended warranty for other problems.

I typically shun extended warranties for relatively inexpensive electronics devices, especially those, like digital cameras or music players, that tend to be very reliable. But laptops are costlier, more complex, and more prone to failures such as broken hard disks, bad memory or screen problems. So, in general, unless the price is outrageous, I would buy an extended manufacturer’s warranty for a laptop.

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http://www.patrickkaine.com PatrickKaine

Walt,

You and your readers may be interested in knowing that I was able to add my iphone and ipad to my homeowners policy for $11.00 a year with no deductible. This covered loss, theft, or damage. I have Erie Insurance.
marv08

I can confirm that Apple tells the truth. And no, you do not need to re-connect to iTunes, but you have to restart the iPad after swapping SIMs. In countries where the iPad is on sale, finding Micro-SIMs should be no problem (e.g. at least 7 providers will have them available in Germany from the 28th of May, 6 of them offering prepaid options suitable for visitors/travellers, same in several other European countries).
JohnDoey

You can cut a regular SIM down to the size of a micro-SIM and put it in iPad. The micro-SIM is still a SIM, just with the extraneous border removed. There are guides for how to do this online.

Too bad only 1 US carrier uses SIMs.
timmdrumm

I agree with your view of extended warranties – but I always use Square Trade (squaretrade.com), rather than the manufacturer. MUCH cheaper, and the customer service has been very, very good.
timmdrumm

I agree with your views on extended warranties – but I always purchase mine online from Square Trade rather than the original manufacturer. Their prices are MUCH better, their customer service is very, very good, and it's easy to file a claim.
timmdrumm

I agree with your views on extended warranties – but I always purchase mine online with Square Trade. Their prices are MUCH lower, their customer service has always been very, very good, and their claims process is easy to deal with. Check them out!
juha711

I have iPad 3G and I'm not allowed to activate 3G data plans because the service address( my home ) is not under 3G coverage. It seems that AT&T does not want me to travel any far reaching areas where they may have the coverage. I have Wi-Fi network at home and I guess I should have settled for cheaper iPad instead? Very fine time find out. The trouble shooters at AT&T say this is their policy as of this morning. And they are sorry.
tabu212

Regarding using an iPad overseas with local SIM cards, I was in the UK last week and hoped to do just that. I was in London on iPad launch day, so admittedly it was a very new thing for the wireless companies. Both O2 and Orange seem to offer iPad dataplans that would be great for international visitors. You can get a daily rate of £2, which includes 500MB plus unlimited wifi on O2 and 200MB with no wifi on Orange. Orange also has a weekly plan for £7.50 for 1GB.

However, I couldn't get either plan. O2 does not expect to have the micro SIMs in shops until at least June 7; for now, they can only be ordered from its website.

Orange had the micro SIMs in their shops, but wouldn't provide me one. In order to get one you have to be a UK resident, provide a UK tax bill to prove your address, and pass a UK credit check. I couldn't believe the rigamarole for a £2 PREPAID plan. As much as I pleaded with the shop personnel, they would not set me up with a SIM.

So, while technically possible to use local SIMs overseas, you very well may run into problems with the local wireless carriers. I'm soon heading to Australia, where Telstra offers a prepaid plan with 1GB for A$20 up to 6GB for A$60. I hope they let me buy it!

Using an iPad Overseas and Extended Warranties

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