WiFi now or wait for 3G? 16, 32, or 64gigs?

This is a bit of an off topic thing, but is there any kind of plan in place by Apple where you can exchange your wifi iPad for a 3G iPad and simply pay the difference? Because I have felt the lack of being able to use my iPad anywhere more than I thought I was going to.

The iPad 3G sold in the U.S. will not be carrier locked so I doubt if the iPad 3G sold in other countries will be sold as carrier locked.

The only plan in place is returning your iPad for payment credit less a restocking fee charged and you can purchase a 3G iPad. You must return your existing iPad with 14 days of the purchase date for payment credit less a restocking fee.

I'll probably get a 32GB 3G; I still have to go places where there's no wifi. Having the AGPS will be a nice bonus.

That being said, there are also solutions like the mifi to get cellular internet access. I'm kinda surprised Verizon hasn't lowered their prices and targeted iPad wifi users: you can get a mifi for "free" but you have to commit to a 2yr $60/mo data plan. I'm unaware of anybody even approaching ATT's 30/mo with no term plan.

true, but it will only work with AT&T service due to microGSM chip...wonder how this will be different for the international version

My original intention, and one I am still considering, is to wait and get the 64GB WiFi/3G version. I've been doing some research and the idea of just getting the WiFi is looking better each day. I already have a laptop with a laptop connect card and an iPhone 3G, I don't have wi-fi where I live, but that could change. My laptop connect contract ends in August and I was considering getting the My-fi from Verizon or the Overdrive from Sprint. That way I can have wifi on the laptop, iPhone and iPad all at the same time. Plus most places that I think I would use the iPad have wi-fi available. I also beleive as more iPads are sold, free wi-fi may become more prominent.

As for memory size, I am pretty much going for the 64GB, may never need all of that space, especially if my iPhone is any indication. On that I have the 8GB 3G version and have never had less than 2.5GB free. On the iPhone I have a few music playlists that total about 2.5GB, that most likely will not be on the iPad. But I do know I will have a lot of pictures and will probably use the iWorks and Bento programs a lot - especially after I get an iMac next year to replace the Windows laptop I am using now.

Why iMac? Based on my last few trips, the iPad will do everything that I would use my laptop for on vacation, and what it can't do, the iPhone will. My plan is to switch to all Apple and dump Windows altogether and the iMac would then be my base. Should i need a laptop in the future, the indows laptop will do on those occasions until I get a MacBook later down the line.

Why would Apple release the iPad 3G in a country where no GSM carrier in that country intends on providing/supporting the Micro-SIM card for data/internet access only via the carrier's cellular network?

AT&T will be first in the U.S. to support the Micro-SIM card for this but I'll bet you dollars to donuts they won't be the only carrier in the U.S. that does. I read a report that T-Mobile will also be supporting this worldwide this year where they have coverage along with some other carriers, but the list of carriers worldwide is short right now. The Micro-SIM is relatively new, so more than likely the list of carriers worldwide that will be supporting this will be growing this year and next.

I have the 16gig wifi and am loving it. Can do so much with it. It almost replaces my netbook except for printing and websites with flash. Hopefully, apple will add direct printing support in the future and all the flash sites will use something else. Also, I was at a starbucks today and it overheated when I was sitting in the sun. The temp here was only 75 degrees.

I actually hijacked my iphone and installed a program called mywi which makes my phone into a wireless router. It's pretty cool because I can access the internet via my ipad (actually, any computer with wifi) on my iphone. It seems faster than my iphone when surfing the net. I just put my iphone in my pocket and can walk around and do all the fun internet stuff. It does consume the battery quickly on my iphone.

I wish apple/at&t would provide an app like this without requiring me to hijack my iphone. I would even pay more for my data plan if I could do this directly through at&t. I guess they used to support this a long time ago on the iphone but pulled it.

so, the question is, and I am not sure if Apple has talked about it, what will be the GSM card built into the 'international' versions of the iPad....given that most carriers do not YET support Micro-GSM. do we know?

A Micro-SIM card only.

It is just a different type of SIM card - only.

In the countries where the iPad 3G will be sold officially by Apple, very more than likely there will be a carrier or multiple carriers that will offer a data plan for it. There won't be much point in selling the iPad 3G in a country where a carrier doesn't offer a data plan only for it or that won't be shortly after it is released in a particular country.