iNavX Chart Cost

[tinpusher]

I have iNavX and absolutely love it. I did have some concerns which were recently confirmed by emails with iNavX, X-Traverse (aka Fugawi) and Navionics.
1. Navionics charts are purchased seperately through X-Traverse. They cost approx. $50 each and are very good quality. I spent $100 to get the US and Canada.
2. You do not own Navionics charts, they are rented for one year. After which you can no longer download them onto your iPad from X-Traverse and have to be repurchased. Cha Ching!
3. iNavX will not delete the charts off your iPad after a year but if you lose, break, sell, or upgrade your iPad all your maps or lost and must be repurchased. Cha Ching!

I don't know about you but I tend to break or upgrade my iPhone/iPad every few years. Navionics has an iPad app that includes the map for about $50 but I found it nonuser friendly and it doesn't have near the features iNavX has.

[stevensuf]

are you sure about the navionics ones? didnt read anywhere that they were only for a year when i downladed them to my andriod tablet.

[tamicatana]

cost for charts for iNavX? Not if you're using NOAA (US) charts, I'm downloading for zip, zero, nada, on both my iPhone and laptop. If you're in the states, you download RNC's.

Go rite'cheer for RNC files

[nitpik]

I just dealt with this one myself. Soon after my X-Traverse account inadvertantly lapsed, my Canadian Hydrographic Services charts of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay were no longer accessible on my iPad. I explained to X-Traverse that those charts were mine - I paid for them! I expected to lose the chart updates, but not the charts themselves. The problem was resolved a few days later, with no explanation given, when iNavX started working again!
If indeed those Navionics charts are lost after just one year, I guess I won't be buying any of them!
X-Traverse / iNavX needs to clarify this issue, and give us the bottom line.

[tinpusher]

Email from X-Traverse:

"You may retain the Navionics region indefinitely. However it is only licensed for use on two supported devices, owned by you. When you make your first download to an iPad, the map region is effectively locked to that device. When you synchronize your iPad with iTunes (and provided you have enabled synchronization of the iNavX App), all Navionics charts you have downloaded are also synchronized as a backup to your PC or Mac and can be restored at a later date should you need to re-flash or upgrade your iPad firmware. In addition, X-Traverse.com guarantees to retain the Navionics regions you subscribed to for up to one year after your purchase. Therefore you may re-download any map within any subscribed region as many times as you like (onto the same iPad) for up to 1 year, provided you maintain an active X-Traverse Data Account."

For example the Navionics 1XG region for iPad is $34.99. For this price you have access to the charts for one year, along with technical support. After one year the license expires and the charts are no longer available for download from your X-Traverse Account.

Navionics 1XG on SD/CF card for chartplotters and PCs is $199.00. The $34.99 price for the iPad license reflects the limitations of the charts on the iPad platform and that the license is only for one year. The $199.00 price provides the charts on hard copy for future use. If your concern is that the iPad is not a stable platform I would suggest looking at the Fugawi Marine ENC for PC with the Navionics charts on SD/CF card so that you have a hard copy of the program and the charts for future re-installations.


Yours truly,
NORTHPORT SYSTEMS INC.

Amanda Holt
Sales Manager

[tinpusher]

So what does this mean? If you are going to upgrade your iPad do it before your year is up. If a year has passed treat your iPad very gently.

[stevensuf]

sounds to me like you get one year of updates!

[Doodles]

I don't see a problem assuming you have your iPad backed up via iTunes. Am I wrong or missing something here?

[tinpusher]

Originally Posted by Doodles

I don't see a problem assuming you have your iPad backed up via iTunes. Am I wrong or missing something here?

Will your original iPad backed up to iTunes reload maps in 20 years? I think so.

Here is a quote from the person at X-Traverse I was emailing:

"Therefore, you have two activations to use within a year. If your original iPad is lost, stolen or damaged you can use the second activation on the replacement iPad. However, if one year license period has expired you would need to purchase a new license."

All is golden within that first year. I am looking beyond that first year. How long do you think an iPad will last? 2,3 maybe 4 years? The way I read this is once that year is up you cannot simply plug a new iPad into your iTunes and all the maps will be uploaded again. If this is still unclear to you still maybe I am misreading it.

[GPSNavX]

Some points of clarification in regards to charts on iNavX.

1) Any chart downloaded to iNavX on an iDevice (from either NOAA or X-Traverse) will continue to function until:
a) iNavX is deleted from the iDevice by the iNavX user.
b) iNavX user specifically deletes the chart.

2) Charts purchased from X-Traverse include two activations:
a) Can be installed on two iDevices.
b) Navionics charts are specific to the platform (i.e. iPhone and iPad versions).

3) NOAA charts are free and can be downloaded/updated at any time.

4) X-Traverse charts can be downloaded/updated for up to one year after purchase.

5) In the event an iDevice is lost/damaged, X-Traverse can provide another activation for replacement iDevice.

6) X-Traverse will send an email when a chart update has occurred.

My experience has been X-Traverse has been very helpful to assist users in getting charts on their iDevices, even after the year of purchase has passed. Any iNavX user who is having any difficulty downloading charts should email me or X-Traverse support.

[tinpusher]

Originally Posted by GPSNavX

5) In the event an iDevice is lost/damaged, X-Traverse can provide another activation for replacement iDevice.

My experience has been X-Traverse has been very helpful to assist users in getting charts on their iDevices, even after the year of purchase has passed. Any iNavX user who is having any difficulty downloading charts should email me or X-Traverse support.

My emailings with X-Traverse support all of your claims. The point of contention however is the word "can" in #5. Can they? Yes! Do they have to? No!
iNavX is the best boating navigation iDevice app I've seen by far. I would recommend it to anyone even if the only maps available were the free NOAA ones. I want a backup chart plotter for a world cruise and iNavX is perfect in every respect except the subscription based relationship with X-Traverse. I'm looking at buying all 16 Navionics charts which would come to over $500. That's a heck of an investment for "can help you out but legally you may be SOL! Here's another quote from X-Traverse:

"Navionics 1XG on SD/CF card for chartplotters and PCs is $199.00. The $34.99 price for the iPad license reflects the limitations of the charts on the iPad platform and that the license is only for one year. The $199.00 price provides the charts on hard copy for future use. If your concern is that the iPad is not a stable platform I would suggest looking at the Fugawi Marine ENC for PC with the Navionics charts on SD/CF card so that you have a hard copy of the program and the charts for future re-installations."

My concern X-Traverse, is not that the iPad is unstable but that when I upgrade to an iPad3 in a year or two and an iPad 4 two years after that you have no legal obligation to transfer my license from the old device to the new. In 20 years when I pick up my iPad10 I'm sure I will be able to plug it into iTunes and reinstall iNavX. I started this thread as a heads up to Cruisers that they might not be getting what they expected with their app purchase and to put pressure on X-Traverse to look at their policy. If enough people express their concern then maybe transferable licensing will be looked at. I don't want my maps on every iDevice I own, I don't even want it on two iDevices. I just wanted it on my latest greatest newest one.

[nitpik]

Well said, TinPusher.
I agree with all your comments regarding iNavX - very good program, and extremely prompt customer service from GPSNavX - no complaints there.
I also am a little concerned with the X-Traverse relationship. Perhaps I have become a bit thick-headed, but in all the postings I have read so far, it is still not crystal clear to me:
1. Will I always be able to re-load any and all charts purchased through X-Traverse, on each new iPad I own, so long as they are only ever activated on no more than two i-devices?
2. Will I always be able to update those charts, so long as I have a current X-Traverse subscription?
3. If I let my X-Traverse subscription lapse, do I only lose the update service, and the ability to purchase new charts through X-traverse? ie., are my old charts still mine, on my iPad X, even 'though out of date?

It is possible that this is clear to everyone else, but before I invest heavily in a chart subscription service, I need to know that I am not just renting them for a year!

[nitpik]

Sorry folks, it looks as if GPSNavX has, in fact, clarified most of my concerns! THANKS!
I would still like to hear it from X-Traverse.

[tinpusher]

Good questions nitpick. Why don't you pose them to X-Traverse and post the reply. If nothing else Amanda will respond promptly.

amanda.holt@fugawi.com

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by tinpusher

My concern X-Traverse, is not that the iPad is unstable but that when I upgrade to an iPad3 in a year or two and an iPad 4 two years after that you have no legal obligation to transfer my license from the old device to the new. In 20 years when I pick up my iPad10 I'm sure I will be able to plug it into iTunes and reinstall iNavX. I started this thread as a heads up to Cruisers that they might not be getting what they expected with their app purchase and to put pressure on X-Traverse to look at their policy. If enough people express their concern then maybe transferable licensing will be looked at. I don't want my maps on every iDevice I own, I don't even want it on two iDevices. I just wanted it on my latest greatest newest one.

Again, maybe I missing something but if the chart(s) has been downloaded and backed up via iTunes why do you need X-Traverse license to reinstall/upgrade to a new iPad. I only see a problem if its over a year and you do not have a backup.