ipad gps

[Boatguy30]

Ok quick question.

(wife)Turtled the dinghy yesterday lost the iPad. Long story

So if I order a new one does the 4g capable GPS work offshore? I was under the impression that the precious Igps devices only worked within range of a cell network?

any quickie crash course info appreciated

[Snore]

Great way to justify a new toy! Kudos to the wife.

My iPad GPS works independent of cellular

[Vasco]

My understanding is that the GPS works independent of any cell coverage. My i-phone does and so does my wife's i-pad air (with no cell coverage).

[colemj]

Yes, the confusion exists because the only iPad models with GPS are those also with cell capability. However, the two are independent of each other.

When in cell range, the iPad can use the cell triangulation to more quickly get an initial GPS position when turned on, but in practice, this hardly makes any difference.

Mark

[a64pilot]

Save yourself a whole lot of money and buy one without the cell phone and use a bluetooth GPS, unless of course you really want to pay for a cell data plan

[Boatguy30]

So you have to get the 4g or whatever upgrade to have GPS? I have not heard of a Bluetooth GPS, but that might be good as I plan to get a Bluetooth serial adapter for my pactor to my tablet PC

[colemj]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Save yourself a whole lot of money and buy one without the cell phone and use a bluetooth GPS, unless of course you really want to pay for a cell data plan

Just to be clear, you do not need a cell data plan to use the GPS. You don't even need a SIM card. The GPS will work even with the cell transceiver turned off completely.

It is just that Apple decided for some reason to only offer GPS on its cell models and not its wifi ones.

Mark

[40 South]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Save yourself a whole lot of money and buy one without the cell phone and use a bluetooth GPS, unless of course you really want to pay for a cell data plan

A cell data plan is not necessary for the iPad GPS to work! You can use the iPad with GPS function as you would a non GPS version. If you want, at a later stage or for intermittent periods, just get a data plan then. But for navigation apps etc. it works just fine without a plan. This how I use my iPad, an iPad 1 with cell & GPS. I used mine in the Kimberly region of NW Australia. There aint no cell phones out there!

EDIT: What Mark said….replying @ same time.

[CS Cruiser]

What Mark said is accurate.

[a64pilot]

I didn't say you needed a cell data plan to make the GPS work, but why buy an IPAD with the cell phone if your not going to use it? Use a bluetooth GPS, get better accuracy, save money. Unless you feel you need the data plan.
Apple has done a lot of "interesting" marketing with their devices, no data storage chip for instance, no if you want data storage, you pay for it built in,and if you want the built in GPS, you have to buy the one with the cell phone, usually bundled with a cell phone service plan

[CS Cruiser]

Creative marketing for sure
but still to be clear, no SIM card or data plan or service plan is required. It's just the cell model ipad is a different hardware version incorporating the GPS provision.

[40 South]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I didn't say you needed a cell data plan to make the GPS work, but why buy an IPAD with the cell phone if your not going to use it? Use a bluetooth GPS, get better accuracy, save money. Unless you feel you need the data plan.

Sorry, misinterpreted your post.

[kentobin]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

So you have to get the 4g or whatever upgrade to have GPS? I have not heard of a Bluetooth GPS, but that might be good as I plan to get a Bluetooth serial adapter for my pactor to my tablet PC

A bluetooth gps can be problematic. You need the proper drivers on your tablet for it so you have to verify what hardware is compatible. It also uses power which quite possibly will come from your tablet which reduces your already limited battery life. It's something else you have to worry about waterproofing and there is a cable which can get in the way and reduce portability.

"you pays your money and you takes your choice!'' Mark Twain

[colemj]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I didn't say you needed a cell data plan to make the GPS work, but why buy an IPAD with the cell phone if your not going to use it? Use a bluetooth GPS, get better accuracy, save money. Unless you feel you need the data plan.
Apple has done a lot of "interesting" marketing with their devices, no data storage chip for instance, no if you want data storage, you pay for it built in,and if you want the built in GPS, you have to buy the one with the cell phone, usually bundled with a cell phone service plan

I also misinterpreted your post and was just clarifying (now I realize you meant "pay for a cell capable model" and not "pay for cell data plan").

There are advantages of having an internal GPS - particularly if one wishes to use the iPad off the boat or on other boats.

A bluetooth GPS suitable for the iPad costs $100-150, and one must also run power to it. The difference in price of a GPS iPad and a non-GPS iPad is $129, so there isn't anything to be gained monetarily by not getting a GPS model unless one already has the bluetooth GPS.

The accuracy of the iPad internal GPS is quite high indeed. When we got ours, I turned google earth on showing the house we were in and I could watch myself walk from room to room, out on the deck, to the exact corner of the yard, to the exact intersection of the street and driveway, etc.

None of the iPads come bundled with a cell phone service plan and they are not tied to any carrier - those are iPhones you are thinking of, and only the subsidized ones at that.

As for Apple's marketing and their reasoning, it is what it is. There are a lot of non-Apple tablets to choose from. However, right now most of the marine software is only available on Apple gear. I suspect that may change more in the future, though.

Mark

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by colemj

There are a lot of non-Apple tablets to choose from. However, right now most of the marine software is only available on Apple gear. I suspect that may change more in the future, though.

???

There are boatloads of marine apps out there for Android devices....

???

-Chris