Early January 2011 I wrote that I started the year in a bad mood (¹) After finding repeated incompetence of Apple sellers, during the Christmas holidays, concerning devices they sold, mainly iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately, I note that 5 years later, Nothing has changed, it is to despair !
I don't know in what language to write it, but this unacceptable breach of their products even today causes the disbelief of new clients regarding the presence of a true GPS on these mobile devices. I just have recently to experience it with a boater who argued me, I quote :
" It is an error to say that the Cellular iPad integrates a "GPS chip"., It is only a chip that makes a triangulation by GSM antennas..
Source : verified by myself _AND_ confirmed by APPLE. ” data.
And to specify, in response to my strong denials :
"When I said that it had been confirmed to me by Apple, it's not about "Apple sellers in the store" but from Apple support by phone with a guy who searched in their internal database . ” data.
I don't know who writes these "internal databases" but Apple support should be required to read articles on websites iFixit and Chipworks to learn what's under the hood of their mobiles.
iPad Wi-Fi vs. iPad Wi-Fi+Cellular
Of these two models, The first, iPad Wi-Fi, only has Wi-Fi as a means of network connection, and the location is only provided by geo-referenced Wi-Fi hotspots (²), therefore very imprecise.
The second model, called the iPad Wi-Fi+Cellular, provides access to 3G/4G cellular network with a SIM card and an appropriate subscription (like an iPhone). It is featured with a modem processor designed by Qualcomm (MDM96x5M Series), which incorporates a A-GPS assisted receiver (Qualcomm IZat Gen8C), to which is added an inertial 3-axis sensor and 3-axis accelerometer, all providing extremely accurate positioning of the mobile, serving navigation mapping for car , marine or air applications. The location can therefore be obtained alternatively by the Wi-Fi access points, by cellular antennas trilateration, or built-in GPS. The A-GPS receiver is compatible with the American GPS, Russian GLONASS systems, and soon GALILEO (³).
About iPhone, they all are featured with such processor with built-in assisted GPS modem. There is therefore no need to make a choice.
iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular
With the risk of repeating, once again, GPS location doesn't absolutely need the cellular network to work, a SIM card and a subscription to this network are therefore absolutely UN-NE-CES-SA-RY. The A-GPS chip built into this model (like iPhones) is fully capable of acquiring GPS constellation satellites without the assistance of (the "A" in A-GPS) by the cellular network. This assistance provides only an acceleration of the achievement of location, or accelerated location recovery if lost after passing through a tunnel, in example, through the connection on a dedicated server providing real-time ephemeris of the satellite constellation. This is particularly important on the road use. Without this assistance, the GPS receiver works autonomously like any other GPS receiver, marine or outdoor.
In conclusion, to debunk erroneous information leaked by Apple resellers, an iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular, as an iPhone, is able to locate yourself anywhere on the globe, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as well as the Sahara Desert, or in an aircraft at 9000 meters of altitude (⁴), without any access to the internet network.
Thank you for reposting widely !
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(¹) iPad , GPS and 3G cellular network subscription
(²) How iPhone knows where you are
(³) Qualcomm Announces Broad Support for Galileo Across Snapdragon Processor and Modem Portfolios
(⁴) iPad GPS far away from networks
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Be careful though : owning a cellular iPad or an iPhone will indeed allow GPS location even outside of any cellular network, but without a network no data.
So remember to download a land or sea map app in advance, according to your needs, that will permanently load the required cards into your device. Otherwise you will have a nice blue dot, but no basemap…
Well, I just realized that I was fooled!
I bought shortly before the News of F Fustier an iPad Air which is not cellular and therefore does not have the integrated GPS; I just came out of the supermarket where I made this purchase : too bad for me.
The seller, which is excellent since he sold me an inadequate product, after refusing an exchange of an iPad that 5 advised me to buy an external GPS specifying that I would have the same functions.
Two conclusions:
I should have kept my PC biniou with external GPS… It would have cost me less
I should have consulted F Fustier's website… Or go see a real embedded computer salesman
to stay down to earth (! )I propose a simple solution
at sea , I prefer to have several backup solutions
A Bluetooth GPS remains a welcome security
I've been browsing since 2012 Only with I Pad and this type of GPS
I have just returned from 1 Month of sailing from Spain to Malta round trip
No BP
Yours sincerely