Many users wonder about the redundancy of Navionics.
"I bought an SD-Card (or CF-Card) Navionics charts with a folder for my plotter, but I can not use it with my Mac. Why should I pay again to use these charts with MacENC ? ".
Or :
"I already have a Navionics chart for my software on Mac, why should I pay again for mapping iNavX on my iPhone or iPad ? "
So I asked these questions to person concerned. First of all, for iNavX, the answer is already in the FAQ Navionics I translated and is available on my website :
Q : Can I buy the Navionics from a source other than X-Traverse.com for use with iNavX ?
R : No. Only genuine Navionics charts, subscribed with www.x-traverse.com are iNavX consistent. The Navionics on physical supports Plug and Play are not compatible, not more than those purchased from the iTunes AppStore Navionics Mobile (¹).
It has the merit of being clear.
Regarding Software on Mac, the answer is already more nuanced :
Fugawi, Navionics hosting on its website x-traverse.com, says :
« Navionics charts provided on Plug-and-Play support (Navionics SD ou CF card) cannot work with MacENC because the Navionics multi-card reader is not currently supported by Mac OS X. "
To which Richard Ray, the editor of MacENC, replies :
"We plan to support the Navionics chart reader, but I can't give a date because it's up to Navionics to provide a specific driver for OS X support for its player".
And what says the main concerned ? Navionics charts says :
« Products for direct download [maps] work exclusively with MacENC 7.xx on the Mac where they have been activated. These charts can not be copied to an SD or CF card for use on the plotters supported. For this you must buy the Navionics charts on the official Navionics Plug and Play media ».
We can deduce, not to be spiteful, that Navionics has great interest to not rushing to provide an OS X driver for its Multi-Card Reader. This allows them to sell several times the same charting to same users, provided they have a chartplotter, a Mac and an iPhone or iPad !
♫ « My small business, ♪ knows no crisis… " ♬
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(¹) Since replaced by Navionics Boating.
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