Many of you ask me about choosing an iPad for boating use. Unfortunately having no time to respond to every request a post is required. Each year it is advisable to review this question, and sometimes more often.
With the presentation of the latest iPads this year, 7 May 2024, the chipset Apple M4 comes up on models iPad Pro 11″ and 13″, with 8 or 16 GB of RAM of RAM memory (depending on storage capacity). The’iPad 10 " low cost" price drop and’iPad Air 6 makes its entrance with a chip Apple M2 , 8 GB RAM and a screen 11″ diagonal. The big news is the appearance of a large iPad Air 13″ which complements iPad Pros with the same size. All of these devices are now built-in with the USB-C connector imposed by the European Union, and supplied with USB-C charger and cable.
Criteria to choose an iPad
There are several, which does not only depend on marine use, but also the home use of your tablet.
- Model : I have mentioned it several times in my website (²) and several entries (³), model Wi-Fi + Cellular is imperative to be provided with GPS. With a single Wi-Fi model, you must add, either GPS Bluetooth, either multiplexer to fetch NMEA data from the on-board GPS, which limits the use of the tablet.
- Storage memory : from 64 Go up to 2 TB for the latest "Pro", the choice is wide. For a strict navigation use , with applications using cartography vector, 64 Go could be enough to go around the world. But if you use raster charts, larger than the vector charting for equivalent area , therefore 128 Go are essential. Beware though : if you also store your travel photos and videos, if you add music and movies, 256 GB of RAM will not be too much.
- The size and screen resolution : iPad (10-11 inches) or iPad Mini (± 8 inches), I would say that the choice depends mainly on the distance between mariner and screen. So actually vessel size. I will take an iPad Mini on a 18-25 feet, but beyond that, the distance between the helmsman and the location of the iPad will justify a screen 10 inches screen for easier reading. The screens Liquid Retina high resolution became widespread and provide excellent definition on raster charting and satellite imagery. Since 2016 devices benefit from a laminated screen antireflection multicoated and a LED backlight, which allows fairly correct daylight reading, especially with a sun visor added to the case. Models 13″, heavy and expensive, respond more to use on the chart table than to mobile use on board.
Different versions
There are now countless versions : 31 Total models since January 2010 !
• History : from iPad 1 to iPad Pro (2010-2017)
Initial iPad1, historical tablets some of which have traveled thousands of miles for several years, are no longer supported by Apple, just like iPad 2 up to 4 and iPad Air 1st generation. This means no more possible updates to iOS and the eventual obsolescence of applications that developers cannot keep backwards-compatible indefinitely. The majority of applications today only work on iOS/iPadOS 10 and next.
March 2016, the arrival of an iPad Pro 9.7″ with a still more powerful processor and a memory up to 256 GB of RAM, but more expensive than iPad Air 2, do not then represented a decisive advantage for navigation use.
The first iPad Mini in october 2012 had the same characteristics as the iPad 2. It was a great tablet, with a screen that has nothing to envy to its big sister, autonomy for long days of navigation and fast power charging. Replaced by the successive versions Retina display, an iPad Mini 6 came up in September 2021 with a screen 8,3″ Liquid Retina and built-in with A15 Bionic processor.
• Today (2018-2024)
The following years, Apple has expanded the size of the iPad Pro screen to 10,5″ then recently 11″. But these high-priced devices have been accompanied each year by several iPad 9,7” "low-cost", to attract tight budget. In 2019 The arrival of the’iPad Air 3 10,5″ at a very attractive price despite its A12 Bionic processor and 3 GB RAM, positioned it between the iPad 9.7″ 2018 and iPad Pro 11″. It had replaced my own iPad Air 2 in 2020 after 6 years of good service. In 2022 I had to opt for a iPad 9th generation to switch to 256 GB of storage. Today, if you choose a used device, It is prudent not to exceed 4 years of service, or to choose an entry-level one if you prefer a new tablet.
How easily one gets lost, in a nutshell, Apple now offers three iPad ranges :
- iPad = "Low cost " , usually based on an older case with one or two improvements, first pricing.
- iPad Air = thin and light midrange with good quality features. Prices are often attractive.
- iPad Pro = the brand's high-end technology. The most expensive of course, but not of interest for navigation.
In November 2015 has launched the large iPad Pro with a 12.9 screen″, optionally provided with a keyboard, aimed at the professional market. For pleasure, its size and weight make it ideal for the chart table, Despite the availability of a waterproof case and supports allowing to use it outside. This model has been the subject of several successive versions. The last one arrives with a processor Apple M4, 8 or 16 GB of RAM RAM according to storage capacity, and the first OLED screen. This year, The new iPad Air 6 13″ curiously interspersed in this range.
My advice
• Second hand or Apple refurbished
- iPad 9 with 256 GB of RAM to start at a low price, Remains a good second-hand choice. Tablets with excellent performance good enough for navigation, if you are looking for the cheapest but not the oldest.
- iPad Air 5 (March 2022) with his M1 chip could be interesting but second-hand prices are still high.
Take into account that serious trading companies make trade-in offers for your old appliances, even Apple !
• Buy new
- iPad 10 (October 2022) with 256 GB of RAM has just dropped in price and allows several years of longevity.
- iPad Air 6 11″ (2024), with his M2 chip is a powerful device perfectly suited for browsing, but still expensive in WiFi + Cellular with 256 GB of storage.
- iPad Pro 12.9″ 6th generation (October 2022), or Air 6 13″. Overpowered and very expensive devices. To be preferred mainly to replace a plotter at the chart table.
Warning : the last system iPadOS 17.x is only compatible with devices with A10 chips and above (See list). Older iPads will no longer be able to evolve. Reminder, once the devices cross the fateful seven-year mark, they are generally considered obsolete by Apple.
Meet you when the next models come up.
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(²) Apple devices
(³) iPad , GPS and subscription to the cellular network This post dating from 2011 is unfortunately still relevant !
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I own an Ipad 2 updated under IOS8
It works but lags much compared to IOS7
For example the reading of my favorite daily West France has become tedious
Other applications are also slowed down, but it is bearable
I'll follow your advice and resell to acquire an air Ipad
I navigate under Ipad2, wifi,3G,32GB of RAM,Navionics charts,Weather4D pro.All this works fine and quite honestly I have no desire to change this winning configuration……unless the machine renders the soul of course.On the other hand,I don't know how it's done to upgrade the current version of the IOS(5.1.1) to version 7.i would be enough takers but have not found a solution on the net.Thank you,Francis,all your great tips and reviews…..
A - priori the iPad 2 is supported by iOS 8. So you should be able to update. I don't remember if 5.1 proposait le menu « Général > Mise à jour logiciel » qui permet d’effectuer la MAJ directement depuis l’appareil. Otherwise, connect iPad to iTunes (Mac/PC) and proceed with the shift from iTunes.
Hello,
I do not understand the assertion:
" …. a model Wifi 3G or WiFi Cellular is imperative to have built-in GPS. With a simple WiFi model, you must add, either a Bluetooth GPS, either a multiplexer to retrieve the data from the GPS from the edge …. "
A Pad without cellular (like mine) has a built-in GPS. The problem is rather to recover the Grib files or other. Me I intend to use my iPhone as a hotspot
Ouch Ouch Ouch, vous faites dramatiquement erreur 🙁 Relisez mon billet iPad , GPS and 3G cellular network subscription
Un iPad Wifi ne se localise QUE PAR LES POINTS D’ACCES WIFI présents dans « Apple location databases » ! In what language should we write it ?
The combined location processor Qualcomm WTR16x5L incorporating a receiver A - GPS module is present on the models WIFI CELLULAR.
Hello Francis,
Ca and is, boat tickles me again, but this time on a small.
I want to know if the AIS are reliable for Ipad. I plan to cross the Channel on my astus 18.2 ! Gonna change my Guma.
For 18 feet with limited energy, AIS receiver directly transmitting data via WiFi, as Digital Yacht IAIS seems perfectly suited. Reception quality and reliability are widely recognized.
Good, This post made me leap… Cases for Air… Thank you Francis
Francis thank you for this update more useful day. For my own, I do not see much difference in use between iPad and iPad mini, large model, because I used to sail with the iPad close to me. This is also essential when there is too much sun. The difference is at the manipulation menus, a little easier with the large model, without it being really remarkable.
I think the iPad 2 is one of the best iPad for the boat, and it's a shame he does not pass iOS8.
Same as above.. iPad 2 seems to enjoy a long life complementary probably due to its pro use (pilot planes etc..) and is THE choice for me… Cheap, relatively compatible with the 1, while the latter suffers from manifest incompatibility with the latest versions of 4D Weather… and gribs and other info which made the application crash.
À mon humble avis, Nous sommes cependant à un moment intéressant car on sent bien que tout tend à unir Le monde « ordinateur » et le monde « tablette » mais que les passerelles tardent à venir… Any purchase can be displayed in a window of technological continuity over 24 up to 36 months it seems…
Super article, thank you. Really good summary, it is almost perfect.
Si je devais « pousser le bouchon » ça aurait été top d’intégrer l’ipad mini dans ce tableau, and indicate the last line power consumption (during refill) of each device (and optionally the battery capacity of each apparatus).
If at the time of such data you spend at your fingertips, Perhaps you could add to your article.
A part that mini-mini-point, really interesting this article.
As I wrote in the article, iPad Mini incorporates the same features as the iPad 2, in all respects including autonomy and cooldown 0% up to 100%. On the iPad Retina I have no information other than that provided by Apple. Released in autumn, given the weather conditions months, few browsers have had the opportunity to test their device !
Hello
Thank you for this update and your excellent regular updates.
For your info, j'ai iPhone 2 et un iphone 5, both recently updated (to end of February, it seems to me) vers la version IOS 7.1. I do not understand your sentence on the iPad 2: « signifie plus de mise à jour possible de l’OS ».
Cordially
Bruno
Simply that what happened to the 1 probably happen also for the 2, which is no longer supported by Apple, during the transition to iOS 8.
off topic, but I am a fan of powerbook or mac mini despite the price cards
I totally agree, but Mac ENC is not followed …