Marine Navigation: 2024 iPad Pro vs iPad Air - Is the Extra Cost Worth It for Screen Brightness?

Рет қаралды 3,106

2 ай бұрын

It's time to upgrade our iPad for navigation aboard our Bayliner 4788. With Apple just releasing a new line up, we couldn't decide between the Air or the Pro. So, we bought both.
Our goal was a better screen display when outside - would the $450 price difference between the 13" models be worth it?
While we use our Garmin MFD for radar, depth sounding and back-up navigation - we have used an older 11" iPad Pro for running navigation apps like Navionics, AquaMaps and Argo.
Join Chris for his geeky comparison of the two, and learn which we returned and which we're keeping.
Check out his even geekier blog version of this video for more, and maybe he'll even update it later on with notes (don't count on it):
www.technomadia.com/2024/05/m...
Purchasing links (affiliate on Amazon):
iPad Pro 13": amzn.to/3wNTk1s
iPad Air 13": amzn.to/4dNu4ZL
#bayliner4788 #marinenavigation #ipadpro
Opening song:
'Straight Up' by Shakiban - shakiban.bandcamp.com/album/za
Camera Gear Used:
iPhone 15 Pro Max
DJI Wireless Mics: amzn.to/49vj404
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We're Cherie & Chris and we've been full time technomads since 2006. We are owned by Kiki (meow).
We have a fleet of nomadic vessels that we split our time between - a 1961 GM 4106 vintage bus, a 1999 Bayliner 4788 motor yacht and a 2020.5 Travato GL van conversion. You'll find RV, van and boat life content here, as we feel inspired to share - sometimes topical, sometimes travelogues, sometimes just hanging out.
We love sharing a slice of our life with others, and also blog at www.technomadia.com, Facebook and Instagram. We use the name 'Technomadia' in all those places. Come join the adventure however you choose!
Income generation is NOT a goal of ours under the 'Technomadia' brand - we do this for fun.
Our full time 'job' is running the Mobile Internet Resource Center, where we track and educate RVers and cruisers on their options for keeping connected. Come join us at www.RVMobileInternet.com for news, guides, reviews and courses. We also have a dedicated KZfaq channel / mobileinternetresource... you can subscribe to. Through member funding, we can give away a lot of free content - and our members get even more.
© Technomadia 2024
For entertainment purposes only. See our website for a full disclaimer.

Пікірлер: 29

@mandmmilling3716 2 ай бұрын

I run the opposite setup. My axiom MDF is my primary and my ipad is my secondary...for one large reason. The raymarine app will not allow an ipad to control the autopilot. Being able to plot your course in advance and then have the autopilot follow the course plotted on the MDF is a game changer for somebody like me who singlehands. I have 12" axioms on the flybridge and the lower helm on my 4550. I run an older ipad beside the MFDs as a backup with different maps. I have CMAPS on my MFDs, and navionics on my ipad to compare and contrast locations. There is almost always a difference between the 2. Thanks for a great breakdown on the new ipads. I was thinking about upgrading mine so this helped a lot.

@rogerirwin8878 2 ай бұрын

Well Done! Excellent technical comparison

@johnnylightning1491 2 ай бұрын

I don't have any need for navionics being I live in an RV but thanks for the critiques because you never know. Keep the good stuff coming guys.

@AdamTow 2 ай бұрын

Good video comparing the two new models. I went with the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro with the standard screen myself.

@charliemanders1417 2 ай бұрын

Hello. We are a couple of Canadians getting ready to start our loop this fall. We just started following and extremely enjoying your channel a couple of days ago. We are also trying to decide on the IPad. Does the GPS work with say starlink instead of having a cellular plan.? You definitely have settled our debate. Thx and happy cruising

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

The iPad GPS radio is on the same component as the cellular radio - so you need to buy a cellular model to get the GPS capability. But you do NOT need a cellular plan to get GPS. Starlink isn’t a factor in this either way and does not provide GPS data.

@stuartrogel9117 2 ай бұрын

Great review, as always…thanks! Quick question: what mounts are you using to mount your iPads in the helm?

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

This is the one we're using as shown in the video: amzn.to/4bx4V46

@stuartrogel9117 2 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@TechnikMeister2 2 ай бұрын

Part of getting your coastal license here in Australia is to have the ability to navigate with no electronic aids. Thats means a compass, chronometer and naval charts. One of the main failures on vessels are electronic ones, so this is part of the compulsory course you must complete to get your license.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

Redundancy is hugely important indeed - that is why we have two iPads (with independent electrical systems) as well as an MFD. We also have paper charts for much of the ICW too - but they are not updated often enough to be really useful compared to the digital charts. Coastal and off shore cruising can be very different than the ICW, for sure.

@TechnikMeister2 2 ай бұрын

@@Technomadia So no paper maps, then.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

As stated.. we have them onboard. But to be as accurate as the digital maps they would need to re-printed (and re-purchased) about weekly. The Intracoastal Waterway we are cruising is constantly changing with shoaling and dredging.

@jrbean67 2 ай бұрын

Are there any good protective cases for iPads now? Last time I looked, I could not find any good cases like the old Lifeproof cases that worked on the newer iPads. I ended up getting an Oukitel RT3, which is a "ruggedized" Android tablet. It is brighter than the cheap Samsung tablet I tried first, and was not that much more expensive. It runs Navionics fine, but I ran into the same issue as you did with polarized sunglasses -- the screen was only visible in a horizontal orientation. This was what I wanted, but the desktop manager and apps don't seem to consistently support this, so when Navionics pops up a window, it is vertical, and you have to turn the screen and remove sunglasses to read it. Definitely not optimal for hard-mounting on a boat's dash. Also, it has built in "5G" LTE support, but I only got it to work as 4G using a T-Mobile hotspot SIM, and could not convince AT&T to support it at all. Overall, it seems workable, but not a slam dunk for this use case. I used it in the sun for an afternoon and did not run into any overheating issues.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

We haven't started shopping for a case yet - so not sure what is currently on the market.

@RascalBoat 2 ай бұрын

Does something prevent using split view on smaller iPad screens (2 navigation apps)?

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

Some apps work on smaller screens - but some don’t. Aqua Map is pretty flexible - but Navionics really doesn’t like to share a smaller screen. On a 13”, there is much less worry.

@CLTGeek 2 ай бұрын

Have you installed something like Speedify to bond the on-board 5G modem to your peplink powered house WiFi?

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

We have tested Speedify .. but Peplink has their own integrated bonding service called SpeedFusion. Our Peplink router brings together about 7 different Internet sources at once. Check out our full internet setup at www.technomadia.com/internet

@CLTGeek 2 ай бұрын

@@Technomadia - I mean so the iPad is always connected to both the on-board 5G and the Peplink powered WiFi. I've had trouble with iPads not failing over to WiFi automatically when the 5G is intermittent.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

I have played with Speedify on my iPhone for failover, and assume it would work just as well on the iPad. But with our redundant main router, I rarely rely on the iPad’s cellular while at home.

@FisherPost 2 ай бұрын

Did you consider a Samsung tablet? They all have GPS and I’ve run Navionics on an older Samsung for years - works great.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

We're an all Apple household and have been for years :). We have many paid for iOS apps that would not transfer, and prefer just one ecosystem aboard.

@DennisWintjes2 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Like !187

@jgutten 2 ай бұрын

I wouldn't buy an Apple product just for navigation. The Samsung tablet has GPS built-in and works really well. I would just buy what product is best. Buying something just because it's Apple is not the best decision. If you need it for other things then I guess go ahead with it. If it's just for navigation, Samsung.

@Technomadia 2 ай бұрын

We use it for many many other things beyond navigation - and we have been in the iPad ecosystem since the very day the first iPad came out. So we have plenty invested in purchased apps too that sync to our Macs and iPhones. Samsung makes some decent (and some not so decent) tablet hardware. But we have zero interest in the Android software world.