There has been some confusion about this since the first iPad came out. Only the 3G model has a built-in GPS chip, NOT the wifi only model. I think the "assisted" GPS throws a lot of people; that only means that any triangulation from cell towers or info from wifi will allow the GPS to acquire the signal faster or perhaps tweak the accuracy. (The iPad acquires a GPS signal faster than either the Raymarie or Garmin chartplotters we have onboard.) We bought an original iPad not long after they first came out - 3G model and have never connected to AT&T with it (that was the only cell provider option at the time, until the iPad 2). Verizon confused matters somewhat by offering an iPad (wifi only) bundled with their Mifi card.
The 3G iPads (both original and 2) are a great backup nav platform on the boat, and can be used for many other things (e-mail, web use, SKYPE, photo storage, music player, all the great apps available, and more). You do not have to have a cell connection for the GPS to work, but depending on which nav app you use, you may have to load or cache maps when you do have a connection or wifi available. The iPad is great for route planning. The charting with the Navionics app is similar to the Raymarine chartplotter on our boat; the only drawback we've come up with is the fact that it is always "north up". Not a big deal; we have two chartplotters on our boat and keep one on course up, the other on north up. It's nice for the co-pilot to have the iPad to follow along. Check tides and currents. Use an AIS app. BTW, the Navimatics app does allow for course up, but we have been using the Navionics (first one released, very similar to what we are used to on our main chartplotter).
Because of the iPad, I don't see us buying more paper charts in the future. In the past, we have always been "chartplotter AND paper charts to follow along"... we have DVDs of all the charts for the areas we travel; those on the laptop become the backup for the backup for the backup. We will still use paper cruising guides. There are flight crews using iPads in the cockpit instead of carrying around a heavy case of Jepps charts. And, it has a battery source separate from the boat electrical system.
Two other things to deal with when using an iPad on the boat: how to keep it where you want, how to deal with the marine environment. Most of the time, we use our iPad handheld; we also have a stand for it that could be attached to the dash with velcro or clips. There are waterproof cases available for the iPad; we carry a one gallon plastic bag... cheap, and you can still use all the functions on the iPad. May not be as much of an issue with the Rangers, but we have an opening center window on Wild Blue.
From my perspective, the iPad is a game changer... the screen is big enough to be a functional chartplotter; plenty of very reasonably priced nav apps with free updates; you can carry it to the cockpit to plan tomorrow's route and then check your e-mail or listen to some tunes (connect it up with a JawBone bluetooth jambox for impressive sound); write and download photos; read USA Today (when you have a connection); watch a video, etc, etc. For the price of two or three chart chips for a dedicated chartplotter, you can buy a 3G iPad with plenty of memory. We bought the 32 gig 3G model and have found it to be very adequate for our needs (a year and a half of owning it, and we still have 3/4 of the memory available).
I'm not saying the iPad is an essential device on the boat. When we're out daytripping, we rarely take it. If we're overnighting or cruising, it is aboard and getting plenty of use. At this point, I wouldn't rely on it as my ONLY nav gear in the boat, but it makes a fine backup. When pulling into a marina in a place we haven't been before, I will check to see if any photos are available on my chartplotter with the Navionics Platinum charts... I thought that was an amazing feature when we bought the Raymarine E-Series. With an iPad and a connection, you can use Google Earth. 😎 The more we use it, the more uses we find for it.
We used to connect with a Verizon Mifi card, but we dropped that when I upgraded to a Droid Bionic and use that as a hotspot.
If you haven't played with an iPad, swing by a Best Buy (or an Apple Store if you have one nearby); even Target and Wal-Mart sell 'em now.
My dear ol' Mother was 90 when she passed this year; the most NON-technical person you could imagine (if her TV got set off channel 3 to work with her cable box, she was lost). I handed her an iPad last year with the book I wrote on there as an eBook. I showed her how to "flip" the page, and she was off and reading. She was surprised when the formatting changed as she moved it from horizontal to vertical. And stunned when I told her that one little device would hold hundreds of books (she was an avid reader). Not meaning to drift OT here, just mentioning how easy and intuitive these things are.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
