On The Water With Apple's iPad

[jcollins]

Good article.



On The Water With Apple's iPad
By Glen Justice
I was steaming down the Chesapeake, half way from Annapolis to Cambridge on Maryland's eastern shore, when my wife asked about our position and how far we had come. I picked the chartplotter up off the dash, zoomed the touchscreen out a bit and handed it to her. Such is the beauty of Apple's iPad.

Much has been written about this little device, most of it gushing, but I held my pen until I was able to get one out on the water. There was never any doubt that Apple's latest gadget had potential – maybe even serious utility on a boat – but it's all speculation until you use it at the helm.

Now that the iPad has made a few trips with me, it's time for some first impressions, and the most obvious is this: the iPad is one dammed convenient little machine.


GLEN JUSTICEThe iPad has a bright and clear 9.7-inch screen. At 1.5 pounds, it feels good in your hands.Far larger than a phone and far smaller than a laptop, it is easy to carry and easy to use, with a nice range of functions. The iPad can be a serviceable chartplotter, a mileage and maintenance log, a web browser, an email tool, a jukebox – I even used it to watch a few movies.

On first approach, the iPad appears to be one of those rare pieces of technology that, like the iPhone before it, show us needs we knew nothing about. There's a lot of function here, and that will continue to expand if they sell enough of these.

Having said that, the iPad is not “must have” technology, and it will invariably raise questions about how many devices you need (and what each of them will do). Like all marine equipment, the value of the iPad will depend on its user, governed by factors such where you take your boat, the type of equipment you own already and how much you depend on a computer to run your life.

I have some criticisms and some doubts – and we'll come back with a full review at the end of the season – but overall it is easy to imagine this as a useful addition to many boats. In fact, it may even be that rarest piece of technology that gets more useful with time. With prices starting at about $499 – well within range for most boaters – it is safe to say that the iPad should be on your radar, if not your boat.

1.5-POUND WONDER

For those who have had their head in a locker, Apple began selling the iPad in April, a 1.5-pound tablet-style machine that is about half an inch thick, with a 9.7-inch screen.

Tablet computers have been around for years – marine electronics companies love to bring them to boat shows, as a techy way to display their wares – but this was Apple's tablet, the successor to the iPhone. Fans heralded its coming as though it were a tablet of the Biblical variety, with predictions that it will have vast implications for industries like publishing and advertising.

Whatever the case, the iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days, according to Apple. That's not the most popular product ever – the iPhone 4 moved 1.7 million units in 72 hours – but as Fortune magazine pointed out, Apple sold an average of one iPad every 2.3 seconds. That's not bad.

As I pulled the iPad from Apple's famously-elegant packaging, I could see why. I was immediately struck by how thin and light it was – and easy, too (some researchers actually taught a dolphin to use one).

All iPads can access the internet via wi-fi, but I bought a 16-gig model for $629 that can also use AT&T's network for connectivity. I was on the internet right out of the package. I socked it into my computer, where it syched with my iTunes account and downloaded my applications, music and movies. I then hooked up my Gmail. Overall, setup was almost effortless, done in less than an hour.


GLEN JUSTICEThe iPad's most obvious use onboard is as a chartplotter. Pictured here is the Navimatics application, with ActiveCaptain showing.While functions like email and browsing are native, the iPad relies on applications for much of its utility, just like the iPhone. In fact, Apple says it can use most of the iPhone's 225,000 apps that can be downloaded from the company's App Store, and that 11,000 have been created expressly for the iPad. That was the next challenge – but that too was pretty simple.

A NEW CHARTPLOTTER

On the boat, the iPad's most immediate value was as a chartplotter. This requires only the unit's internal GPS – no Internet connectivity – and a navigation application. Buying apps is easily done, either from the iPad directly or on your computer, which then syncs with your iPad.

There are several navigation apps on the market and I chose one by Navionics and one by Navimatics (full disclosure: both are Mad Mariner advertisers). Each cost $20, and I switched between the two in order to maintain my focus on the machine and not get caught up in the apps.

My dash has two 8.4-inch Raymarine screens, and it was a pleasure to have a third screen at the helm. It made it easy to move around the chart and check things out, while keeping my dash-mounted plotter on course with a radar overlay and my second screen on the fishfinder. The iPad screen worked reasonably well in daylight with the brightness adjusted, though it does glare. And the ability to pass it around – or take it to other areas of the boat – was a bonus. Guests loved it.

One interesting aspect was the touchscreen, which was both mesmerizing and maddening. It was extremely convenient to zoom in and out at blazing speed, so much so that I began to gripe about using the cursor on my dash-mounted plotter. I learned more about my course and my environment because it was easier to fiddle and explore with the iPad on my lap, rather than hunching over a screen and pushing buttons. But it was also frustrating as my hand slipped when the boat rocked and I wound up looking at the Great Lakes. Quality marine touchscreen units have buttons to rely on in rougher seas, but the iPad has no such thing.

Which raises a point: the iPad is not marine gear, though I found it to be pretty hearty. I cannot say how it will react to water and weather. But I dropped it, left it in the sun and watched in horror as my five-year-old stepped on it, and it lived to serve another day. Battery life also seemed healthy – a seemingly universal experience, if you read the reviews – though that will depend on configuration and usage.

There was also the question of where to put it on the dash while underway, and I began to devise mounting options each time I used it. In fact, I began to think about adding mounts all over the boat – the salon, the stateroom and both helms – and simply carrying it from place to place.

But in time I came to think of it more like a clip board. The iPad seems to work best when it is in your hands, which is where it was designed to be (though it does collect fingerprints). I used a sticky pad to keep it from careening off the dash when not in use, and bought a $10 neoprene bag at Target to protect when out of service entirely.

AN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Of course, there are uses for the iPad that extend far beyond navigation, including many down in the cabin. I used it to listen to music and watch some movies, downloading the Netflix application for some free films and buying a few on iTunes (for large files like video, it works far better to download them to your computer and sync the iPad). It is very nice to be able to watch a movie anywhere on the boat – with or without headphones – on a large, clear screen.


GLEN JUSTICETraditional typists may have trouble writing long documents, but the iPad's large buttons are much easier to use than those on a phone.It was also nice to check weather from the helm, from a variety of sources. Internet connectivity will depend on your location, but between Wi-Fi and the AT&T network, which has various plans (I bought the cheapest), I only lost my signal once while on the Chesapeake, and that was brief.

Because I often go out in the middle of the week, I like to watch email while on the boat, and it was nice to do so without struggling over a tiny phone. One frequent criticism of the iPad is that the touchscreen keyboard makes typing difficult. That may be true if you are a traditional typist writing War and Peace. Longer documents can be tedious as you get used to a toggling keyboard. But for standard usage like email and web surfing, I found it a pleasure.

The iPad is a gift for the large handed who struggle with the tiny buttons on a phone. On the iPad, the buttons are large and responsive. As a one-handed typist, I found the iPad vastly better than any other option short of a laptop or desktop machine – and particularly better than a phone. I have a Droid on my hip and an iPod Touch in my bag, and the iPad immediately became my favorite email tool.

Of course, there are things it cannot do. The iPad will not likely interface with your marine electronics anytime soon (it doesn't even have a USB port). The iPad also won't recognize Flash, leaving holes in some websites. And it will not truly multitask beyond its native functions, so you have to do a lot of moving around between applications. Loading software is also out, at least as you know it on a PC. If you have favorite programs that must reside on a hard drive, you'll have to find apps to replace them or embrace web-based alternatives.

But I found it relatively easy to get standard office and personal work done, if you keep your expectations reasonable. Email, documents and social networks worked pretty well. Editing a website revealed some quirks. If you have functions you rely upon, find out in advance how the iPad addresses them. Reviews by Engadget, the Entelligence column and The New York Times might help.

TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY?

Here's one thing that deserves attention: I began to look for uses for the iPad – and that was both good and bad.

The good news is that if you go looking for iPad functions you will find them – again and again and again. The number of iPhone applications for boaters has multiplied in the last year, and most can be used on the iPad. The number of native iPad applications is small but growing, and that won't stop anytime soon.

An increasing number of marine companies are publishing apps for boaters to use (even Mad Mariner has the MadApp). Moreover, many apps continually improve. For example, the Navimatics application now supports ActiveCaptain, the interactive cruising guide, allowing boaters to see reviews and other information posted by other boaters. There is also a library full of articles out there that list and review these applications (we have a list of useful apps, too), so getting tips on what's out there is simple.


The iPad can be used in portrait or landscape mode, and it toggles automatically depending on how the unit is held. An external button can lock either view in place. All that is required to tap into this is what might be called an application-based mentality: you have to get used to reaching for Apps when you have a need, rather than websites or other tools. For some folks, this might be a transition, like thinking of online options rather than stores when it is time to go shopping. But this is a temporary condition. You catch on pretty fast.

The bad news is that the iPad forces some decisions – and with that comes doubts.

There's a reason I was looking for more uses for the iPad. The truth is that, with a few small exceptions, the iPad does not do anything that my other devices could not do, although it arguably did some of these things far better. Between my laptop, my phone and the plotters on my boat, navigation, reference, email, browsing, movies, music and the rest were all covered. Yes, the iPad is a more convenient size, but there are tablet PCs out there that are in the same family, and I never rushed out to grab one of those (though I did admire them from time to time). By looking for more utility, I was looking for elements that set the iPad apart.

I began to toy with the idea that, for boaters, the iPad might be a solution in search of a problem.

But I think the more likely scenario is that the iPad forces decisions we may not want to confront. Boaters have been inundated with breakthrough technology in recent years, from ever more powerful plotters and radar to night vision, AIS and the advent of onboard computers – and that's in addition to mainstream goodies like smartphones and social networks. Choosing what belongs in your life – and on your boat – can be a confusing and frustrating time suck, and the iPad presents just such a choice.

What merits remembering is that even the most tech-savvy among us are confronted with these choices – and we are all still figuring them out. We seem to be moving toward a world in which the functions on our devices overlap, and the hardware we choose at any given time is becoming a matter of convenience. A smartphone in the supermarket, a laptop on the boat and an iPad in the coffee shop – or whatever works for you. Traditionalists might argue to just do nothing, waiting until the technologies to embrace become plainly obvious. And that's a safe and economical way to go. But it's far more educational – and more fun – to make some bets, try them out, learn and adjust.

As for the iPad, right now it is a luxury item, and you can get by fine without one. But that doesn't mean certain boaters should not be heading to the Apple website. For tech junkies with a few hundred bucks, it is a no brainer. Buy one. You'll love it. If you actively shopping for a boat computer, the iPad is an intriguing option that is definitely worth a look. Whether you buy one or not, a little research is worth your time.

For the rest of us, what I can say is this: the iPad can serve well as the computer you bring to the boat, or even the computer you leave on the boat. It can add capabilities. But I would not recommend counting on it at this early stage to replace your marine gear or your laptop when it comes to serious work or serious cruising. You're apt to be impressed with what this machine can do for only $500, and those uses will grow as developers create more apps for the iPad. But I would not throw your Furuno gear over the side anytime soon.


Glen Justice is the Editor of Mad Mariner and DIY Boat Owner.

[DougSea]

I'm reading this, and writing my brief comments, on my iPad. I absolutely love it. I use it on my boat all the time to check the weather, lookup marinas, tides, currents. Review charts. When I was plumbing my AC and had a question on the pump - iPad to the rescue. I read my kindle books and Wall Street Journal. Watched my favorite movie (Caddyshack!) streaming from Netflix while taking a break from the helm project.

And of course I have an AOG shortcut right on my home screen!

It does nearly everything I'd use a laptop for on my boat. It won't replace my chart plotter but it's very nice having a capable backup that's so easy to use.

[mpel]

I too am reading this and responding on my wonderful new iPad. It's a truly remarkable tool/toy on the water and elsewhere. However, I must admit that I'm a little conflicted over the idea of having so much information, connectivity and synthetic entertainment at my fingertips when so much of the allure of boating is getting away from those very things...

Mike

[DougSea]

I too am reading this and responding on my wonderful new iPad. It's a truly remarkable tool/toy on the water and elsewhere. However, I must admit that I'm a little conflicted over the idea of having so much information, connectivity and synthetic entertainment at my fingertips when so much of the allure of boating is getting away from those very things...

Mike

I can understand that conflict but just as a cell phone has enabled me to take a conference call from the center of Long Island Sound rather than trapped in an office I prefer to view it as a means to get MORE time on my boat!! Plus the ability to access information quickly without breaking out a laptop or bringing notes back and forth is fantastic! I was recently on a friend's boat troubleshooting his depth sounder. 2 minutes with the iPad and I had tracked down the part number of an errant cable, cross referenced the install manual and had his sonar fired up! Now I'm posting this reply to AOG and getting ready to settle down with a good "book". I don't know that the iPad alone will change the way we use computers but the tablet has undoubtedly entered the mainstream.