You recently checked your bank account and were pleasantly surprised. Thanks to this pandemic, you haven't had the chance to blow some extra chump change on the expensive drinks at the local bar, or head out for a shopping spree. Heck, even your significant other has been oddly quiet about a spending extravaganza. Your account looks healthier than ever, and this is tempting you to go out and get something. You imagine a certain fruit make its way into your imagination. You can picture yourself walking proudly out of a certain fruit inspired store, your smile wider than the hangar doors at Boeing's Everett manufacturing centre. Unlike your Christmas gift from a few months past, you can picture yourself unwrapping the plastic off of the box in the most respectful fashion possible. Like the rusted bronze lock of the pirate era that made Blackbeard's job of opening the treasure chest so difficult, so does the air cushion between the top of the box and its base. You find the patience from deep within to wiggle the box enough, eventually displacing it out of the way to discover the treasure inside. Nothing can get between you and your new found love, except maybe... this article (and for good reason)? Before you head out into the brave new world, I am hoping you take the time to read this article so that I can help you make an informed decision on which iPad is the best bang for your buck. Because lets face it, beyond your training you will most likely never revert to actual charted maps or performance tables; everything in the modern day runs off a slick 1 lb slab of glass and metal. So that you don't end up giving away more than is worth to the Apple Gods, continue reading!
The iPad started off as a way to bridge the gap created between smartphones with small screens and large laptops. Whether we knew it or not, there was a place in the world for the original iPad, a slab of screen that is touch friendly which allows us to do more than what we can with a phone, without the necessary bulk that comes with a full fledged laptop. Initially a product for media consumption, the definition and use of the iPad has changed over the years, most notably as a professional product for use in the cockpit by thousands of pilots worldwide. And while in the yesteryear days of Apple there may have been just one or two models available, today's reality is multiple models which share a lot in common while also making critical sacrifices, making the job of you, the 21st century splurger, a lot more difficult. Today Apple sells the iPad mini, the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. For the intent of this article we will focus on the Air and the Pro, touching base with the other two from time to time.
Now for the meat and potatoes. If you are an individual in the market for a new iPad which has to serve the function of media consumption plus assist you in the professional world, go for the iPad Air. Personally I wish I knew about the refreshed Air model when I went
out and bought an iPad Pro. At the time the iPad Air had not been updated with the description I am about to give you, thus the Pro became my only option, which satisfied the needs of storage while being a worthy upgrade (mind you I was coming from the iPad Air 2 from eons ago). Anyway, the iPad Air serves to be the perfect balance between personal and professional device. The newest one (released in 2020) brings with it the awesome corporate flat-edged design that Apple seems to have resuscitated from the graves of the iPhone 5 era. And while it may seem like a step back, make no mistake. This design is beloved by all iPad users, because it makes holding and using the iPad a lot easier, cases look better, and is a lot more sturdy than the generations prior. Along with the updated design, you get the newest Apple A14 Bionic chip (a version of the A14 that has increased performance in the departments of processing power and machine learning). Both of these are incredibly important as a pilot. Firstly, the increase in processing power will mean you can open multiple apps at a time such as Foreflight, LogTen Pro, Excel, etc. This will allow you to keep more apps open and in memory making your workflow significantly faster in the cockpit. Secondly, the machine learning makes good use of the low power cores in the chip giving you industry leading battery life, which means you can take on 14 hour days with confidence, and have power left to spare for a couple episodes of your favourite show on a delay or layover. One additional feature I would like to point out is the stunning 10.9 inches of Liquid Retina display (Apple's fancy talk for a really, REALLY well calibrated display panel). This is a true godsend folks. Whether you are cruising between the super bright sunshine of the flight levels, or on a long approach in near zero light/ vis conditions, this super accurate and vivid display makes it all the more easier to read small text (important when you want to understand a complex STAR arrival). This is even useful for those of you who might fly leisurely, because you can use VNC maps within ForeFlight and be able to read view it clearly, too. By contrast, the iPad mini, in my opinion, is too small of a display for use in the cockpit, and won't do your layover Netflix binge any good. The iPad suffers not so much the same fate in display size, but the lower quality panel will make you wish you dished out the extra the Air asks for. All in all, the iPad Air is the best bang for your buck for its modern design, powerful processor, and generous battery life. It strikes the perfect balance between an iPad that is to be used for media consumption, and one that becomes your mini co-pilot on the job.
If you have a lot more money to spend, and want to juice out more out of the iPad, there is the Pro territory. While Apple may advertise the "Pro" as a tag for professionals in a high-end line of work, that is not how you should view it. The Pro is just the iPad with the most bells and whistles; not all of it makes practical sense or shows its worth in practical use. Still for the sake of this article, I will cover it. The Pro brings with it most importantly two sizes. You can grab the 11 inch which is almost the same as the Air, or go straight to the big daddy with the 13 inch. Both come with what Apple calls "Pro Motion" display, which again, is fancy talk for 120 Hz refresh (makes everything scroll and look smoother), along with wider colour gamut. It also features the A12Z bionic (thats right, a processor that is technically less superior than the Air model). This is thanks to the update cycle that Apple goes through; the Pro is technically older than the Air because the Air was refreshed after the Pro was. Other notable features include dual cameras on the rear with the first ever Lidar sensor (I have never found one reason to use this, unless of course you are one of those who takes pictures with the iPad). Jokes aside, you also get four speakers, and a greater array of microphones. Both the Air and Pro come in similar size, the performance on both is almost exactly the same (with the Pro maybe eeking out better graphics), but in day to day use it is not clearly identifiable. They both now thankfully come with enough storage (previously only the Pro got higher storage sizes). That being said, who is the Pro for? Well there are 2 schools of thought in my opinion. Firstly, it is for those professional creatives who want to turn their iPad into their laptop replacement (think professional photographers, game developers, etc). This is a big ask, and the reasons for and against are beyond the scope of this article. Most people I know do not use the iPad as a laptop replacement and neither should you. Secondly, it is for those who just want the best of the best, the bleeding edge of technology in a tablet (I find there are more of these folks around than the first).
As an iPad Pro user I can most certainly say that while it is an extremely capable device
with features that I have come to love (such as ProMotion Display, quad speakers, etc), it has not actually changed my workflow so much that it would warrant the higher price. Make no mistake, the Pro is the best of the best. If your wallet allows, you could go for it and be very happy. But you should not spend any more than you have to, and I would not advise spending near MacBook money on an iPad. When I bought mine, the Pro was the Air. Much of what is now in the Air was exclusive to the Pro, so I ended up buying it. Therefore coming back to my earlier point, if I were you, if I could go back and have both options open, I would most certainly buy the Air. It offers 95% of the same features as the Pro does. Whatever the Pro does have on top, won't do you much good in terms of media consumption or professional aviation use. Lastly, I want to touch on which apps I use the most to make my workflow. This might change for your phase of training. During PPL you will most certainly learn to use real charts and performance tables out of a POH (Pilot Operating Handbook). So the use of an iPad will be limited for when you fly leisurely (building your hours) or for studying. As my professional career took off, I found that having my own iPad meant I could store all of my training documents and manuals in one place, iBooks. Thanks to its tight integration with iCloud and native features, it makes storing, sharing, and using manuals super easy. Ofcourse I also use Foreflight for all of my flight planning. I also use the Numbers app, since my work place uses self flight planning. I benefit greatly from having the larger screen to be able to run two apps at once, and it makes viewing small text a cake walk. One other notable mention is Notability, which is a 3rd party note editing/ pdf viewer app. It helps me manage flight manifests, take notes for re-currency, and sign documents on the go! I highly suggest you use Notability too, it has a simple to use UI, packed with a robust set of features.
So there you have it! My short (but not-so-short) rant on which iPad I think you should buy. If you are a pilot in need of one, or wanting to upgrade then I hope my article has helped shed some light on this modern day iPad fiasco. Everybody in my line of work has already invested in an iPad, and if you haven't already, then you should at some point, too. The amount of clutter and weight is reduces in the cockpit is just magic. It helps get more done with less, thereby saving you a lot more time. And at the end of the day when you are in the hotel and just want to relax and catch up on the last episode of season 27 of your favourite show, you can confidently turn back to your iPad to entertain you with it's most basic function, multimedia consumption. If you have any questions or want further clarification, just shoot me a message through this site and I'll do my best to help you. So go ahead, splurge at the Apple Gods. Walk out of the store with a wide smile. Take time to enjoy the unboxing experience. Set up the apps as I have mentioned above, and research to find lots more to make your specific workflow. Fall back into tech-love. And above all else, make sure you make a sound decision on your purchase. Cheers!
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