Sorry Sea Captains and Sailors!
There’s a really confusing comparison of the iPad 2 and the new iPad 4G on Apple’s website. The iPad 2 is showing as having the ability to do “Photo and video geotagging over Wi-Fi”, while the new iPad is shown as being capable of “Photo and video geotagging” sans Wi-Fi.
Past iPads and iPhones have always used Assisted-GPS, a vague term which refers to a triangulation method through either the use of Wi-Fi hot spots which have geotagged locations and/or cell phone towers to determine where you are. Although it’s pretty accurate down to a few metres, it doesn’t work to well unless you’re connected to a tagged Wi-Fi network or you’re on a mobile phone network.
The new iPad vs iPad 2
So when Apple put up the feature comparison list (see above) of the iPad 2 and the new iPad, there was a lot of speculation that the new iPad had conventional GPS allowing people like… Sea Captains, yes Sea Captains, to be able to use the GPS while out on the open seas away from cell phone and WiFi networks.
I hate to burst said Sea Captains bubbles, but sadly this doesn’t appear to be true. A look down the feature list of the new iPad shows that the wifi+4G model will still have Assisted GPS while the Wi-Fi model will lack the feature meaning no conventional GPS will be on the new device.
With Assisted GPS
On the other hand, since Assisted GPS can sometimes work with conventional GPS it is possible that the device could finally have conventional GPS too, but also relies on the additional use of Assisted GPS for accuracy. I wouldn’t hold your breath though. It’s already been pointed out that the new iPad costs Apple a big chunk of change to manufacture when compared to it’s predecessor, so Apple’s profit margins are a bit smaller on this device. I highly doubt they’d add in a slightly more costly conventional GPS function (which alone, takes several minutes to ping a satellite and nab your location) when they’re already adding in a bunch of other costly features.
Not a Fanboy says:
I fail to see why you would need conventional GPS (you had it as “true GPS” before and it still shows in the URL) will ever be needed on a device like an iPad. The only two situations I ever see you needing it are being lost in the wilderness or requiring that you geotag your photos while you’re on an airplane.
Eddie F. says:
Probably not but I was just trying to clear the air regarding the confusion of the iPad 4G having GPS on Wi-Fi and 4G models.
Not a Fanboy says:
In that case the title of this article is misleading and poorly communicated much like Apple’s comparison that you’re criticizing.
Eddie F. says:
Fair enough. I suppose it should say “The new iPad WiFi will still lack geotagging”