$130 more, not $200 more. Seems like you've made up your mind about this before even evaluating all of the information, though. Why not borrow one from a friend and see how you like it?
What part of "it's a great program" didn't come across to you?
Sure the savings won't add up directly from paper charts, but how do you put a price on having WX info at your fingertips, TFRs, flight planning, winds, NOTAMs, always current AF/D and more?
Got all that already. Yeah, it's on various programs/platforms, but I do have it. My goal is a better solution.
Plus the iPad is so much more beyond just ForeFlight, so once again it's unfair to compare direct chart costs to the hardware+software costs. Calculating W&B, having a digital version of the POH, performance planning...all simple on the iPad, and faster than doing the "old fashioned" way.
What part of "it's a great program" didn't you understand? And what part of "I really wouldn't use much of the other iPad features" wasn't clear? I've got an Android phone and barely scratch the surface of what it can do....
Or the matter of my having a tablet already with most all of that stuff on it?
Seems you've just got a bit of an anti-Apple attitude.
What I have is an attitude against companies - and if Apple happens to be one, then so be it - that construct software and systems that get in the way of doing things the way *I* want to work. The great promise of a computer is flexibility to adjust to the way it works best for an individual.... what Apple has chosen to do is lock down the systems to the point where that flexibility is lost. The result is additional cost (forked over to a big, rich, corporation) or inability to do certain things (in the case of Apple, this includes content restrictions in the App Store). It's like SAP in a corporate environment: "to use this program you have to change your processes to do it our way" as opposed to software that will adapt to the way you need to work.
So, to get a GPS on the Apple, I have to pay more and get a feature I will not likely use (3G)... or buy an external box (adding to the bulk and decreasing convenience). To use my existing WxWork receiver, I'm on the hook for $200 where a simple USB cable or BT will work on a MS platform. I travel internationally - 3G would be great if the device were sold unlocked so I could insert a local SIM (rather than pay the outrageous ATT international roaming rates, which can reach to $20/MB!?!). So I have to have a mifi.
And I'm not suggesting that the BSOD (Microsoft) or Android is any better. Android is more flexible than iPad but lacks Foreflight (and some of the other alternatives), and Microsoft is, well, Microsoft - it lacks the platform at this point.
The ideal package for me: an iPad (or equivalent) to run Foreflight or a similar package, that has a usable BT/USB connection for the WxWorx or SkyRadar receiver, GPS with the wifi unit (unlocked 3G that will accept non-ATT SIMS would certainly be something I'd consider), native ability to print directly to networked Postscript printer (IOW, no need to buy an app, no need to buy another printer, or no need to use another computer just to print), and ability to run OpenVPN without a jailbreak. That I would buy in a heartbeat. Or Foreflight that would run on an Android platform. Practically, neither of those are going to happen. It goes to convenience and overall cost.
None of that says I won't go the iPad route. What it does say is that I end up paying extra money & less convenience to get stuff I want, and end up with stuff I don't need/can't use effectively.
I realize this has started a religious war with you, Kent, and others. I also realize that you guys won't really understand my points. So be it.
