iPad Purchasing advice...
Skydive Designer runs best on an iPad.
- Skydive Designer does run on MacOS, and if you're designing a huge formation, it may help you to have a large screen. However, for most users, the touch interface for the iPad is more important.
- Technically, Skydive Designer can run on a phone, but that's really too small for creating/editing
People ask me frequently which iPad to buy - so this is my advice!
Suggested iPads.
Last updated 20 Jan 2023
Get the iPad 9th Generation. 64GB
Cost ~$330 from Apple.
Deals typically from $249-$280
This is sometimes called the "10.2-inch iPad (2021)"
MacRumours keeps an updated page showing the best deals
Alternatively, you can normally get some discount by buying Apple Refurbished , or Amazon Refurbished (be careful to check the listing on Amazon - it's easy to get the wrong version).
Explanation...
Skydive Designer is built using a fairly new Apple framework (SwiftUI). This framework is evolving rapidly with each update of iOS. This means that Skydive Designer only supports the latest one or two versions of iOS. The consequence of this is that it won't run on iPads which can't update to the latest version of iOS.
Currently, Skydive Designer requires iOS 15, but it will soon require iOS 16.
Typically Apple iPads can update for something like 5-7 years. This means that if you buy a 5 year old iPad, you might only be able to update for a year or two. After that, you'll still be able to use Skydive Designer, but you won't get the latest updates - and your jumps may stop being compatible.
Second hand iPads normally don't make a lot of sense. They are typically not a lot cheaper than new - unless you're getting really old ones. If you get a really old one, then you won't get many years of use from it...
The 9th Generation is pretty recent, and sells at a good price. It's also the version I use, so likely to be supported for a while!
The 64gb version has plenty of space for Skydive Designer.
Other Options...
The current iPad Air ($599) or the 10th Generation iPad ($449) are great. They have bigger screens, USB C ports, more powerful chips. They'll last longer than the 9th gen iPad - but they cost a lot more.
The iPad Pro, particularly the 12.9 inch would be fantastic for Skydive designer. It's powerful, and has a huge screen. But it's $1099...
Feel free to contact me...
Feel free to get in touch if you're unsure what to get. I'll be happy to help.