Dashboard iPad holder

Are you sure your document holder does not lift up? I was told that mine didn’t, and I believed that after trying, albeit in timid fashion. Recently I tried again on the basis that I wanted to remove the whole thing anyway so it didn’t matter if I broke something. Mine did indeed open up given a firm upward pull with your thumbs or fingers under the actual document clip. See my recent post [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Having succeeded in opening it I assumed that by lifting the document clip I had triggered a mechanical catch, but I later realised that it is just a spring clip, albeit a stiff one, similar to a cabinet ball catch. Here is a photo of how I lifted the cover, and an image of the “catch” itself underneath the clipboard. My van is a 2019 Boxer so yours could be different and I accept no responsibility if you do break something but I have a spare clipboard here!

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Don’t be confused by the metalwork at bottom right of the first image: you are only seeing that because I had removed the radio first, which should of course not be necessary to just open the clipboard, if it opens…………

I'm interested to know how the i-Pad compares to a conventional satnav? 

I started off using the Boxer's integrated tom-tom, which isn't very good and there's no Appleplay, so then I used my i-phone+ supported in its case on the flip-up document holder on the Boxer's dash.  This worked well but the screen was on the small side and in sunlight wasn't easy to see.  I considered options like replacing my MacBook with an i-Pad supported in some way by the flip-up document holder and paired with my i-phone, as I didn't want to have another contract, but was unsure how effective it would be and it would have been costly.  So I have splashed out instead on a tom-tom Camper Max (paid for with coupons!) with a 7" screen paired to my i-phone which is much easier to see.  The tomtom comes with a suction mount but I didn't want it to go on the windscreen so bought one of these which I have stuck on top of the flip-up document holder:

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It is very secure but I'm not sure it would work for a larger i-Pad even if it had a suction mount.

I bought one of the I pad holders from Amazon. It came with a circular disc to stick on the top of the dash. This gave me more choice of positioning the I pad within easy reach of the drivers seat.

Sorry Jules I cant remember exactly what make  I bought but it looked the same as the one Cymro showed from Amazon. It did hold my i pad quite firmly but it did need the circular metal  pad with the sticky back because the normal suction pad wouldnt take to the top of the dash  on our Transit.
I didnt have much joy using the i pad for a sat nav and swapped back to a newer Garmin with a bigger screen. I now use the bracket to hold my i pad in the back of the van on one of the worktops.

Dave 418 - What were the disadvantages of the i-Pad for a satnav?

I think my biggest problem was my lack of computer knowledge and my I pad not being set up correctly. I tried Google and Co Pilot with no success even with help from forum users.
Compared to my original 5” Garmi the I pad seemed clumsy and distracting. The replacement Garmin Drivesmart 76 is a 7” screen that is less distracting and more up to date.A personal issue but I find cables and gadgets in line of site annoying.