Is there a reason why the iPad app is free and the iCab app is $49.99? Given the cost of the LCS wifi box, I would think they would both be free. Is Lionel is the software business now?
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The iCab app has a high cost because it can effectively eliminate the need to buy a second, third or 4th Legacy remote for your large layout. Lionel doesn't want to loose all of that money.
Not sure why the iPad app is free. Maybe that allows them to keep it as a side or "hobby" project at headquarters and they don't have to be responsible for bug fixes or regular updates, etc.
Originally Posted by graz:
The iCab app has a high cost because it can effectively eliminate the need to buy a second, third or 4th Legacy remote for your large layout. Lionel doesn't want to loose all of that money.
Not sure why the iPad app is free. Maybe that allows them to keep it as a side or "hobby" project at headquarters and they don't have to be responsible for bug fixes or regular updates, etc.
Totally agree, the answer didn't jump right out at first, and despite my rhetorical question, I wound up purchasing the iCab myself. Its good, but definitely not as feature rich as the Cab2.
I don't know, but it's the reason I don't have the iCAB. Of course, another reason is I use an Android phone. 
I've felt that eventually the physical Cab would go away and the app would be the future. But then, I have remotes that are never broken and last for years. Wish Lionel would have made one of those.
I think graz is correct. You are possibly replacing a Cab2 with the iCab so it would be stupid not to get soem return. I do wish they would have done a free "lite" version to get folks interested but some production marketing guy thinks other wise.
I always thought that the Cab2 and even the MTH remotes would be eventually dropped in favor of a smart device which would allow quicker updates and added features. Time will tell.
On a side note, my 2 remotes, both from the very first run of Legacy are still functioning 100%. I guess I'm lucky. These get used a lot too.
I'm not looking forward to that day Marty. Running with a tiny touch screen is not an attractive option, at least to me. I've used the BlueTrain application, and while it certainly functions, I prefer the real remote.
FWIW, I have older Legacy remotes as well, the only thing my Legacy systems have needed is the charging circuit upgrade. One of the remotes was even dropped, I was sure that was a goner, but no damage I could see, and it still works 100%. I did get the CAB1L for modular shows, it's a bit more tolerant to abuse than the CAb2.
Trust me when I say I prefer a dedicated remote. That being said, costs may prohibitive to engineering a new remote that may be outdated shortly after release.
I paid the 49.99 so I could play with it on the modular layout at shows. The only thing of note that it does better than the cab2 is enable you to select a particular crew talk sequence, rather than just pressing the crew talk button on the touch screen (or, if selection is possible with the cab 2, I just dont know how to do it). The list of whats loaded in the base is also useful for stealing control of other people's trains. 
That being said, the phone is a bit smaller in your hand, and minimizes the basic running functions (speed, bell, horn) to a single easy to use screen.
Gimmick? Prolly, but I've been asked far more about how I'm doing it with my phone than I get asked about running it with the remote. The range is also immensely larger with the wifi connection.
I paid the $50 to get the listing of my roster in the phone so then I could select from the list. I dont follow the "conventional rules" of addressing my locos and they go in numerical order from when they are entered since the legacy remote has the ability to access the loco from the cab number
Why are discussions of the Legacy system in the LC and RF controls section?
I think the idea is the iPad app is for layout control and the icab app is designed for train control.
However I have yet to take the plunge at £39 for the app.
I can see the advantage in my situation, living in a relatively remote location in Lionel terms.
So it might come in handy as it's easier to repair/replace a iPhone then a Cab2 in the UK!
Nick
Originally Posted by Nick12DMC:
I think the idea is the iPad app is for layout control and the icab app is designed for train control.
Nick that is correct. And although you can run an engine or train from the iPad LCS app, IMO it's clunky and unrefined. The layout control though is pretty sweet.
The iCab is definitely geared towards a Cab2 control of engines and trains.
The iPad layout needs more curve choices to close some of the track circuits. And what about elevated tracks over those tracks? But all in all it's pretty neat for the switches. Any plan to upload one of the drawing programs from the laptop or desk computer into the LCS?
Chuck,
My guess is that, right now, Lionel probably suggests viewing your layout on the iPad as more of a "schematic" rather than a literal interpretation. Thus, folded track work would have to be illustrated in a basic manner but the functionality is still there.
As a side note to some of the comments above - I think that the phone app is a nice option to hand to a visitor for a few minutes of casual train running and it eliminates the need to buy another dedicated Legacy remote. We have old iPods and iPhones used for this purpose. However, as the primary operator, I would want the Legacy remote. There's just no arguing with the dedicated buttons.
I was very critical of Lionel's Legacy remote design when it was first shown but I have to eat my words. I really like what the team created.
I like the Legacy remote also. I am a little nervous about my thought that it might be a forerunner to the future. Dedicated remotes are handier I think.
