iPad ignorance

Desperate+Depressed

oh wow, thanks I didn't realise it hadn't got a camera. So yes it may be worth waiting for the new one, especially if that has got a camera! His birthday isn't until April anyway, which gives both me and his dad time to save for it!lol

aerostar

Overy hyped, over expensive gadget...just to keep up with the "Jones" !

And especially if it is only going to be used for Youtube, MSN , perhaps Skype !

alanrowell

spadoosh wrote: »

Desperate+Depressed wrote: »

At the moment, he mainly uses his laptop for Youtube, MSN and he did try to set up Skype....but for whatever reason the 2 cameras we bought, just would not display a picture (we did everything the instructions said), so he gave Skype a miss. That was just mainly going to be used for speaking to his dad, so I didn't think it was worth buying a camera anyway!!

I do have my own laptop that he could use for any school work should he need to.

On that basis an ipad would work really well for him. the apps apple have for those companies are fantastic

If he wants cameras then the current ipad is not the best option as it doesn't have any. There are reports the ipad2 will have them - but they are just reports

bluenoseam

he wants something like that for his birthday?

one suggests a quick smack upside the head & a reminder that while it can be made of paper, money doesn't grow on trees! It's NOT a replacement for traditional computers - the requirements if you want to achieve full productivity on it (i.e. printing) are at best on the higher end of pricing (realistically, they're expensive compared with computer standards), if he's anywhere near school that could prove to be prohibitive. Then there's the actual cost, they're not cheap & continue to cost after purchase on a level above that which standard computers/laptops require!

It's about knowing why he wants it - does he want it because it's the must have gadget? It's almost certain he doesn't need it (judging by what's been said i would assume he's school age) so really he's looking for a gadget - or as people like me call them, toys, something which looks cool, has some functionality & a pricetag but ultimately you can easilly survive without and at the prices we're talking, it might be best to do that!

BackOnTrack

The best way to think of an iPad is as a big iPhone that doesn't let you make phone calls.

poppy10_2

bluenoseam wrote: »

he wants something like that for his birthday?

one suggests a quick smack upside the head & a reminder that while it can be made of paper, money doesn't grow on trees!

Normally I would think that was a little harsh, but looking through the OP's previous posts, it's clear she's been through severe financial problems in the past, including bankruptcy. While she's done very well to clear these, the last thing she should be doing is passing on bad financial habits to her offspring. The kid needs to learn the difference between WANT and NEED. Perhaps if he wants an expensive toy like an iPad so much, he can get a paper round or do some other odd jobs, and save up the money himself.

Desperate+Depressed

Thank you for your replies.........
However, I must say I was a little shocked to read some of them.:eek:
I did NOT say he was definately going to have one - I was asking for advice, as I'm not a techie, so I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

I will not slap him up the side of the head for requesting something. He knows just because he asks for something, it doesn't mean he will get it.

And as for my previous finances etc.....I never mentioned how much I would be contributing to this (IF) he did have one. I said it was to be from both parents.

I will be honest and say that I am very upset by the comments....maybe this has taught me not to ask for advice in future?????

spadoosh

BackOnTrack wrote: »

The best way to think of an iPad is as a big iPhone that doesn't let you make phone calls.

The best way to think of an iPhone is a iPad mini that does make calls!

spadoosh

Desperate+Depressed wrote: »

Thank you for your replies.........
However, I must say I was a little shocked to read some of them.:eek:
I did NOT say he was definately going to have one - I was asking for advice, as I'm not a techie, so I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

I will not slap him up the side of the head for requesting something. He knows just because he asks for something, it doesn't mean he will get it.

And as for my previous finances etc.....I never mentioned how much I would be contributing to this (IF) he did have one. I said it was to be from both parents.

I will be honest and say that I am very upset by the comments....maybe this has taught me not to ask for advice in future?????

Dont get upset, they dont know you or your 'offspring'. Some people will try and offer advice without trying to belittle your family and put themselves on their high horses.

Always ask for advice, just be careful who you listen to!

patman99

Also got to remember that no Apple mobile products support Flash (although they can all be easily jail-broken to fix this error). Youtube videos are currently in FlashMovie format so no-go there as far as an Ipad goes, also worth noting, Google are re-encoding all the youtube videos to use their new video codecs that will be available as opensource, once again, Apple will not be supporting this new format either as it is 'not one of theirs'.

With no real expandability (until someone releases a USB adapter lead) you are stuck with what is basically a giant Ipod.