iPad for elderly parent

Doshwaster

My 85 year old mum has convinced herself that she wants "one of those ipad things" to help her keep in touch with family.
I'm deeply embedded in Android and know very little about Apple products but I can accept that for someone with zero technical knowledge an iPad might be simpler for her than an Android/Amazon tablet. She doesn't have home broadband and I don't want her to be worrying about having a flashing box in the corner so I thought that a 4G model would be the simplest solution.
Any suggestions on a suitable model? I don't want to spent a lot in case she can't cope with it so I would be happy to look at older/refurbished ones. 

RumRat

She probably wouldn't know the difference between an iPad and an Android tablet.  A lot of older people just say iPad as a generic thing without understanding.
Better to get her what you know, then if there are any problems it's an easy fix.

lr1277

RumRat said:

She probably wouldn't know the difference between an iPad and an Android tablet.  A lot of older people just say iPad as a generic thing without understanding.
Better to get her what you know, then if there are any problems it's an easy fix.

Whilst I agree some people might call an android tablet an iPad, this may cause confusion down the line when your mum tells people she has an iPad and they say we will FaceTime with you. You need to be careful she doesn’t need iOS specific software like FaceTime. You need to check what software her friends and family will use to contact her.
In terms of your question I can’t provide specifics. 

I looked at Apple UK and they are only selling refurbished iPads without the cellular functionality at the moment. Only about £100 cheaper than a new model.
I looked at Cex’s UK wide website and they had a range of models of varying prices. Didn’t go into details.
If weight is a consideration, I believe the iPad Air is lighter, perhaps.
Otherwise in my mind the different models are much the same. I suppose a difference is that the older models have a physical home button but the latest models require you to swipe up. I don’t know if the Air model has a home button.
HTH

labp04

Bit obvious and not wanting to teach anyone to suck eggs, but I would also check that the mobile signal in your mum's home is decent, supports 4g etc

Grumpy_chap

I never had an iPad as, like the OP, I prefer Android.  However, if the choice is for a SIM-based rather than broadband solution, is there a risk of running up significant data charges?

Neil_Jones

If mobile signal becomes an issue you could always add broadband to the line.  If your mother gets certain benefits this could be an option, which could be as low as £10 all in:

https://btplc.com/inclusion/ProductsAndServices/BTBasic/BTBasicBroadband/index.htm

You only get 15Gb of bandwidth included, but if the sole aim is to allow granddaughter Abbie to speak to Grandma down the webcam once a week, it'll be fine.  You can always hide the router behind the telly or something, or mask out the flashing lights, and it'll probably be more stable than a mobile signal.

RumRat

lr1277 said:

RumRat said:

She probably wouldn't know the difference between an iPad and an Android tablet.  A lot of older people just say iPad as a generic thing without understanding.
Better to get her what you know, then if there are any problems it's an easy fix.

Whilst I agree some people might call an android tablet an iPad, this may cause confusion down the line when your mum tells people she has an iPad and they say we will FaceTime with you. You need to be careful she doesn’t need iOS specific software like FaceTime. You need to check what software her friends and family will use to contact her.
In terms of your question I can’t provide specifics. 

I looked at Apple UK and they are only selling refurbished iPads without the cellular functionality at the moment. Only about £100 cheaper than a new model.
I looked at Cex’s UK wide website and they had a range of models of varying prices. Didn’t go into details.
If weight is a consideration, I believe the iPad Air is lighter, perhaps.
Otherwise in my mind the different models are much the same. I suppose a difference is that the older models have a physical home button but the latest models require you to swipe up. I don’t know if the Air model has a home button.
HTH

She wouldn't be able to Facetime her son.....He's on Android.(OP)..So she would have to use something like Duo anyway. Best stick with Android in this case.

Neil49

You might also find that a smaller screen (8 inch) may be easier for her to handle. I've just moved from a Galaxy tab s2 which is pretty light to a 10 inch galaxy tab s5e. Although the s5e isn't particularly heavy it is certainly more cumbersome to use. 

chrisw

My mum had an Android tablet but it was too customisable so she was forever misplacing icons and accidentally deleting stuff. She manages an iPad really well as it's more locked down so more difficult to mess up. Whenever she gets stuck, pressing the home button resets her back to the familiar home page.

A bit of an issue I found with older tablets is that they are a bit slow to respond. If my mum pressed a button and nothing happened for a couple of seconds she would start randomly pressing other buttons to try and get it to work. But that might just be her!

elsien

Does she need a tablet? What else is she going to use it for? 
81 year old parent has a laptop, kindle fire and a smartphone but in practice she only uses the phone for WhatsApp and to video call people, not the other gizmos. 

ballyblack

elsien said:

Does she need a tablet? What else is she going to use it for? 
81 year old parent has a laptop, kindle fire and a smartphone but in practice she only uses the phone for WhatsApp and to video call people, not the other gizmos. 

I agree. I went down this line and the person only  uses a big screen smart phone android. Whatsapping every grandchild everyday.

Tablet was a waste of money!