iPad Best iPad for 60+ year olds

creativedogmedia · May 7, 2013

Unfortunately, my father is about to undergo some serious chemo and radiation...I'd like to get him an iPad or iPad Mini but having some trouble deciding on which model. He will watch movies but doesnt care about HD which opens up two areas...storage size and screen quality. When he isnt in the hospital both of my parents will use it for things like Facetime to my daughters and FB/general websurfing...they both have iphone 4s' so thinking about the power adapter as well...Thinking new or refurbed ipad 3....retina, older power adapter, more storage for less, etc...

go!

RadDave · May 7, 2013

Hello - NOW, you realize that you will receive comments favoring one or the other so I'm not sure such a post will help - just saying? I've had an iPad 2 for 2 yrs and love the size for reading my mags & books; the larger size is not an issue for me - my wife just obtained the Mini iPad and she 'loves the size' (fits in her purse easier) - now she does complain about the print in her books & mags being somewhat small. BTW, we are of similar age as your parents and have aging eyes, a consideration as to screen size and resolution.

If possible, I would suggest taking your parent(s) to a store selling these devices and let them hold, feel, & use the standard size & the Mini - if they plan to read mags & books and complain about the smaller font size on the Mini, then your question may be answered - I'm sure that either would fill their purposes - good luck! Dave

Rossatron · May 7, 2013

my 2 cents:

if he is going through chemo, that means he will have to spend some time in isolation. how much time? i don't know, but still. for that reason i would go for the biggest volume available - 64GB, so he (or you) can load it up with tons of movies and TV programs possible.

as far as the ipad model - i think that a retina screen will be better (i'm guessing he wears glasses) as the screen is much better, and you can read and view websites without zooming in. plus, it allows one to use it without glasses, with relative ease (i do that).

i hope your father goes through it with success and back to good health

richardmu · May 7, 2013

Go for the iPad 2. 32gb will be more than adequate if you're not interested in the much larger HD movies and don't want to store a huge music/photo library.

I'm in my mid 60s and have tried all the latest full-sized iPads and the mini. Returned them all and decided to stick to the 2 that I bought on release. 32gb with WiFi and 3G. I didn't like the additional weight and thickness of the later versions. The 2 is also very good value now.

The mini was okay but too small for anything but occasional use, and certainly not for watching movies.

gnasher729 · May 7, 2013

ddublu said:
Unfortunately, my father is about to undergo some serious chemo and radiation...I'd like to get him an iPad or iPad Mini but having some trouble deciding on which model. He will watch movies but doesnt care about HD which opens up two areas...storage size and screen quality. When he isnt in the hospital both of my parents will use it for things like Facetime to my daughters and FB/general websurfing...they both have iphone 4s' so thinking about the power adapter as well...Thinking new or refurbed ipad 3....retina, older power adapter, more storage for less, etc...

He may not care for HD, but the retina display makes things more readable, and the older you are, the more useful it is. Refurbished iPad 3 is a good choice.

donnaw · May 7, 2013

I'm 62 and recently spent a good deal of time in the hospital (two major surgeries 3 months apart) so I can empathize a bit.

1). He will probably appreciate a larger iPad rather than the mini. I say this because unless all he does is read books the larger size will be easier on his eyes. If he plans to read a lot get the mini because its easier to hold for long periods.

2). Get one with some storage. I put a couple of seasons of my fav TV shows and a couple of Monty Python movies on mine. Good light hearted entertainment. Hospital wifi was just no good for streaming. My 64G is almost full but worth it.

3). Speaking of easy to hold - get a good case with a stand or at least a stand. An iPad gets pretty heavy even to just balance if using it for long periods and he will likely feel pretty week. I have a STM Grip on mine because the case is really light but has a built-in stand with two angles. Works well on hospital tables. This is important. The iPad will do him no good if he can't prop it up.

4). Doesn't much matter if you get a 2 or a 3, if your budget is limited go for a 2 with more storage. Depending on how much time he has to spend away from home you might consider cell service. As I said, I was in the hospital and the wifi there wasn't much good for much more than a bit of slow surfing. I used my cellular service to Skype my husband and grandkids because my first surgery was done about 2000 miles from home. (I was on vacation with my sister for that one).

Hope everything goes well for him. Load him up with books, games, movies etc. giving his mind something else to think about will be well worth it.

Best wishes to your dad and your family.

Shrink · May 7, 2013

donnaw said:
I'm 62 and recently spent a good deal of time in the hospital (two major surgeries 3 months apart) so I can empathize a bit.

1). He will probably appreciate a larger iPad rather than the mini. I say this because unless all he does is read books the larger size will be easier on his eyes. If he plans to read a lot get the mini because its easier to hold for long periods.

2). Get one with some storage. I put a couple of seasons of my fav TV shows and a couple of Monty Python movies on mine. Good light hearted entertainment. Hospital wifi was just no good for streaming. My 64G is almost full but worth it.

3). Speaking of easy to hold - get a good case with a stand or at least a stand. An iPad gets pretty heavy even to just balance if using it for long periods and he will likely feel pretty week. I have a STM Grip on mine because the case is really light but has a built-in stand with two angles. Works well on hospital tables. This is important. The iPad will do him no good if he can't prop it up.

4). Doesn't much matter if you get a 2 or a 3, if your budget is limited go for a 2 with more storage. Depending on how much time he has to spend away from home you might consider cell service. As I said, I was in the hospital and the wifi there wasn't much good for much more than a bit of slow surfing. I used my cellular service to Skype my husband and grandkids because my first surgery was done about 2000 miles from home. (I was on vacation with my sister for that one).

Hope everything goes well for him. Load him up with books, games, movies etc. giving his mind something else to think about will be well worth it.

Best wishes to your dad and your family.

The perfect post!

My best to your dad, too.

SeanR1 · May 7, 2013

I was in and out of the hospital for chemo a couple of years ago, I had my ipad 1. I think he would appreciate one of these http://wedge-e.net/ a lot.

TJ61 · May 7, 2013

gnasher729 said:
He may not care for HD, but the retina display makes things more readable, and the older you are, the more useful it is.

Bad eyes helps make any screen retina by definition.

My mini should be retina any day now....

Though I love the form factor of my mini, I would think a full size iPad might be a good start if it's going to be a shared item to have around the house. If they end up liking it so much and want portability...well, they're off and running.

Being able to use existing cables is a nice touch, too, though they'll need the larger charger.

If you're going to load movies, you'll probably want at least 32g. I rip my dvds and usually get a 2hr movie down to ~600MB. Otherwise, an SD movie can be up to 2GB.

Regards,
Tom

donnaw · May 7, 2013

TJ61 said:
Bad eyes helps make any screen retina by definition. My mini should be retina any day now....

Tom

More true than some think. To be honest I can't tell any difference between my 3 and my husband's 2 and neither can he. I think the higher resolution makes more difference to younger folks.

The worst thing about getting old is the loss of good eyesight. Sigh......

xlii · May 7, 2013

I'm 59 for only 2 more days so I will give you my opinion. Get the full size iPad for your dad. Our eyes aren't what they used to be and we all have trouble reading the small print. Back when I was 20, 30, 40, I never gave the small print a second thought... now I do.

As for what memory size to get... I would get 32 GB or 16 (if money was an issue).

I would recommend getting a netflix account (8 or 9 bucks a month) to watch movies with. It is a great value. For the price of 2 Starbuck's coffees you can watch movies 24x7.

I wish your dad the best... mine died from a brain tumor when he was 75 and it was really tough.

donnaw · May 7, 2013

xlii said:
I'm 59 for only 2 more days so I will give you my opinion. Get the full size iPad for your dad. Our eyes aren't what they used to be and we all have trouble reading the small print. Back when I was 20, 30, 40, I never gave the small print a second thought... now I do.

As for what memory size to get... I would get 32 GB or 16 (if money was an issue).

I would recommend getting a netflix account (8 or 9 bucks a month) to watch movies with. It is a great value. For the price of 2 Starbuck's coffees you can watch movies 24x7.

I wish your dad the best... mine died from a brain tumor when he was 75 and it was really tough.

Netflix is a good idea for when he's at home or on good wifi.

Happy early birthday! Turning 60 was hard for me. For about 2 days. Now it's all good! Enjoy your birthday

Geekbabe · May 7, 2013

I'm in my 50's, get him a 32GB ipad 4 or a refurbished ipad 3 if your budget is tight. Reading books & magazines, watching movies is a pure pleasure on the retina screen.

charlituna · May 7, 2013

SeanR1 said:
I was in and out of the hospital for chemo a couple of years ago, I had my ipad 1. I think he would appreciate one of these http://wedge-e.net/ a lot.

I don't know about that specifically but you are correct that a solid stand to set it on a bed tray would be good. Many would say just get a smart cover but they are only good if you can 100% guarantee it won't get jogged. And in a hospital you really can't. Folks even in their 20s get leg cramps or shakes, turn over suddenly to barf, nurses bump it moving around the bed.

That's also a reason to get Apple Care. iPads start at like $250 to replace if it's drop, I think $175 for the Minis. That is not a sticker shock you or they would need.

awegew · May 9, 2013

I went through the same decision at Christmas for largely the same thing. I ended up with iPad 2 since it was new. Retina isn't a huge thing since the iPad 2, if you haven't used any of them, is impressive. iPad 3 would be nice if refurb.

I set him and everyone else (those who didn't have one I bought one) up with their addresses pre-built and a pre-built account on gmail for their app store purchases. That way, facetime was easy. I wanted to give the gift, but didn't have time to be tech support for everyone. Everyone's device worked out of the box.

creativedogmedia · May 9, 2013

Thanks for all of the replies. I am picking up a new iPad 3 32gb tomorrow at Target for $449 with a $40 Target giftcard...using that to get an iTunes giftcard. I think this is the best solution overall and I appreciate all of the thoughts. Tough times ahead.

vmaniqui · May 9, 2013

ddublu said:
Unfortunately, my father is about to undergo some serious chemo and radiation...I'd like to get him an iPad or iPad Mini but having some trouble deciding on which model. He will watch movies but doesnt care about HD which opens up two areas...storage size and screen quality. When he isnt in the hospital both of my parents will use it for things like Facetime to my daughters and FB/general websurfing...they both have iphone 4s' so thinking about the power adapter as well...Thinking new or refurbed ipad 3....retina, older power adapter, more storage for less, etc...

go!

hang in there. the first thing that i noticed from your note is about your father. i wish him all the best and i will pray for your dad's recovery. it sure is tough but prayers do wonder. make sure that he have all the nutrients and rest and the ipad is just secondary. ipad 3 will be better for him since it's bigger. spend as much time with him and hang in there. God Bless.

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iPad Best iPad for 60+ year olds

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