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Get my daughter a mini, iphone 4s, or ipod touch 5g?

Truefan31

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,590
836
Alright, xmas time coming, my daughter is 8. I had a post earlier about whether to get a nexus 7 or ipad mini, now it's do i get her a ipad mini, ipod touch 5g, or a iphone 4s?

She loves playing with my 4s, but I feel she's a lil too young for a phone just yet. But then a part of me says when she's doing sleepovers or whatever, it's nice if she can call me, as well as use the iphone's gps to locate her if needed.

She wanted an ipad, but after a halloween party where her bff had a ipod touch 4g, she likes the portability of the ipod. I'm just torn cuz i know the ipod 5g isn't a phone, but there's ways around that i've heard? tapatalk, google voice? Can someone elaborate here?

Finally, a mini was at first gonna be what I got her for christmas, but when I asked her which she liked the most between the two (ipod/mini), she said the ipod cuz it's more portable and she said people wouldn't be so inclined to steal the ipod over the ipad mini lol! I love my princess btw.

Any suggestions?
 
Perhaps the iPhone 4S. If you buy one off eBay or Craigslist you can put a prepaid sim in it so that you'll be able to call her, but otherwise it can be used just like an iPod touch.
 
Both? :)

I would think an iPad mini would be more useful (books, learning, etc..) but she wants an iPod touch and that GPS tracking would be a useful feature. As far as phones, you could always call the friends parents house that she stays at and vice versa.
 
kinda of what i thought, you think i can find a iphone 4s under 300 in good condition? I'd prolly buy an att and put net10, simple mobile, or h20 on it if i did it this way.

yeah i know, it's tearing me up right now. the iphone option has the gps feature, whereas the ipad mini/touch do not. The mini would be great for reading for her though.
 
I think they designed the new iPod Touch for people just like your daughter. They are fun, colorful, portable, and can do pretty much everything the iphone can do except make phone calls. I think it would make for a good first step into the new technological world without giving her too much responsibility just yet. Just my 2 cents.
 
Funny though, all 3 devices you mentioned run on the same chip, the Apple A5.

I think it boils down to what your daughter will use it for. And as you already said, she said she prefers the Touch, so I think you should consider that, it's an excellent device in its own right.
 
I'd get a device with built in GPS and 4G data connectivity, so that's either the iPad Mini WiFi+Cellular or the iPhone 4S. You'll love the FindMyChild feature :D

-ITGuy
 
My brother and his friends all use Textfree on their iPods, it does texting and calls. Don't get her an iPhone. It's not going to be a problem for her friends to give her access to their wifi connection for when she needs it.

You won't find a 4S that cheap BTW, not in working good order anyway. The 4 yes.
 
Jessica Lares said:
My brother and his friends all use Textfree on their iPods, it does texting and calls. Don't get her an iPhone. It's not going to be a problem for her friends to give her access to their wifi connection for when she needs it.

You won't find a 4S that cheap BTW, not in working good order anyway. The 4 yes.
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I think it would be hard for an 8 year old to go around asking all her friends parents for their wifi password. Maybe it's more likely done than I think it is but half the people I know can't remember their own wifi passwords. I wouldn't count on her being able to get wifi access everywhere she goes.
 
Process of elimination

Depends on your needs. Does she need a phone? If the answer is yes get the iPhone. Does she just want to listen to music only? If the answer is yes get the iPod. Have a need or desire to do other activities (minus phone calls), consider the iPad. It can be an excellent educational tool. I know this may sound simplistic.

Whenever purchasing new hardware or software, consider your needs first then select the product that serves those needs.

Also, keep in mind that children sometimes want a lot. As the parent (and purchaser) you have ( or should have) the final word :cool:

Oh, if you live near an Apple Store make a trip. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. If it were me I'd make the initial trip without the daughter. After you get all the information take her with you. Children, sometimes, influence parents in a not-so-helpful way in the retail environment Depends on one's parenting skills. It's called the Candy Store Syndrome. Adults sometimes suffer the same malady. The difference is we control the purse strings ;)
 
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She's only 8, and you are about to send her the message that, just because your friend has an iPod, you'll get one from me. I wouldn't buy her any of the above as HER gift.

If you have to get her something, find a used iPod on Craigslist. Call it yours, but let her borrow it. She needs to learn how to own and take care of valuables. Don't buy her anything brand new until she has earned it by showing she is responsible enough to.
 
silverblack said:
She's only 8, and you are about to send her the message that, just because your friend has an iPod, you'll get one from me. I wouldn't buy her any of the above as HER gift.

If you have to get her something, find a used iPod on Craigslist. Call it yours, but let her borrow it. She needs to learn how to own and take care of valuables. Don't buy her anything brand new until she has earned it by showing she is responsible enough to.
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Good advice. :)
 
I suppose it all depends on how important GPS is to you. If she walks home from school herself or something then a 4S is definitely the best option here.

If you're just concerned for her during visits to her friends houses or something then pick the iPod and invest in a prepaid MiFi for those occasions.
 
I would think the iPad mini would have the most to offer, at that age. Great education apps as well as entertainment features. The only thing I'd say is, wifi only and it should stay home, but I'd never tell another parent what to do... neither should anyone else.
 
AJsAWiz said:
Depends on your needs. Does she need a phone? If the answer is yes get the iPhone. Does she just want to listen to music only? If the answer is yes get the iPod. Have a need or desire to do other activities (minus phone calls), consider the iPad. It can be an excellent educational tool. I know this may sound simplistic.
Click to expand...

Good post.

Unless you specifically want her to have a phone, and a recurring bill, I'd skip the phone. I think your first inclination of a Mini was best, she may have seen a Touch and thought it was fun/cute, but ultimately, I think she'd be more engaged with a Mini (especially when she sees it). Assuming she'll be using it around the house, maybe in the car, over at friends houses, a WiFi only device would be more than fine (and again, no worries about monthly costs, overages, etc.)

White Mini with a pink cover :D

silverblack said:
She's only 8, and you are about to send her the message that, just because your friend has an iPod, you'll get one from me. I wouldn't buy her any of the above as HER gift.
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Actually he said he was deciding on the three products, but she saw the Touch and really liked it. It was like he hadn't decided on getting one of them anyway, just trying to determine the _best_ option. :)

As a parent, I don't see anything wrong with any of these products, bought as hers. Scheduled use, not interfering with school, controlled content, etc., and it can be an outstanding device for fun, learning, communication and creativity.
 
silverblack said:
She's only 8, and you are about to send her the message that, just because your friend has an iPod, you'll get one from me. I wouldn't buy her any of the above as HER gift.

If you have to get her something, find a used iPod on Craigslist. Call it yours, but let her borrow it. She needs to learn how to own and take care of valuables. Don't buy her anything brand new until she has earned it by showing she is responsible enough to.
Click to expand...

If you don't trust her with something valuable by actually giving it to her to own and look after, she won't learn. You can put limits on when she can use it and where she can take it.

Regarding the OP's question - the big decision is cellular access, and everything that goes with that.
Will she take it to school?
Does she go to friend's houses?
Are there times when you want to see where she is?
Can you set up the phone and also trust her with not using excessive data?
Are you prepared to spend the extra $30+ per month for the phone bill (4S), or $10 for a tablet?

My three kids all had iPod touch's for a couple of years and two got iPhones (as gifts for straight As) when they went to Middle School (11 years old). Two have saved for and bought their own iPad 2s (one didn't want one). I use the Find My Friends feature a lot with them.

I think a wi-fi mini would be perfect for your situation. Too big to lose or forget or sneak out of the house. You'll be replacing it in a couple of years anyway.
 
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One thing you have to keep in mind is posture. While there is only going to be a marginal difference between screen size of an iPod touch/iphone vs a mini or iPad, it could make all the difference in the world when it comes to neck strain. Kids will tend to sit with the necks extended down to view the screen, and the smaller the screen the more downward strain they put on their necks. The bigger the screen the more upright they will set their neck. When starting at a young age, this will have some long term residual effect on them. My son is 3 and he loves his ipod touch, but I severely limi his use and even do not let him use it sitting down but rather laying on his stomach so his neck doesnt flex. I pre-ordered him a wifi mini so that it could be both portable reduce posture problems. And yes, as long as wifi is connected you could still track them even with the lack of GPS, I do this now with his ipod touch.

I work in the spine field so thats why I am a little bit sensitive to this issue, I have seen some bad stuff out there.
 
I bought my DD the mini because I feel the iPod Touch is just too small for what she'll use it for. Also, I don't need it to be portable for her as she's only 6 and will be monitored anytime she's using it :).
 
christophermdia said:
One thing you have to keep in mind is posture. While there is only going to be a marginal difference between screen size of an iPod touch/iphone vs a mini or iPad, it could make all the difference in the world when it comes to neck strain. Kids will tend to sit with the necks extended down to view the screen, and the smaller the screen the more downward strain they put on their necks. The bigger the screen the more upright they will set their neck. When starting at a young age, this will have some long term residual effect on them. My son is 3 and he loves his ipod touch, but I severely limi his use and even do not let him use it sitting down but rather laying on his stomach so his neck doesnt flex. I pre-ordered him a wifi mini so that it could be both portable reduce posture problems. And yes, as long as wifi is connected you could still track them even with the lack of GPS, I do this now with his ipod touch.

I work in the spine field so thats why I am a little bit sensitive to this issue, I have seen some bad stuff out there.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice. I may have to pass this along to my friend who is thinking about getting either an iPod or iPad for her son.
 
silverblack said:
She's only 8, and you are about to send her the message that, just because your friend has an iPod, you'll get one from me. I wouldn't buy her any of the above as HER gift.
Click to expand...
So, how do you buy your kid anything if their friend has one already? Oh, my kid's friend already has a lego set - can't buy it now cause he/she will think it was only because their friend had it.

How does that make any sense?
 
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