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Parent's first iPhone

R

rfs2005

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 20, 2008
41
0
I just pre-ordered my iPhone 5. I decided to give my "old" 4S to my mom. She has never used an iPhone before, and this phone will also be her first touch screen/smartphone. She currently uses an old POS Nokia flip phone that is dying a slow death.

She won't have a data plan to start, as she barely uses the internet as it is. Her main concern though, is sharing pictures, either by e-mail or transferring them to her PC.

What are some good resources for a beginning user? She's not the most tech savvy person out there, either. Does the Apple Retail Store offer introductory help for the iPhone? Are there videos on Apple's site or somewhere else that would be good for her to watch?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
She needs a data plan, you will pay ridicolous prices if you try to not pay for one.
 
rfs2005 said:
I just pre-ordered my iPhone 5. I decided to give my "old" 4S to my mom. She has never used an iPhone before, and this phone will also be her first touch screen/smartphone. She currently uses an old POS Nokia flip phone that is dying a slow death.

She won't have a data plan to start, as she barely uses the internet as it is. Her main concern though, is sharing pictures, either by e-mail or transferring them to her PC.

What are some good resources for a beginning user? She's not the most tech savvy person out there, either. Does the Apple Retail Store offer introductory help for the iPhone? Are there videos on Apple's site or somewhere else that would be good for her to watch?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Why don't you show her yourself?
 
I will show her most of it myself. Just thought it might be more helpful for her to learn from an outside source. I'm more of an "advanced user", so I might skip over some of the basic details.

----------
nostresshere said:
She is REQUIRED to have a dataplan on any smart phone.
Click to expand...

I realize that now. I just went back and forth with AT&T over this. They didn't waive the requirement, but did put a $100 credit on the account.
 
Most carriers automatically charge you for a data plan as soon as the phone is registered on a line.

Next they will notify you of the change & give you an opportunity to select a more expensive plan. Be prepared by looking on their site.
 
Do Apple stores do tutorials in the US?

Over here they do, I always see middle aged to elderly people having a round-table basics tutorials in the Apple store here.
 
sparkyms said:
Do Apple stores do tutorials in the US?

Over here they do, I always see middle aged to elderly people having a round-table basics tutorials in the Apple store here.
Click to expand...

That's mainly what I'm wondering. If they do offer tutorials, are they offereed via scheduled group sessions, or just a one-on-one basis via walk-in or appointment? I think a tutorial from Apple at a Retail Store would be the best way for my mom to learn the new phone.
 
My dad is upgrading from a Cingular Razr. I'll make a thread when he gets his 5. :D

Just help your Mom out throughout the day.
 
iEnvy said:
My dad is upgrading from a Cingular Razr. I'll make a thread when he gets his 5. :D

Just help your Mom out throughout the day.
Click to expand...

When I got the 4S I gave my mom my old 4. She too was coming from the original Razr. Lol, she is so happy that she has her new iphone now and now my dad is wanting one too.
 
haxrnick said:
When I got the 4S I gave my mom my old 4. She too was coming from the original Razr. Lol, she is so happy that she has her new iphone now and now my dad is wanting one too.
Click to expand...

They grow up so fast don't they? :D
 
My 75-year-old mother got an iPhone 4s last year. The biggest challenge she has is understanding the concept of touch screens. She can't seem to differentiate between touching an icon and pressing a button, so what happens frequently is that she "presses" an item on the screen, often holding it down waiting for some kind of tactile feedback like a real button would provide. Needless to say, this causes a lot of problems for her navigating through screens and apps.

Try as I might to retrain her, 5 minutes after I leave her to her own devices (literally), I get a call (from her land line) asking, "Why are all my icons dancing on the screen?" :eek:
 
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