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Recommendation Please?

P

patchouli

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 20, 2010
74
0
Ontario Canada
I want to buy my 2 boys iPads for xmas.. we don't usually spend that much money (they are 11 and 13 years old).. and we'll need to get them stocking stuffers and xbox live memberships and etc also..
I've done some reading, and it seems the ram in the ipads isn't that great for multitasking.. and I'm wondering if y'all think it would make better sense to wait until next xmas to get the iPad 2?
Would you get your boys little inexpensive laptops instead? Or go with the iPads as they exist right now?
Another thing that bugs me is that here in Canada, I can't see anywhere where I can get 'accidental damage' coverage.. and boys being boys... I'm thinking that might be worth the cost, IF it were available.
They have old PC desktops which they can use for 'real work' (school work, storage, etc).
I was going for the 'wow factor' with the iPads.. but I don't want to think that money will be wasted if a way better version 2 comes out.
Any advice for me?
Thanks
 
You will get a wide variety of opinions... so here is mine :D

The iPad right now is an awesome device. I love my 64GB 3G version, and I am sure your kids would enjoy it and use it as well. As far as multitasking, I don't really have any issues with it, and I doubt your kids would either.

Concerning the next generation iPad... we don't know anything.
We don't know when it will be released, but likely late March or early April
We don't know what it will include, but likely a front facing camera, better screen and more RAM

But those are just speculation and nothing more

If you wait till next Christmas you may be facing the same questions regarding a 3rd generation iPad

Nobody can make those choices for you
But I believe at the age your children are, they would rather have an awesome device right now for Christmas than the promise of "something that might be better at some point in the future."
 
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Do it now and go with the refurbished ones from apple to save some $$$. No sense in waiting till next year as macdawg said. Only big decision now is size and 3G or not 3G lol

If using them alot out & about 3G may be needed otherwise wifi only would be fine. And for those ages I'd say the 16gb will be more than enough to fill it with music, a few videos and of course games/apps.

Idk if ull find a good insurance tho so you may want to invest in some nice cases like the otterbox to kind of help with the occasional drops.

Good luck :)
 
Would love to buy a refurb one and save fifty bucks, but unfortunately the Canada online store doesn't have them for sale.
I looked into how I could buy one from the US store, but I'd have to have it shipped to a US address and then ask the US resident to ship it to me..
And also would have to call credit card company to ask them to add a US billing address to the credit card.. ????
What a pita!!!!!!
 
My two cents, and please don't take this the wrong way, but unless your boys are big into apple and technology, they likely wont know/care about ipad2 nor will they care about the specs of the current version.

You mention you've read things that say the amount of ram in the iPad isn't good enough for multitasking. Whoever wrote these things either doesn't own an iPad themselves, or is trying to multitask with infinity blade, angry birds, and 10 other apps all while listening to pandora. The reality for me is that i have safari pandora, and a few games all "open" and do not suffer any performance issues.

I say get your boys the iPad and enjoy the looks of amazement and excitement on their faces christmas morning.
 
SteveAbootman said:
My two cents, and please don't take this the wrong way, but unless your boys are big into apple and technology, they likely wont know/care about ipad2 nor will they care about the specs of the current version.

You mention you've read things that say the amount of ram in the iPad isn't good enough for multitasking. Whoever wrote these things either doesn't own an iPad themselves, or is trying to multitask with infinity blade, angry birds, and 10 other apps all while listening to pandora. The reality for me is that i have safari pandora, and a few games all "open" and do not suffer any performance issues.

I say get your boys the iPad and enjoy the looks of amazement and excitement on their faces christmas morning.
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense, thanks!
 
Seeing your posting brought back to mind this morning in church when the Pastor had the little kids up front for their message. He began by asking what they wanted for Christmas, and one little four or five year old said quite loudly (so mom and dad could hear?) an iPad. :D

How quickly they do learn.
 
sfphoto said:
I would recommend the iPod Touch.

Young eyes are going to find the Touch screen large enough.

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod/ipod_touch?mco=MTkyNDcwODk
Click to expand...

I agree (unless they already have iphone or ipod touch).

I would also recommend getting them 32GB ipod touch 4th generation that was released in Sept 2010.

The ipod touch is probably a more appropriate choice for 11 and 13 year olds. It's more portable than ipad. It's marketed more as a "gaming" device. They can put their music on it and listen to it. Basically carry the little device all around.

Plus you would save $$$. For the price of 2 ipod touch 32GB, you would probably only get 1 ipad.

Factor in that the ipad is a first generation device and the ipod touch is 4th generation.

Get the ipod touch with it's retina display, the kids will be "wowed" by it as a gift also.

iPod Touch 4th gen and iPad both run on same A4 1GZ processor (although apple probably downclocks the ipod touch to conserve battery). But I am sure the kids aren't into the specific "tech specs" as we are.
 
sfphoto said:
I would recommend the iPod Touch.

Young eyes are going to find the Touch screen large enough.

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod/ipod_touch?mco=MTkyNDcwODk
Click to expand...

aneftp said:
I agree (unless they already have iphone or ipod touch).

I would also recommend getting them 32GB ipod touch 4th generation that was released in Sept 2010.

The ipod touch is probably a more appropriate choice for 11 and 13 year olds. It's more portable than ipad. It's marketed more as a "gaming" device. They can put their music on it and listen to it. Basically carry the little device all around.

Plus you would save $$$. For the price of 2 ipod touch 32GB, you would probably only get 1 ipad.

Factor in that the ipad is a first generation device and the ipod touch is 4th generation.

Get the ipod touch with it's retina display, the kids will be "wowed" by it as a gift also.

iPod Touch 4th gen and iPad both run on same A4 1GZ processor (although apple probably downclocks the ipod touch to conserve battery). But I am sure the kids aren't into the specific "tech specs" as we are.
Click to expand...

OMG! Now you have given me more research to do! I had never even considered an iPod.. only because I really had no clue what it was.. is it a phone? is it an mp3/4 player? So.. I had a look.. and wow! Ya! I'm going to have to look into this! And.. even worse. they had asked for one LAST year.. but I brushed it off because they already HAVE an mp4 player and I don't WANT them to have a cell phone.. and I didn't know an iPod was anything more than that! I've really got to get with the GAME! The price certainly makes me more comfortable, and also waiting for the inevitable upgrades to the iPad would be great too... I think we're onto something here.. thanks for your thoughts!

If anyone has a minute... I AM going to look into this on my own, don't worry.. but really.. what IS this thing?? Is it ALSO a phone? Oh nevermind, too many questions, I'll just start reading!
 
patchouli said:
If anyone has a minute... I AM going to look into this on my own, don't worry.. but really.. what IS this thing?? Is it ALSO a phone? Oh nevermind, too many questions, I'll just start reading!
Click to expand...

The iPod is an Mp3 player, and the iPod touch runs iOS and basically is like an iPhone without the phone part.
 
patchouli said:
If anyone has a minute... I AM going to look into this on my own, don't worry.. but really.. what IS this thing?? Is it ALSO a phone? Oh nevermind, too many questions, I'll just start reading!
Click to expand...

No, it's not a phone. It's just a small iPad. Also, there's no 3G version, the only way to connect to internet is through wifi. Oh, the most recent model has cameras, and can do video chat, which the iPad doesn't do. But those are about the only differences, apart from screen size.

Oh, and if you don't want your kids to have cell phones, you should be aware that both iPad and iPod touch can be used to send and receive text messages, both to other iPads/iPod touches and to cell phones.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your help you guys!
What I'm getting is that the iphone, itouch4, and ipad.. are basically all the same except:
-the iphone is the only one that is or can be a cellphone
-the ipad is larger
-ipad does not require a contract for 3G service
-iphone requires a minimum 2 year contract for 3G service which includes cellphone?
-ipad doesn't have retina display, facetime, videoconferencing, video recording, front & back cameras, 'find-my-ipad'?,
-iphone supports tethering but ipad does not
-apparently all 3 devices can connect to the internet using wifi.. so why does an iphone require 3G contract if phone part is not needed at a given time?

Canada Pricing:
iphone 32g $779
ipod touch4 32g $319
ipad 32g wifi only $649
ipad 32g wifi + 3G $779

I am only trying to distinguish the differences because if an iphone and an ipod-touch are the same except for the cellphone/3G part, I was thinking that even if my boys don't need the cellphone part right now, they will later... and if they had an iphone with 3G later, couldn't they use the 3G part of that to enable a future ipad by tethering? Or am I just completely over my head here and I should just go back to my antique PC and be quiet? :D
 
Night Spring said:
...... Oh, and if you don't want your kids to have cell phones, you should be aware that both iPad and iPod touch can be used to send and receive text messages, both to other iPads/iPod touches and to cell phones.
Click to expand...

They can also receive emails on an ipod, correct? What is the difference? Is there one? Except emails can be sent to anyone with an email account whether or not they have an Apple product? Forgive my technotardedness.
 
It's important to know that the iPod Touch does not feature the same screen as the iPhone 4, although they share the same resolution.

I suggest you give AnandTech's review of the iPod Touch (2010 model) a look.

Things that differentiates the iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch are; display, camera, GPS, and amount of ram.

iPod Touch only has 256MB versus 512MB of the iPhone 4.
The camera is weaker in the iPod Touch and it has no GPS.

But again, the iPhone 4 is much, much more expensive and the iPod Touch has most of the features and would still satisfy their needs.
 
Pressure said:
... I suggest you give AnandTech's review of the iPod Touch (2010 model) a look.

Things that differentiates the iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch are; display, camera, GPS, and amount of ram.

iPod Touch only has 256MB versus 512MB of the iPhone 4.
The camera is weaker in the iPod Touch and it has no GPS.

But again, the iPhone 4 is much, much more expensive and the iPod Touch has most of the features and would still satisfy their needs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, very informative, and everything falling into place as far as confusion factor.
 
sfphoto said:
I would recommend the iPod Touch.

Young eyes are going to find the Touch screen large enough.

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod/ipod_touch?mco=MTkyNDcwODk
Click to expand...

I'd go with this option also.

If I was thinking about the iPad for a kid IMO I would wait for v2 only because more memory would come in handy for games(EA Sports type games)/multitasking and also I'm not sure how you are about your kids being online or chatting with friends but they may would like the camera for FaceTime and other video chatting with friends.

Also you mentioned xBox live so they like games, unless they asked for an iPad or have a need for one, the wow factor is going to wear off pretty quick. I'd go with the ipod touch, portable, music, videos, games and if jailbroken load some gameboy emu's on it two low end ipod touches cost about the price off one iPad, that other $500 you could put toward them some xbox games :)

ETA: I wish I had read aneftp reply because that's pretty much how I see it, buy the two ipod touches and the money saving buy more xbox games, itune cards and other things for stocking stuffers
 
patchouli said:
Thanks for your help you guys!
What I'm getting is that the iphone, itouch4, and ipad.. are basically all the same except:
-the iphone is the only one that is or can be a cellphone
-the ipad is larger
-ipad does not require a contract for 3G service
-iphone requires a minimum 2 year contract for 3G service which includes cellphone?
-ipad doesn't have retina display, facetime, videoconferencing, video recording, front & back cameras, 'find-my-ipad'?,
-iphone supports tethering but ipad does not
-apparently all 3 devices can connect to the internet using wifi.. so why does an iphone require 3G contract if phone part is not needed at a given time?

Canada Pricing:
iphone 32g $779
ipod touch4 32g $319
ipad 32g wifi only $649
ipad 32g wifi + 3G $779

I am only trying to distinguish the differences because if an iphone and an ipod-touch are the same except for the cellphone/3G part, I was thinking that even if my boys don't need the cellphone part right now, they will later... and if they had an iphone with 3G later, couldn't they use the 3G part of that to enable a future ipad by tethering? Or am I just completely over my head here and I should just go back to my antique PC and be quiet? :D
Click to expand...

That all seems pretty accurate to me. I'm not sure what the situation is in Canada but in the UK you have two choices when buying a mobile phone. You can either buy it subsidised from a mobile operator which ties you into a 2 year contract or you can buy it unsubsidised and unlocked from Apple and choose your own mobile operator. The price that you quote looks like an unsubsidised price to me, in the UK the on-contract prices are pretty close to the price of an iPod Touch.

The limits on tethering an iPad to an iPhone are probably a business decision by Apple, they would prefer you to pay the extra for a 3G iPad. Possible ways around this include jail-breaking the iPhone, using the WiFi hotspot function of an Android phone or buying a MiFi device.

If you buy unlocked and contract free iPhones then your kids could use them as fancy iPod Touchs until you decide to give them mobile service. I'm not sure now well this would work though. The mobile phone market is moving so quickly that in a couple of years time an iPhone 4 is going to be distinctly out dated. Plus Apple tends to drop support for older models after around 3 years.

Personally if I was you I would try to get some hands-on time with an iPad and an iPod Touch at a local store. The difference in screen size does make a really dramatic difference in what is possible on the iPad. It would be possible to do school work on an iPad (especially if you also buy a keyboard); in comparison an iPod Touch is closer to being a pure toy.
 
If it's going to be for school work I'd get a cheap laptop. To me that would be better for web researching and the flipping back to a document to type a report up. Also are your kids allowed to have iPads or Notebooks at school? Not sure how the schools are over here but if it's like the public schools I rather them not take it to school, theft would be a big concern of mine.

Then you'd have to looks at getting a printer that supports printing from an iPad.

I think your kids would be happier with and use the touch more
 
patchouli said:
They can also receive emails on an ipod, correct? What is the difference? Is there one? Except emails can be sent to anyone with an email account whether or not they have an Apple product? Forgive my technotardedness.
Click to expand...

I just thought one reason you didn't want your kids to have cell phones may be that you are concerned about excessive texting. I see from your subsequent posts that you simply think they don't need cell phones yet.

Oh, and "Find My iPhone" works for iPad and iPod touch as well, sort of. on a 3G iPad, Find My iPad works exactly the same as on an iPhone. On wifi-only iPad and iPod touch, the location info may not be as accurate, or may be unavailable if there are no known wifi hotspots nearby. But you should turn Find My iPhone on on all devices, just to increase your chances of recovering them in case they get lost.
 
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