If you were 18 and going into LC year next year, what APPLE ipad would you want/need?

nokpam

My daughter will be 18 soon and has used the same ipad throughout her 5 years so far, including through lockdown for remote learning and schoolwork. It was expensive at the time. 126 Gb maybe? Could have been 258. I think it cost about 600 five years ago, so would have been a relatively high spec for the time, though not top end.

For her 18th, I would like to buy her another one, ideally one which will carry her through uni. She has never really used a laptop so I'm not sure that she would be disappointed with just an ipad rather than a MacBook. I'm wondering though, would she need a laptop? Or would an ipad do for everything?

I'm pretty sure, she would not consider another brand so if you are an Apple fan, can you give me some advice? I have never owned an ipad or indeed any tablet at all! I am also an Apple fan (iphone fan) so I understand her loyalty to the brand as I know that they are durable and I find them easy to use. Since it's the only operating system she uses, please don't suggest Android.

So far, I've come across my Armageddon i.e. being bamboozled by the different products. So, ipad, ipad pro, ipad mini, ipad Air - what's the difference? Is there a website where you can compare the specs? She's not a gamer. She would stream/browse/chat/facetime or whatever, but she would also need one that supported applications required at uni (her intention is to do Law or Law with Business - so presumably just the MS Office Suite?).

Thanks for your insight.

👨‍🎓

nokpam

Can I tell you about back in my day.............????? A refill pad!!! That's what we had! And we got through it all haha.

nokpam

I'm also wondering about screen size? Is bigger better? She's not going to be doing engineering, so it's not as if she needs 3 massive screens. That's why I mentioned the type of course she's going into. It's not going to be tech-heavy.

nokpam

She's familiar with Windows operating system I'm sure, if it's a case that she would need an actual laptop. Unfortunately, a Macbook is a little out of range price wise, unless I resort to rounding up a posse in the family to chip in.

It really depends on what she will need. Do students cart laptops around at uni these days? Or is it ipads/tablets?

gameoverdude

Lc student. Air? Forget about it.

You're the parent.

Gimmicky stuff for lc. No need for such an expensive machine. A chrome book will do, if even necessary.

Get the head down and study.

What course will they be doing in college?

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306523#Comment_119306523

The one I mentioned.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306527#Comment_119306527

Oops. Apologies.

Law and business, any newish laptop will do (fairly basic will be enough)

nokpam

She's not familiar with Chrome and to be honest I don't get on with that operating system either. We're not technically minded lol.

I want to buy something that's going to last. As I said, I bought her the first ipad when she went into 1st year in secondary school and she still uses it. I did say - APPLE in bold.

nokpam

It's also a milestone birthday for her, so I want to get her something nice. Right now, I'm not sure that £500 quid worths of a diamond necklace would be appreciated at 18.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306535#Comment_119306535

Yes. I saw that!

Jaysus. If they're going to do such a degree, I dunno, they'd maybe want adapt and learn.

If they're going to get a job after college are they going to reject it because its based on a windows os? Are you sure all the applications work on iOS in university?

From your smarmy comments, I believe you're setting them up for a fall.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306490#Comment_119306490

Ah sure give her a slate and a few pieces of chalk while you are at it granddad.

It will take too long for the young fellas to be drawing and sending cock photos with chalk and slate.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306556#Comment_119306556

You clearly have comprehension difficulties. I said Apple. I explained why. I specifically said not Android though I hadn't anticipated Chrome being thrown from left of field. I'm asking for advice about an i0S Apple ipad. Ok?

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306564#Comment_119306564

Chalk is fierce expensive at the moment.

Handy enough make your own charcoal.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306577#Comment_119306577

I see you have experience in the whole chalk/slate "cock pic" realm.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306556#Comment_119306556

What did you study at uni and what machine did you use. Or were you refill pad territory like myself?

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306575#Comment_119306575

Go to the feckin apple forum so.

My poor baby needs an apple Air cause she's incapable of learning something new.

Again do all the apps for her amazing "potential" degree work on the ios os?

Kinda important question. Waste money if you want and spoil the child.

Maybe give them a bit of credit and not molly coddle them.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306581#Comment_119306581

You lost me, but I'll go with yes.

LeagleEagle747

I used both an iPad and a MacBook for my degrees and she will need the laptop when it comes to assignment time, using an iPad to do your assignments and referencing with OSCOLA is too gimmicky. Nobody bar 3-4 people in my courses used iPads, and those who did only used them for taking notes, they then would go home and complete assignments on laptops. If it's for college I'd go for a laptop over an iPad, Windows isn't too difficult to adapt to, Acer and HP do nice laptops which will do the job without breaking the bank.

If you decide to go for an iPad, she would probably need something with a larger screen size, like the Pro or the Air. The important thing is the storage, Pro will be more value for money once you reach the 1TB storage capacity, anything lower than that the Air would probably be a better choice but these will still be around the same price as a decent college laptop. I would not consider the mini, and even the basic iPad wouldn't be a favourite of mine. Though of course it is completely personal choice at the end of the day.

nokpam

I'm looking at the ipad pro and it's 5G ready. Her sights are set on Dublin. How long until 5G hits? Is it there already?

Dufflecoat Fanny

Get an amazon tablet and a bluetooth keyboard & mouse. Add a microSD for more space. You can install google play on any fire tablet to access all the android apps. Very light and portable kit and cheap. maybe 50 quid extra for the keyboard & mouse and 128gb SD card.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/fire-hd-10-tablet/dp/B08F67XG18/ref%3Dlp_21827659031_1_1

Count Dracula

Get her on a decent diet of crisp sambos, it is a tough year. My folks were fuming when I mixed apples in there, they are hardcore.

Read more Dylan Thomas for starters.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306617#Comment_119306617

Seriously 5g? Here's a hint. Google.ie

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306663#Comment_119306663

Just bought king crisps, butter and brennan's bread.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306614#Comment_119306614

Excellent. You've narrowed me down to the Pro or the Air. I have an Acer myself and I love it. She has never worked with anything other than an ipad. She won't even entertain the notion of a keyboard lol.

Thanks for that. I'm going to go with an ipad. Which? Hell knows. If she's going to require a laptop also, she's not really going to need massive storage space I'm guessing.

I think the Ipad Air is what I will go with. The other ones just seem to have extra storage (2 TB Vs 258GB), larger screens and better cameras? If she's also going to need a laptop, she's not going to need the pro. I think the pro is designed for people who have jobs lol.

https://www.sky.com/shop/mobile/tablets/apple/apple-ipad-air-(2022)?colour=Blue&capacity=256GB#product-details-anchor

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306607#Comment_119306607

Maybe you wouldn't be so bitter if yer Ma was kind to you.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306685#Comment_119306685

She was very kind and her anniversary is on Saturday.

nokpam

And the website's down............

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306575#Comment_119306575

Intriguing idea that one can go through life without using Android. There are some companies like that, not many.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

The biggest most expensive one complete with the $200 pen to go with. I mean, imagine the shame of turning up in September with last year's iPad. The absolute shame of it all.

God forbid you buy a laptop. Lol, are you from the stone age.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306742#Comment_119306742

She has had the same ipad since she was 12. She's now going 18. Hardly a new ipad every year.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306624#Comment_119306624

I'm not sure what part of this sentence, you didn't quite grasp? "Since it's the only operating system she uses, please don't suggest Android."

Is that you Dougal?

nokpam

Her 5 year old ipad still takes all the updates and functions brilliantly while under pressure from an isolated teen for 2 years during lockdown. Their customer service is also excellent.

I had Panasonic when I was dating a very affluent fella back in the stone ages. I then moved onto the very exotic Nokia and I stood by him. Until Apple swiped me eye. I have since gone to Huawei and Samsung (the biggest piece of **** imo) as Apple got notions and I couldn't afford him anymore. I had about 3 months with Samsung and the camera stopped working. It kept dropping calls and all in all, it was useless. So I've gone back to Apple.

I'm in the market for a new laptop myself as I managed to spill a drink all over my Acer laptop. So I was looking at the Chromebooks. I just browse, stream, talk sthite. I've never used any other interface than Windows.

Not everyone is technically minded. Some people just want something easy to use.

radiotrickster

You’re coming across as quite snarky when really you’ve asked this in the wrong forum for serious advice.

Anyway, once she’s a college student, she’ll get discounts on Apple products (through Unidays if I’m not mistaken) so would you give her an Apple voucher worth the cost of an iPad and let her decide what she wants in September? Apple usually do a deal around September too. Last year I think students got free AirPods.

She’ll need a laptop anyway so if you want to go that route, get her a Windows laptop or a Chromebook. It’s expected in practically every course and job nowadays that anyone young can use Windows anyway so she’ll need to get used to it.

Dufflecoat Fanny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306883#Comment_119306883

No abuse of other posters, warning issued

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058253560/if-you-were-18-and-going-into-lc-year-next-year-what-apple-ipad-would-you-want-need

I'd definitely go for either 126 or 258. These non-power-of-two iPads will be collector's items in years to come

nokpam

She's familiar with Windows to an extent, but it would be like me (Windows all my life) trying to come to grips with an iPad. We seriously are not technically minded lol. She uses windows on my laptop from time to time. Who knew that should an unambiguously phrased question could be so misinterpreted.

nokpam

*that such

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306729#Comment_119306729

*that such

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306729#Comment_119306729

Which ones use Android? Give me some stats. The point is, I'm buying her an Apple ipad. Like that or don't like it. If you've advice about apple, then tootle off.

nokpam

It's a friendship thing too when they all have iphones, then they all use Facetime.

She's not snobby. She buys refurbed iphones as I can't feckin afford another one every year. She doesn't need the brand new shiny box. She simply likes iOS She has obviously grown up in a digital age, so will be adaptable, unlike myself.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306917#Comment_119306917

You don't "come to grips" with an iPad so much as you fall into the habit of using one out of comfort and laziness. Much in the same way as you lose your sense of direction if you use google maps for everything or how you'd eventually find it hard to walk anywhere after years of sitting on the couch overeating and watching telly.

I know people who used to be able to use windoze with some degree of proficiency and iPads ruined them over a period of years. What little clue they had about filesystems or computing machines in general has been lost forever. iOS to me is proof that it's possible for something to be too user friendly.

nokpam

I like Apple for phones, Facebook for social media and Google for its maps. My microwave is Samsung. I sleep around.

I like Windows for my laptop and Windows is really the only operating system I've used.

She's not going into computer science. She wants to study law.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306931#Comment_119306931

I sleep around too. I'm glad we have something in common

Ash.J.Williams

surely a keyboard is a must for uni, and even though you can use one with an iPad , the ergonomics wouldn’t be ideal for all that work and will contort her hands spine and neck.

i would get windows myself as she will probably use it in work

for MacBooks use humm finance they’re brilliant and satisfy my lust for expensive guitars

nokpam

I am not brand loyal though my Windows laptop forces MS Edge down my neck with a wonderfully useless search engine called Bing. I am going to kill that thing some day. Lol. 'Did you know which archipelago is the native habitat of a big mountain?

In terms of browsers I use Chrome in the main.

For email, I am with Outlook primarily and gmail. I've danced around with some of the others for burner email addresses using sites like this one. Gmail sends things arseways. It's hard to find what's on sequentially, so I only really use gmail for banking/work related stuff.

My iphone has an app called Maps. I do not use this as it has not the faintest clue what it's doing. I'm pretty sure Google maps have access to military satellites. I never get lost.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306935#Comment_119306935

I doubt it if you're still relying on a compass ;)

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306942#Comment_119306942

...

nokpam

Only Barry's tea for me too

kowloon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306970#Comment_119306970

Green or Gold? I'll judge you harshly if you get it wrong.

Seconding all the people who say she'll need a keyboard for college work. You can't type essays on a touchscreen with any kind of efficiency. If it's a tech-based course she may not be able to get by on iOS at all, best of luck with any CAD software for instance. You don't want to be forking out for another machine later on when your daughter discovers this in the first few weeks of her course.

nokpam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306976#Comment_119306976

Yeah, as I mentioned, she's going into electronic engineering hopefully

kowloon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119306983#Comment_119306983

I'd tell her to either ask what packages they're using or hold off on getting anything until the course starts. Some software won't be available for Macs either, but if she's refusing to use anything else she can run Windows on a Mac for coursework and switch back for everything else. I had a housemate who ran Windows on his Mac for his coursework.

Luckily, the coursework in electronics isn't as demanding on the machine as mechanical, or 3d animation etc. You won't need to order something with the highest spec everything. This is good as Apple have huge markups on anything extra.