# Anybody bought an iPad (or the like) for their better half?



## DiscoDriver (Oct 27, 2009)

Wife has discovered Facebook and is driving me nuts taking over my desktop PC for hours at a time. I am thinking something like an iPad would be perfect as she can Facebook on that and leave me in peace (we already have 2 laptops, but she doesn't seem to want to use either of them - one's a 17" so pretty big and the other is a netbook with a diminutive screen).

I have considered an ExoPC slate which is priced similarly but could be useful for me as well, but at the end of the day I want something that is exceptionally easy to use (my wife not being a computer geek) and think that an iPad would be ideal.

Can anyone share thoughts and especially experiences?


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Done exactly that for my fiencee. She had an really bad netbook which had no battery lift. She often would rather use her iphone to browse than the laptop.

For her its ideal as its simple to use, great battery life, all the various apps that she already uses on the iPhone.


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## byrnes (Jul 15, 2008)

I bought an ipad the day they came out. Mainly because i wanted one. But also so we have a device for browsing the Internet. IMHO it's paid for it's self. It gets used every day, it stays in our living room and it's used by both my parents and brother even tho we have two computers in the house.
It's so intuitive, my 50+ year old mum uses it much easier than our computers. It's simply a joy to use. I jailbroke ours so we can get some free apps.
If their is ANYTHING easier/better to browse the net I've not found it. 
I'd get one, best investment you will make!


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## gargreen7 (Apr 12, 2009)

im an avid apple user, having had every iphone, ipods and run a macbook and an iMac, i do want one to complete the family but they seem to be a lot of money for everything my iphone 4 can do


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

gargreen7 said:


> but they seem to be a lot of money for everything my iphone 4 can do


This was my thought originally until I used a friends - it does most things the iPhone does but it does them much better. When devlelopers have developed proper iPad apps they use the extra screen footprint really well. Watching streaming TV is just so much more confortable on the iPad, apps like SkyNews, BBC News, etc they are all soooo much better on the iPad than the iPhone.
Again browsing - the resolution means that you can view most sites without having to zoom and out.


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## gargreen7 (Apr 12, 2009)

Only had a brief play with one myself. My thoughts were you would really need a use for it to buy one. As much as I want one, I would be buying one just for the sake of it. But if you can warrant it then why not I guess


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## -Adam- (Dec 8, 2010)

I do like apple products, I have had a fee iPods and two iPhones now and I must admit they are simple to use and by far the beat quality!

However the iPad doesn't cut it for me, my iPhone 4 can do more than it, plus I already pay 40 a month for the iPhone so why would I want to get an iPad which I will have to pay another 15 - 20 a month for plus 500 to buy? I understand you can get a wifi iPad but if you take it out of the house to use then you would have to be in a wifi hot spot to use which could get very annoying.

Have you thought about getting her an iPod touch? Does everything the iPad does but at 1/5 the price.


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## who45 (Feb 8, 2008)

alot of money to just use facebook imo, i dont understand why she wont use a laptop, esp if you have 2, seems 500 quid to risk on an item she may decide she doesnt like its interface or get on with the way it works. you may find she likes the simple point and click a desktop offers. 

wire up a laptop on a table, keep it open and buy a mouse - she has a desktop of her own, my mum isnt the smartest cookie on laptops or desktops but even she can turn it on, double click internet explorer and type in a web page, hell she can even print and copy stuff from the camera........ maybe its the screen size she is really liking which is the desktops attraction - if so the ipad is money very wasted.

im very anti ipad, i see its technilogy and its cool in what it does, but its a glorified iphone without the phone, for the money it costs id expect to be able to do pc stuff on it too - not just be a swanky browser, ipod


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

-Adam- said:


> Does everything the iPad does but at 1/5 the price.


Just it doesn't

BTW - MiFi / PDANet and then there is no need for a 3G iPad as long as you have your iPhone with you.


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

Rob_Quads said:


> Just it doesn't
> 
> BTW - MiFi / PDANet and then there is no need for a 3G iPad as long as you have your iPhone with you.


Why carry an iPad AND iPhone, seems daft to me.

I do want an iPad myself but I think it's a dud investment. Got the iPhone and a very capable Vaio at home. I do sometimes use my phone to browse the net but at the end of the day my laptop boots up quick and will do everything. I don't see a need to have technology THAT portable. It to me reinforces the fact that we can't lead our life without gadgets.

I was in pc world recently and I seen a guy looking at laptops then looking at them on the iPad on pc world website. What's the point in that? The laptop itself and all the details are right in front of you.

To the OP I think it's a lot of money and a big investment to make. iPod touch is a useful idea if it's just essentially for facebook and infrequent browsing. My mum and dad use the iPod touch to browse and buy from amazon, it's perfect. At the end of the day it's up to you.


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## Andyuk911 (Sep 10, 2006)

An alternative ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11163687


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

The new ipads due in feb isn't it? I'd wait.


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

Have you considered a netbook?


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## Justin182 (Jul 18, 2006)

I bought an iPad recently, and my laptop hasn't been on since (apart from syncing the iPad).. Its SO much better for casual surfing the net, videos, emails etc when sitting on the couch. Its quicker, smoother, doesn't heat up, slicker, nicer to look at. Superb. One great app is the daily newspapers which I download in the morning when having breakfast. Magazine apps etc are also good. I've not used it much for gaming. 

As for the 3G model, I never take mine out the house so went for the Wifi one. None of the other competitors come close IMO.

I find my iPhone pretty crap for surfing, the screen is too small. Yes its great when out and about, but I don't want to be sitting in the house/in bed and staring at a little 4" screen.. As a surfing tool, its very good


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Justin182 said:


> I bought an iPad recently, and my laptop hasn't been on since (apart from syncing the iPad).. Its SO much better for casual surfing the net, videos, emails etc when sitting on the couch. Its quicker, smoother, doesn't heat up, slicker, nicer to look at. Superb. One great app is the daily newspapers which I download in the morning when having breakfast. Magazine apps etc are also good. I've not used it much for gaming.
> 
> As for the 3G model, I never take mine out the house so went for the Wifi one. None of the other competitors come close IMO.
> 
> I find my iPhone pretty crap for surfing, the screen is too small. Yes its great when out and about, but I don't want to be sitting in the house/in bed and staring at a little 4" screen.. As a surfing tool, its very good


I fired up the pc today for the first time since I got my iPad last month, just so I could update it.

I have a touch & owned a 3GS iPhone , they are good but this does everything


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

you cant play the facebook games on it as apple does not support flash on it as security risk.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Agree with Justin completely. People seem to miss the point of them. Think quick, slick web surfing. iPhone is good but the screen is too small for prolonged use.


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## -Adam- (Dec 8, 2010)

Jace said:


> I fired up the pc today for the first time since I got my iPad last month, just so I could update it.
> 
> I have a touch & owned a 3GS iPhone , they are good but this does everything


Except phone calls which the iPhone, dell streak and galaxy tab do.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

It's not trying to be a phone though? Who wants two numbers?

It's a big iPod touch if anything.


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## A20 LEE (Feb 20, 2007)

I bought an ipad about a month ago and its briliant, i,ve not put it down since getting it. Goes everywhere with me.


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

If it was me i would be going with the samsung as it runs the android system and in my eyes its 10 times better then apple. And thats coming from an apple fan.


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## cdti_sri (Jul 17, 2006)

I picked up an advent vega, received it yesterday n I am very impressed. Compared to the ipad the screen is not quite as sharp looking, but it is very responsive. Once I put the mocado custom ROM on it now has flash and is capable of usb hosting! HDMI output is great as is its capability to play 1080p videos.


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

cdti_sri said:


> I picked up an advent vega, received it yesterday n I am very impressed. Compared to the ipad the screen is not quite as sharp looking, but it is very responsive. Once I put the mocado custom ROM on it now has flash and is capable of usb hosting! HDMI output is great as is its capability to play 1080p videos.


i was going to ask if anyone had bought a vega yet.any chance of a quick review mate ?? dont really like the look of the "ipad"


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

Jace said:


> I fired up the pc today for the first time since I got my iPad last month, just so I could update it.
> 
> I have a touch & owned a 3GS iPhone , they are good but this does everything


So you need a PC/MAC to update it? So you can't just have an ipad.


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

ryanuk said:


> If it was me i would be going with the samsung as it runs the android system and in my eyes its 10 times better then apple. And thats coming from an apple fan.


I got the Samsung in the end.

One thing that does annoy me to hell is the fact that the HDMI dock will NOT play media (WMV) that is bought through Samsung movies site. It will play other file types though.


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