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iPad without Windows or Mac OS?

M

monkeyson

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 9, 2007
11
0
I'm considering getting an iPad as a present for my parents when it's released in the UK. I think they would love to use it for the web, news and encyclopedia apps, e-mail, photos, books, and watching BBC iPlayer and other videos.

However... they don't have a Windows PC or Mac (they do have an old PC running Ubuntu which they use for a bit of web browsing and digital photos).

Do you reckon it's feasible to use an iPad + camera connector kit without easy access to a computer running iTunes?

I could bring my MacBook round to do the initial setup and install software updates, and perform occasional backups.

If necessary I could probably set their PC to dual-boot into Windows - but it's taken a while for my mother to feel confident using Firefox on Ubuntu, so I'm hesitant to introduce another completely different desktop OS to her now, and my dad is fairly anti-Microsoft too.
 
It's not a stand alone device. I'd say look at a different tablet or slate model that is. (HP, or joojoo?)
 
Assuming you periodically swing by and sync/backup to your macbook, your parents will be fine. The iPad can be a stand-alone device, within reason of course, and it sounds like their needs would be well within reason. If they have a Flickr account, for example, they can back their photos up online. Or you can get them a Mobile Me or some such online system.

This is what I'm going to do for my Mom, and I live 600 miles from her.
 
scottlinux said:
It's not a stand alone device. I'd say look at a different tablet or slate model that is. (HP, or joojoo?)
Click to expand...

It's the iPad or nothing, I think - the user interface, industrial design, and software pretty much rule out the other options. (My Dad would be so sad if he got a HP Slate instead of an iPad!)

And they won't be using it completely standalone - I am nearby with a Mac if they need to sync with iTunes, and they still have the Ubuntu PC for web sites that don't work on the iPad.

darngooddesign said:
Assuming you periodically swing by and sync/backup to your macbook, your parents will be fine. The iPad can be a stand-alone device, within reason of course, and it sounds like their needs would be well within reason. If they have a Flickr account, for example, they can back their photos up online. Or you can get them a Mobile Me or some such online system.
Click to expand...

That sounds good. I will certainly be able to back things up every so often, and they treat SD cards like rolls of film - when one is filled up they just buy another. Providing in-app purchases (e.g. iBooks) can be redownloaded it seems that backups won't be a problem.
 
scottlinux said:
It's not a stand alone device. I'd say look at a different tablet or slate model that is. (HP, or joojoo?)
Click to expand...


The ipad is a standalone device i have not used my mbp but one time since i got my ipad. But most people would be happy with the and a desktop.
 
sanPietro98 said:
Without a computer (with iTunes) you'd have no way to backup the device. One drop, coffee spill, or power surge and you'd lose all those photos.
Click to expand...

The photos you already have on the computer you used to transfer over to the iPad. Remember no camera?
 
sanPietro98 said:
Without a computer (with iTunes) you'd have no way to backup the device. One drop, coffee spill, or power surge and you'd lose all those photos.
Click to expand...

For photos and notes you could use MobileMe for syncing. Since you won't be taking new photos with this version of the iPad.
 
esserdk said:
The photos you already have on the computer you used to transfer over to the iPad. Remember no camera?
Click to expand...

Maybe the photos are on a digital camera that can be imported directly to the iPad using the iPad Camera Connection Kit.
 
flyguy206 said:
The ipad is a standalone device i have not used my mbp but one time since i got my ipad. But most people would be happy with the and a desktop.
Click to expand...

I don't even have my net book anymore! My brother is going to let me use one of his laptops but I am doing fantastic with just my iPad!
 
chriszzz said:
If it was a standalone device it would not have system requirements.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
Click to expand...

After having an iPad for days, I can safe to say it's a standalone device. The Apple Store employee plugged my iPad at the store and I was all set. True, you want to sync your current stuff from your iTunes library, but it's much easier to access the App Store on the iPad itself.

Since Saturday, I only used my iMac once. iPad sits in front of me and iPhone 3GS on my side.
 
It won't even work without connecting it to iTunes the first time. After that, you never have to plug it into a computer again if you don't want to.
 
This seems like a real opportunity for Apple; they could package a deal between the iPad and MobileMe to create a completely stand alone device and service. Apple could set this up so that you can initiate your iPad through MobileMe and then rely on that for backups.
 
Timothy said:
This seems like a real opportunity for Apple; they could package a deal between the iPad and MobileMe to create a completely stand alone device and service. Apple could set this up so that you can initiate your iPad through MobileMe and then rely on that for backups.
Click to expand...

Yes, agreed! I definitely see this as the next step for Apple.

And I'm confident that it might have something to do with that new server farm they opened up.

I'm thinking about this for my parents as well. The only thing holding me back is the ability to edit PDF documents, which they might have to do from time to time.
 
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