Well, I'm used to children with obedience and respect, so...Lol, still wouldn't give an iPad Pro to a teenager unless it's a hand-me-down or a heavily discounted older model. If they want a Pro, they can work for it themselves.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All iPads So who else is getting their kids iPads for Christmas?
- Thread starter 1BadManVan
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Doing that to me isn’t showing them the value of money...any kid that age won’t realise how good it is anyway
Obedience and respect for elders is pretty standard and expected in my culture. Growing up, money was kinda tight. We weren't handed things on a silver platter. 🤷🏻♀️
Obedience and respect is expected in my household. The responsibility and maturity is what helped me decide they were ready for a step up.
everyone’s financial situations are different as well, but still needs to be somewhere where you draw the line. Don’t think any young kid needs a pro model
[automerge]1576948468[/automerge]
Wow, just realized that yesterday was my 10 year anniversary being apart of this forum! lol
everyone’s financial situations are different as well, but still needs to be somewhere where you draw the line. Don’t think any young kid needs a pro model
[automerge]1576948468[/automerge]
Wow, just realized that yesterday was my 10 year anniversary being apart of this forum! lol
I have a 7 year-old and a 5 year-old. Both have our hand me down iPad Air 2s. I suspect these are good for another 3 years at least, unless they break. However, they've dropped the iPad Air 2s a few times and it's never been a problem. I have massive foam cases on them that look like this:
BTW, I bought one of them in 2014, and the other in 2015. After 3 years, they'll be 8 and 7 years old respectively.
BTW, I bought one of them in 2014, and the other in 2015. After 3 years, they'll be 8 and 7 years old respectively.
Last edited:
That’s why I chose the air, longevity, more future proof. Unfortunately didn’t have 3 iPads to hand down, just have my own for travelling for work.I have a 7 year-old and a 5 year-old. Both have our hand me down iPad Air 2s. I suspect these are good for another 3 years at least, unless they break. However, they've dropped the iPad Air 2s a few times and it's never been a problem. I have massive foam cases on them that look like this:
BTW, I bought one of them in 2014, and the other in 2015. After 3 years, they'll be 8 and 7 years old respectively.
Obedience and respect for elders is pretty standard and expected in my culture. Growing up, money was kinda tight. We weren't handed things on a silver platter.
Even rich people shouldn’t really
Gordon Ramsey is rich as hell but never gives his kids anything without working for it
My kids are too young for an expensive tablet. They are more likely to break it (3 and a half and 18 months). My older one has a kindle fire HD for kids and I’ve bought the same for my younger child. In a few years they will be ready for iPads but not yet.
It should be noted that arguably the main factor in the iPad Air 2s longevity is its RAM. It had twice as much RAM as everything else at the time.
In contrast, the iPad Air 3 has the same amount of RAM as the entry level iPad.
I think the Air 3 is a good compromise with up to date SOC and enough RAM. I began to upgrade my iPad‘s more frequently some time ago so that the kids could also get usable iPads. Long time Air 2 (was slow with iOS 11) > ipad Gen 6 > Air 3. Gave the Gen 6 to my daughter (now 13) and the Air 2 to my son (now 9) to replace their iPad mini / mini 2. I have set up time limits on them so that they do not watch videos / play games all day long.
I found a good deal for an iPad Pro 11 and couldn‘t resist, so i currently have two iPads for myself. Decided to also keep the Air 3 for myself for now as i have a Logitech Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil for it. I wrote this reply on the Smart Keyboard...
I found a good deal for an iPad Pro 11 and couldn‘t resist, so i currently have two iPads for myself. Decided to also keep the Air 3 for myself for now as i have a Logitech Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil for it. I wrote this reply on the Smart Keyboard...
If you calculate in the value of the wide array of excellent educational apps available, an iPad is cheap.
You don't have to have the best or even the latest, but with a durable case and sensible parental management, the iPad is an essential learning tool for every child of the 2020's.
Fair enough but I’m still pretty confident the air will get updates for several years to come and perform better than the base models as time goes on with the far better soc. Time will tell though but that’s my prediction and why I chose the airs
My 3 year old has only just started using his tablet for more than watching cartoons. I’ll probably get him an iPad for his birthday next year, when I can see he’s showing more interest in other things. However there’s a kindle fire kid’s subscription that I pay for monthly (£1.99) that has thousand’s of digital books, puzzles, games and educational apps for children.
To be honest, I’m biased due to local pricing. The iPad 7 LTE is on heavy discount at my cell carrier (no contract).
32 GB iPad 7 cellular - CAD$359 (US$273)
128 GB iPad 7 cellular - CAD$479 (US$364)
64 GB iPad Air 3 cellular - CAD$819 (US$623)
Last edited:
I gotta say I look at these things like appliances these days, they don't last forever, and are not assets in any stretch of the word. I don't think it makes sense to say that this model iPad is ok for a kid and this one is not. Frankly outside of these forums, and other fanboy sites they all look the same. I suspect the majority of kids don't know the difference when they are under 14?? (Certainly there are examples to be had).
We all have these beliefs on what we should and should not give our kids, etc, and the best part is we can all rationalize those beliefs to the bitter bloody end!
Future Proof - Hmm Any current model will be supported about the same length of time, and the batteries will degrade, and blah blah blah, a justification for a new one!
As a petulant youth I once traded in a car because the tires were bald, so don't listen to me!
We all have these beliefs on what we should and should not give our kids, etc, and the best part is we can all rationalize those beliefs to the bitter bloody end!
Future Proof - Hmm Any current model will be supported about the same length of time, and the batteries will degrade, and blah blah blah, a justification for a new one!
As a petulant youth I once traded in a car because the tires were bald, so don't listen to me!
I did mention that the kids hated the iPad 2 because it was too slow, but of course that's an extreme example. On the flip side, I don't think there will be any complaints about the A8X in the iPad Air 2 my kids have for next 3 years. Same goes for my wife. Even though she has an iPhone XR, she's fine using an iPad Air 2, and so the iPad 7th gen will actually be an upgrade for her.
IMO, in general, for non-content-creation and non-heavy-gaming type usage an iPad with a Geekbench 5 score over 1000 is acceptable, and any iPad with a Geekbench 5 score over 2000 is downright fast. Source: We have the A8X iPad Air 2 and A10X iPad Pro 10.5", as well as the A10 iPhone 7 Plus. The A10 in iPad 7th gen is 1400+, so better than adequate, even if not "downright fast".
So, given that the CPU performance of the iPad 7th gen ought to be fine for my wife for the next several years, my concept of future proofing came down to memory and keyboard support. I also had the option of a very cheap certified pre-owned iPad 6, but the 2 GB RAM and lack of Apple Smart Keyboard support didn't make it as future proof in my eyes, even though its CPU performance is exactly the same as the iPad 7. YMMV.
Last edited:
Not to put to fine a point on it, get the kids a ipad pro 12.9 or a Mac Pro If you like, doesn’t reflect on ones parenting. I can’t understand why the cost of an “appliance” determines if you are a good or bad parent, which is implied throughout this thread, less expensive=better parent somehow. Anyway.
I didn't quite get that vibe from from the thread, but I do think some people would consider a brand new iPad Pro for a kid for example as overkill and spoiling the kid, perhaps giving the kid unreasonable expectations for the future. And truthfully, in some ways I might agree.
Assuming you're on board with iPads-for-kids in the first place, I'd say it makes sense to get the kid something appropriate and not overspending. Just getting a 3rd gen iPad Pro for a 10 year-old kid for no good reason doesn't make much sense. One might wonder if it's just because of conspicuous consumption and peer pressure. Future-proofing can make sense, but that doesn't automatically mean getting the most expensive item either.
It reminds me of a relative's ex-girlfriend. She moved here from overseas to start university. She complained of not having a car so her parents immediately wired her $20000, and her response was to complain because she could only buy an older model used Mercedes and not a new one, to drive back and forth to class. I quickly learned she had no clue about costs of other things in the real world either, because the parents spoiled her rotten back home and she always got the best of everything without having to work for it. Were her parents bad people? Probably not, but perhaps a little restraint on the spending on her during her formative years might have been helpful.
If those options were available to me, I most likely would have went that route but I have been watching the deals since the beginning of November and even in Black Friday there was nothing except the base model wifi. For us the cellular model was something I wanted for them for the day trips throughout the year and the long travelling for camping
Price difference for the 128gb 7th gen and a 64gb air was $80.
Well possibly, but Apple doesn't list ages on their iPads, and I would further argue that junior will survive life without an iPad in the first place to your point. As I stated earlier, and i can't speak to all kids, but mine wouldn't know a pro from an air, and one is finishing his undergrad in Astronomy, just doesn't care, the younger one is still in HS and she may be able to tell me the difference, but frankly I doubt it. They have had current gen tech their whole lives, neither have had less than an A in their coursework, and fully participated in outdoor activity, and sport.
A gold watch, or a fancy car, or the latest high dollar clothing fits into your described paradigm very snuggly and I would agree. You don't create, and learn with a (fill-intheblank) brand of t-shirt, but with a computer a kid can create and learn. I suppose if the tech is a status symbol in the home it could fall into the fancy car category. I do assure you that there are plenty of us that see a house and car as rewards for hard work and the equipment we use a work as tools to earn those rewards.
What is very interesting in my personal case study is that neither of my children ever asked for a piece of tech, I just added tech to their lives without making much of a deal about it, other than challenging them to build something with their minds. Want to play a game? How would you design it? Show me? etc. I found better ways to educate about value of work and reward. Anyway since I am a terrible parent in the first place, it is hard to pinpoint how they have survived!
I am bowing out of this one. All the best.
I see you're in BC. I didn't realize you are also in Canada. This is on Fido, and the deal is available in BC too. The main problem is that this deal is supposed to only be for those who have existing Fido voice/text/data phone plans, so this would be with an add-on tablet plan. However, SOME people have been able to get this deal in-store without being a prior Fido customer.
The deal is CAD$479 for 128 GB iPad 7 LTE, amortized over 24 months but no contract, plus $35 activation fee, but you can get that activation fee waived or at least partially waived. What they do is credit the amount back on the 2nd or 3rd bill. You also have to sign up for their 4 GB $10 data plan, but there is no contract for that either. You can cancel any time. If you cancel right away, then you just owe the $479 + tax, plus the activation fee. However, if you cancel after getting the activation fee credit, you've paid a couple of months of the data plan, which is say $20 or whatever.
For me, I just happen to already be a Fido customer, so it was a no-brainer to get the iPad 7 over the iPad Air 3, since the 7 is heavily discounted but the Air is not discounted at all.
The weird part is they also have the iPad 6 available again with no contract, but it's $1 more expensive than the iPad 7. 🤪 There is also a certified pre-owned iPad 6 option which is cheaper, but which has a bigger device balance than the price might suggest, and which requires you to call in to Fido, meaning you're pretty much guaranteed not to get this option if you're not already a Fido customer.
tl;dr:
That cheap iPad 7 LTE deal is available to you in BC, and there is no contract. The deal is supposed to be for existing Fido customers, but some people have been able to get the deal without already being a Fido customer, if they can find a cooperative salesperson in a store somewhere.
iPad 6 has a similar deal but it actually costs more than the iPad 7, and the iPad Air 3 has no discount at all.
Where I save money though over that Fido deal is I don’t pay any monthly fee to have the tablets connected to my plan. I have the TELUS connect plan where I can add in as many devices as i want for free. So for 3 tablets, that alone saves me $30 a month
My workplace has some kind of agreement with Telus so we get some pretty good discounts. $87 a month for 50gb data, no overages and connect as many devices to it for free (except phones)
[automerge]1577042949[/automerge]
My kids never asked for iPads either but I know they will enjoy themWell possibly, but Apple doesn't list ages on their iPads, and I would further argue that junior will survive life without an iPad in the first place to your point. As I stated earlier, and i can't speak to all kids, but mine wouldn't know a pro from an air, and one is finishing his undergrad in Astronomy, just doesn't care, the younger one is still in HS and she may be able to tell me the difference, but frankly I doubt it. They have had current gen tech their whole lives, neither have had less than an A in their coursework, and fully participated in outdoor activity, and sport.
A gold watch, or a fancy car, or the latest high dollar clothing fits into your described paradigm very snuggly and I would agree. You don't create, and learn with a (fill-intheblank) brand of t-shirt, but with a computer a kid can create and learn. I suppose if the tech is a status symbol in the home it could fall into the fancy car category. I do assure you that there are plenty of us that see a house and car as rewards for hard work and the equipment we use a work as tools to earn those rewards.
What is very interesting in my personal case study is that neither of my children ever asked for a piece of tech, I just added tech to their lives without making much of a deal about it, other than challenging them to build something with their minds. Want to play a game? How would you design it? Show me? etc. I found better ways to educate about value of work and reward. Anyway since I am a terrible parent in the first place, it is hard to pinpoint how they have survived!
That's a great deal. My Telus business offerings aren't anywhere near that good (which is why I'm still with Fido).
Yea I finally left Rogers after 15 years because they couldn’t touch that deal. I also got a xs max for $0 down and $15 a month through them. Over $800 off the phone in total.