Tablet Questions (again)

Zen

Last year I weighed the costs and pros and cons of a Kindle vs iPad or other tablet for my [then] 6 year old. The Kindle came out ahead and she was very happy with it. Until the screen cracked. I called for repair options and found there are none because the glass is fused.

So now I'm back to square one. The iPad Mini is looking better because they make screen protectors in addition to protective cases. So now the question becomes, what makes the iPad so much better than other tablets 1/4 of the price? And are there parental controls to limit internet use, downloading, and purchases?

ljimpey86

I like the fact that you can literally get ANY accessories for the iPad, since it is so popular. If you end up going with an iPad you should get a lifeproof case. The cases come with a warranty, where if your iPad breaks they will replace it. I have never tired out the warranty, but they seem to think there cases are good enough to protect it.

TheOtherLovingMoms

ljimpey86 wrote:

I like the fact that you can literally get ANY accessories for the iPad, since it is so popular. If you end up going with an iPad you should get a lifeproof case. The cases come with a warranty, where if your iPad breaks they will replace it. I have never tired out the warranty, but they seem to think there cases are good enough to protect it.

Just an FYI, if the iPad breaks they will NOT replace it, been there done that.

ljimpey86

Wow! I have never tried to replace my iPad.... But that's sad to say that they do not stand behind their products and their warranty.

2moms_somewhere

TheOtherLovingMoms wrote:

ljimpey86 wrote:

I like the fact that you can literally get ANY accessories for the iPad, since it is so popular. If you end up going with an iPad you should get a lifeproof case. The cases come with a warranty, where if your iPad breaks they will replace it. I have never tired out the warranty, but they seem to think there cases are good enough to protect it.

Just an FYI, if the iPad breaks they will NOT replace it, been there done that.

If you have Applecare they will replace it. I've had mine replaced twice. I've also had a laptop and iPhone replaced. They do stand behind their products but you do need to get apple care. They will try to fix it first, if they can't, they replace it. I will never buy an Apple product without Applecare again.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/faqs.html

Kari

I bought Juliet a cheap tablet for Christmas because I figured she'd eventually break it anyway. The #1 thing I dislike about it is the battery life. I think I have to charge that battery for 2-4 hours so she can play with it for 1 hour. Seriously a waste of money because the battery is never charged!

I use iPads at work (I'm a computer teacher) and like the fact that so many apps are specifically designed for iPads. There's a much smaller choice with Android apps.

Now, one drawback I find with iPads is that they have very little memory and the apps eat it up quickly. I'm always playing a balancing game of deleting 5 apps so I have enough memory to do a photography project, which then uses up the rest of the memory and I have to delete all the photos or delete a few more apps. My school's iPads are iPad 2's and came with 13 GB usable memory. Every time there's an update, you need about 1 GB free to download the latest updated OS before it can delete the old one.

Speaking of updates, that's another issue I have with iPads. I've used iPads for four years and we've gone from iOS 4 to iOS 8. Apple didn't allow the iPad 1's to update after iOS 5.1, and newer apps won't run on that OS. They're constantly reinventing themselves (think about the iPhone), changing the cables, and making the apps only compatible with the latest operating systems. Annoying. Meanwhile, my Kindle Fire has run perfectly on its original software and it's about 4 years old.

TheOtherLovingMoms

2moms_somewhere wrote:

TheOtherLovingMoms wrote:

ljimpey86 wrote:

I like the fact that you can literally get ANY accessories for the iPad, since it is so popular. If you end up going with an iPad you should get a lifeproof case. The cases come with a warranty, where if your iPad breaks they will replace it. I have never tired out the warranty, but they seem to think there cases are good enough to protect it.

Just an FYI, if the iPad breaks they will NOT replace it, been there done that.

If you have Applecare they will replace it. I've had mine replaced twice. I've also had a laptop and iPhone replaced. They do stand behind their products but you do need to get apple care. They will try to fix it first, if they can't, they replace it. I will never buy an Apple product without Applecare again.

I'm talking about the warranty through life proof with the life proof case. They will replace the case but not the iPad. Yes Apple will replace it if you have apple care. Sorry about the confusion.
http://www.apple.com/support/products/faqs.html

Zen

Bit the bullet and bought the iPad Mini 2. Could not find anything in writing on the Lifeproof sites showing iPad replacement. Checked out Nuud and Fre but could not find in pink or purple. So I ultimately went with the Otterbox Defender in pink. Keeping fingers crossed!

Shanny

Kari - a device that your child can only use for an hour before it dies sounds like a perfect solution to me! (except when traveling as that is the only time she has it for extended periods without being able to charge).

Kari

Shanny, it would be if I remembered to actually plug it in! I teach computer classes and do not understand why there isn't a setting that turns the iPad off after a set number of minutes of activity. I have so many students who can't disconnect at the end of class, and I'd love to see that device just shut off on them - perhaps at the sound of my bell.

Shanny

Sounds like you have a great idea! Maybe you should develop an app that parents can download that would make the device turn off after a certain amount of time???