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Old 11-20-2012, 08:19 AM   #1
ma-skis.com
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So my mother in laws computer finally kicked the bucket and is looking at a new computer or posssbily ipad. Her uses would be limited to things an iPad could do, mail, internet, skype etc. but I wanted to check if it is worth having the ipad without a computer to sync and backup to.

Gut feeling says yes, but I just wanted to check with CP if I am missing some important information here.
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Old 11-20-2012, 08:41 AM   #2
Rathji
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It is possible.

The only obvious downsides that I can think of is that without a PC some things become more cumbersome or impossible. These might include:

- Having a way to move photos from a camera to a permanent storage medium.
- Having a place to backup the iPad and contents. iCloud backups would probably work, but there is a fee for more than 5GB. I assume this also would back up documents and media as well, but someone else would need to confirm.
- Having a PC that your iPad was previously synced to is the only way that I am aware of to reset your password on the iPad, without wiping your device, if you ever forget it. This wouldn't be a big deal normally, but if you don't have easy access to local backups, it might be a bit more annoying.
- Accessing optical/USB media becomes a lot harder
- Using an existing media library would require an external service to be fairly functional, like iTunes Match or Google Music.
- Acquiring new media would be pretty much limited to iTunes. Not a big deal for most people, since iTunes is pretty good.

You can remove and/or soften most of these issues by having a computer that she would be able to use at someone else's house, that her Library would exist on, and she would have access to do backups etc on.
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Old 11-20-2012, 09:26 AM   #3
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From my experience with my Elders - they want to PRINT EVERYTHING. An iPad just didn't work unless I got an AirPrint printer as well and made sure everything was set up foolproof for them.
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Old 11-20-2012, 10:44 AM   #4
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My folks have an iPad and use it almost exclusively, and it's served them well. While it is immensely easier for them then a standard cpu, there are still some tasks that some people just will not get (saving photos from an email is oddly perplexing for them).

I've found having a dedicated PC upstairs in an office has been a benefit to me. It wouldn't need to be anything intense, but there are times when I find it incredibly useful (sharing media being the biggie). A basic $300 box will pretty much do the trick.

Going iPad only is certainly easier than it used to be thanks to iCloud, but having a computer there gives me a few more tools to use when it comes to offering them support.
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