Should I get my wife an iPad as our first Apple product?

[mellojoe]

It is time to get my wife a new computer. Her old laptop broke a long time ago and she has simply been using the house PC (windows based). I have an Android smartphone that I'm in love with: a Dell Streak 5". It is basically a mini-tablet, and it has tought me how convenient a tablet can be.

I've looked at the Android tablets, and honestly, I'm going to pass on those. I don't think Android in any of its current form is polished enough for my wife.

Me? I'm a tech junkie, so I have no problem tweaking and hacking and cooking ROMs, etc. My wife? nope. She's a facebook, tetris, non-tech person.

Things she would use it for:
watch TV shows on the internet
email
facebook
web-games

Now, one caveat, I did a bit of research and the TV shows she wathces (latin/spanish soap operas) are all on flash based websites. Is there a way around this? I think I read that there was. Is it a simple way? Again, I don't want to have my wife have to run around in circles. The point of the iPad vs a traditional laptop would be for simplicity + portability.

I've never owned an Apple product, but I'm enamored with the iPad. It looks the best out of any of the tablets, but I'm nervous because we aren't Apple people. I'm thinking that the iPad and Apple OS must be easy for non-techies; how else could they have sold 12 trazillion of them? (I might be a bit off on those sales figures)

So, an iPad should be fairly easy for her to pick up, right? Or should we stay away and go with a product I'm familiar with so I can help her troubleshoot should it get that way?

 

[applefanboi]

Well you're obviously asking a biased crowd, but I say based on your description of your wife's needs, an iPad would be great.

There is the issue of the flash content. I've not researched anything about it, as I don't deal with it all that much. You can probably jailbreak it though and get a fix that way.

As far as simplicity, it's very simple to use. Just plug it in to iTunes, set it up, and start using! Your wife can definitely have a great experience without getting into the more advanced aspects.

 

[BrindawithanI]

Here's a flash work-around:

http://i.tuaw.com/2011/02/01/flash-friendly-skyfire-browser-for-ipad-gets-updated/

And as far as the rest, it IS very user friendly. My hubby talked and talked about getting me one and I kept telling him I didn't need it because I have an iPhone. He got me the first generation iPad right after the new one was announced for dirt cheap and I'm very glad he did! I LOVE it and use it all the time!!

Most places have a 30 day return policy, so why not let her test drive it! Also, Apple has amazing customer service IMO so no need to worry about issues.

 

[riley9dy]

Yes, the iPad is a great device and extremely easy to use. I've used all of the major tablets and the iPad is by far the easiest to learn... But if she's enjoyed the dell streak a bb playbook might be a better transition because it's not very big and it's extremely light and portable. In addition, it's fairly easy to pickup. Basically, get her an iPad or a playbook and she won't be disappointed.