I Pad 3

Recently I wrote a post about how I was resisting the latest tablet craze.  Then one day while researching material for a journalism presentation for my students at our co-op, I commented to my husband that I can understand the buzz over this product. 

So when he returned from his trip guess what he brought with him.  You guessed it he brought home the latest and greatest in technology the I Pad 3.  I thanked him and said honey you did not have to get us an I Pad.  Then I asked him, “Did you read my blog post and my stance about these things?”  He replied yes I did but when you mentioned them recently,I thought you wanted one.  So Trinity Academy has been blessed with a I Pad 3.

Here is my honest opinion.  The camera feature is amazing. It is great for reading books.  I have a Nook and the screen on the I Pad is bigger than the Nook so I like that. The battery life is great and it’s a lot easier to carry around than a laptop.  Consequently, when I am doing research I tend to do the bulk of it on the I Pad.  However the keypad is not the best for typing its too small and it’s touch screen is very sensitive so you make more errors. It feels like typing on a large cell phone.  You don’t really get to type but you can quickly navigate around the pad. You can purchase a keypad for an additional $100.  Then the I Pad would be the screen and the keypad would make it feel more like a laptop.  But you can purchase an actual laptop for under $800.  We are in a recession right?  It all seems over the top to me, in my old fashioned mind.

The I Pad is very expensive.  Our current model 16GB Wi-Fi+4G the base price is $629.00. In order to use the 4G features you have to purchase a monthly data plan.  That’s a bit much, but of course you entertain the idea of enabling the 4G feature so you can use it outside of your home.  We have not enabled the 4G features and at this time have no plans to waste our money that way. And I still can’t figure out what you do with it other than play games, read books and use the search engine. We have downloaded a few apps, mostly educational and a few games. The apps and books are purchased for a nominal fee and some are free.  In my opinion its not worth it. This is probably unsettling for the I Pad lovers out there, sorry for this seemingly blasphemous post. 

So you may be wondering, well why did your husband purchase it?  He didn’t, our family was gifted the I Pad from my husband’s very generous uncle.  It’s a nice gift, and we are thankful, but I personally would not spend that kind of money for a tablet. 

Lastly, it goes without saying the boys love it and ask all the time if they can play on it.   Which is another screen time battle.  As much as I try to limit their screen time, the more they get the more they want.  Christopher even mentioned we needed more than one to reduce the fighting over it. Sigh, need I say more. 

 

Christopher is using an app to count money.

 

Joshua counting with a preschool education app.