Hi!

I use an iPad (64GB WiFi) because arthritis makes it difficult for me to type or sit at the computer for a long period of time. I love to read and have been using eBooks for about 10 years now. iBooks on the iPad is one of the best eBook experiences out there.

I am joining the forum because it is obvious that I'm not getting the efficiency out of the iPad that is possible. Learning new tricks, apply new apps and finding ways to use the iPad more and computer less are my goals.

Thanks for providing a forum where we can learn together!

Hello and welcome to the ipad forum, you have come to the right place, many excellent advisors and experts here

Sent from my iPad using iPF, using iOS 4.3.2

Welcome from me too.

from Somerset UK on my iPad using IPF app

Good to hear from you. You’ll find a whole bunch of iPad enthusiasts in this Forum who are only too willing to help other iPad owners and to hear of their experiences. Don’t be afraid to post any questions you may have or use the ‘Search’ button near the top of the Forum web page. I usually find I discover one new interesting and useful piece of information about my iPad every day - and often not even what I was looking for!!

Hope to hear from you soon with your thoughts about the iPad.

Have fun and enjoy your iPad


If you don’t already have it you can download a copy of the iPad manual for free.

Apple - Support - Manuals

Please read the rules too!!

Forum rules - everybody please read!!

Tim
Scotland

Hi Terryfic,

I just won an iPad in a raffle at a technology conference here in Chicago. I am thinking of giving this to my Mother as a birthday gift, so I just set up this ipadforums user account to fit her profile. She has severe rheumatoid arthritis and cannot effectively operate a regular keyboard. So she does not own a computer. She lives in NY state. I thought an iPad would be ideal for her with its touch screen. I would buy a protective case to prevent damage from spills. I asked a salesperson at a local Apple Store here in Chicago about the iPad's operation and they informed me that it needs to be connected to a pc every 2 weeks or so to download and update content. Otherwise, the salesperson said the unit will essentially collapse.

I was not aware that the iPad is not a stand alone unit. Is this true? What is your experience?

Thank you!

Randall

Originally Posted by Terryfic

Hi!

I use an iPad (64GB WiFi) because arthritis makes it difficult for me to type or sit at the computer for a long period of time. I love to read and have been using eBooks for about 10 years now. iBooks on the iPad is one of the best eBook experiences out there.

I am joining the forum because it is obvious that I'm not getting the efficiency out of the iPad that is possible. Learning new tricks, apply new apps and finding ways to use the iPad more and computer less are my goals.

Thanks for providing a forum where we can learn together!

Originally Posted by JerseyGirl31

Hi Terryfic,

I just won an iPad in a raffle at a technology conference here in Chicago. I am thinking of giving this to my Mother as a birthday gift, so I just set up this ipadforums user account to fit her profile. She has severe rheumatoid arthritis and cannot effectively operate a regular keyboard. So she does not own a computer. She lives in NY state. I thought an iPad would be ideal for her with its touch screen. I would buy a protective case to prevent damage from spills. I asked a salesperson at a local Apple Store here in Chicago about the iPad's operation and they informed me that it needs to be connected to a pc every 2 weeks or so to download and update content. Otherwise, the salesperson said the unit will essentially collapse.

I was not aware that the iPad is not a stand alone unit. Is this true? What is your experience?

Thank you!

Randall

Hi, you do not need to connect to a computer that often, in fact I believe that Tim (post above yours) hasn't connected for a very long time. It will definitely not collapse.

The Archangel

Hi Randall,

Glad you asked. I use my iPad to retrieve and respond to emails, listen to music (have quite an mp3 collection), surf the Internet, check the weather, shop and read books. I do sync it with a PC through iTunes though.
But if I understand correctly, the iPad NEVER needs to be hooked up to a computer if you have downloaded iOS 5 and are using iCloud to sync. You might want to call customer support or check iPad Forums to find out more information.

I've gone considerably longer than 2 weeks without syncing to my PC. If someone who has a notebook computer visits her every 6 - 8 weeks, they could sync her iPad with iTunes on their computer. Depending on how she uses the iPad, that would be more than sufficient.

One thing though - because of my arthritis, I cannot use any of the cases that are out there because they make the iPad too heavy for my hands to hold for any period of time. Instead, I purchased a good quality skin (Zagg) which has worked well to protect the iPad while keeping the weight down. I use a wheelchair and have a bag on the side the wheelchair that holds the iPad when I'm not using it. That way, it is always available.

If she likes reading, you can set it up to download ebooks from her local library and/or from Free Library of Philadelphia ($35 annual fee). She will really appreciate that.

Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

Terry

Originally Posted by JerseyGirl31

Hi Terryfic,

I just won an iPad in a raffle at a technology conference here in Chicago. I am thinking of giving this to my Mother as a birthday gift, so I just set up this ipadforums user account to fit her profile. She has severe rheumatoid arthritis and cannot effectively operate a regular keyboard. So she does not own a computer. She lives in NY state. I thought an iPad would be ideal for her with its touch screen. I would buy a protective case to prevent damage from spills. I asked a salesperson at a local Apple Store here in Chicago about the iPad's operation and they informed me that it needs to be connected to a pc every 2 weeks or so to download and update content. Otherwise, the salesperson said the unit will essentially collapse.

I was not aware that the iPad is not a stand alone unit. Is this true? What is your experience?

Thank you!

Randall

Welcome, from Cali!