iPad Compatability question

[chachzilla]

My parents were thinking about getting an iPad. Sadly, I discovered that the system requirements state "Mac osx 10.5.8 or later." My parents have 10.4.11 and don't really need to update the OS except to use Apple's new devices.

I'm not used to anything other than software having system requirements. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. What does the computer's OS have to do with the portable device's functionality? (it's even more puzzling with the iPods. Why does a shuffle require osx 10.5.8? It's essentially an SD memory card.)

Anyway, I don't want to get into too much of a rant. I was just wondering if anyone found themselves in a similar situation. Has anyone found a work-around?

 

[epb]

I'm not used to anything other than software having system requirements. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. What does the computer's OS have to do with the portable device's functionality? (it's even more puzzling with the iPods. Why does a shuffle require osx 10.5.8? It's essentially an SD memory card.)

The requirements aren't for the devices themselves, but rather for the versions of iTunes you need to run to make them fully functional.

 

[wrecklass]

It isn't unusual to require a newer OS for software to run on. Of course the fact that it makes you pay to upgrade never occurred to them </sarcasm>

 

[photocat]

itunes is free, it doesn't cost anything to upgrade

 

[King Hal]

No, but you have to pay for the latest OS to run iTunes. I discovered, for example, that the latest upgrade to the MobileMe calendar requires Snow Leopard!

 

[Hasty]

Fact of life sadly. Software developers write to exploit current software/hardware which means older versions fall by the wayside.

That said your parents could get the iPad initialised at an apple store and ignore syncing and backing up. They would only need access to iTunes when the iOS is updated in November.
Frankly I never bother with backup and syncing via iTunes (takes too long) as the pad is so stable and the apple store remembers what I've bought.
The key is not to save anything critical on it.
That said I do use cloud syncing using dropbox and evernote (both free)and I don't know if those apps would run on your parents machine. Easy enough to check online.

Of course you could always sync for them a couple of times a year......

 

[StarLog]

On the other hand, if you have a Windoz box at home, put itunes on it, and forget updating the OS on the Mac.

 

[chachzilla]

Thanks

Thanks for all the input. There are some good ideas out there. I haven't thought about cloud storage before. I was aware that you could sync it at the apple store or even on my MacBook to get it started. The only downside to that would be that you can't put video or music from iTunes on it (or have a backup of apps). Perhaps cloud storage (or something similar) would allow you to still access those files (music and video).

 

[Seadog]

One of the big things is that 10.5 was the end of support for the G4. As such, it opened up several areas, but restricted others. I have to deal with having three devices on 10.5 and one on 10.4 until my wife gives up on her iBook. Considering the price of 10.5, it is not that expensive compared with Windows 7. However, it seems that waiting until next month's introduction to Lion would be a good idea.

What I have to wonder is if you have a MacBook, then why the fuss? It is fully capable of everything you need and it sounds like it already has 10.5.