to ask you people with more knowledge than my good self for help in buying an ipad?

[user1496484020]

My daughter starts secondary school so want to buy her a gift to stand her in good stead for the first couple of years at least. I've decided on an ipad. I know nothing about them nor have I ever owned one.

I've seen this one www.johnlewis.com/2017-apple-ipad-pro-10-5-a10x-fusion-ios10-ios10-wi-fi-64gb/p3246126?colour=Space Grey

Does anyone know anything about teenagers, what's cool, what's functional, what's practical? What specs should I be looking at?

Just in case anyone wastes their time mentioning android, she wants apple *sigh

I might aswell be looking into a bog-hole as looking at ipad specs so I genuinely appreciate any advice you could give.

Other things, she'll be studying abroad (well, Ireland vs England), so things like warranty and insurance, would I be better off sourcing from an Irish supplier?
And if anyone has recommendations on insurance, I'd also appreciate the advice.

Does the school specify an iPad?

If not a laptop is a far beter choice.

My school has a bring your own device policy and the students with ipads really struggle with file compatability, typing out work and getting things printed.

No, the school is still paper based. This would be for her to do homework on etc. and also for her own entertainment as she has never had anything expensive before. Why a laptop? Faster? I would get her a detachable (or whatever it's called) keyboard for it?

ok, re-read and apple isn't compatible. A family member works at the school she will be going to and the devices of choice are apple.

As a teacher, geek (and Apple Distinguished Educator), you're missing the point a little.

My school is an Apple school i.e. Primary supply iPads, MacBooks and iMacs. In secondary, children are firmly recommended to have Mac computers but we can support Windows PCs.

Tablet's are great for entertainment but less so for being productive; doing homework and that kind of thing. Either treat her to an iPad (no need for a Pro, in fact an iPad mini may well be better, or re-think and get her a laptop which will benefit her with her school work.

I'm a little confused about your latest post. Where is the lack of compatibility? Did you mean that devices of choice aren't Apple?

I use OSx, Windows and other operating systems daily and there tend to very few, if any, compatibility issues. Saving files and printing won't be. Connecting to networks is unlikely to be.

If you still want to get her an Apple product (and there's a lot to be said for them) then look at MacBooks and pick one in your budget. If you just want a tablet as a gift then save some cash and get her an iPad Mini. If you want a non-Apple laptop then that's more of a minefield. Pick a budget and either post here or do some research online.

She'll need a laptop in later years, so I'd cut the intermediary and just buy a laptop now. It's useless trying to do homework or any form of typing etc. on an iPad.

My DC's and lots of their friends use an iPad Pro at uni and work, and used regular iPads at school without issue. I use one at work also. I type much faster on it than on a normal keyboard actually, and my DC's who spent their teen years mostly typing on phones are lightning fast.

Never had any issues with file compatibility (that I wouldn't have also had with an Apple laptop) or printing.

If your budget can stretch to it I'd get the 256GB model, otherwise all good.

Thanks all. Food for thought. In response to the query on where I had mentioned compatibility, it was in reply to the poster who said that their school systems didn't support apple.

Stupid question maybe but what is the difference between an iPad and an iPad Pro?

Why not ask the school what they would recommend?

The iPad Pro is bigger as is essentially more like a MacBook than an iPad. It has a keyboard that works with it, and a pen for drawing / writing. There are two types of pro, one with a 12 inch screen and one with a 9inch screen. Ooh the one you've looked at is the new 10.5 inch one, that looks ace.
Personally I'd go for it, my SS can't live without his and all his friends have one too. They are so so useful, from google to Watching programmes. It's probably the best thing we ever bought SS as gets the most use.
One thing id recommend, a smash proof screen for it.. these are only 3/4 on eBay.. and a good case.. inevitably it will get dropped at some point and will protect it.
She will be made up by it! They don't really age either, my mum has our "old" iPad, which we got in 2014- it's still spot on and works super well!

www.apple.com/uk/ipad/compare/

The link is good for comparing them. My SS school uses apple but to be honest he's going into year 10 and it has no correlation on anything he does at home.
All internet stuff such as my maths etc is accessible through anything

Laptops are so much easier for school work. Typing and the like. Could you get an iPad mini and a laptop for the price of an iPad Pro?

Also, 11 year olds do not need iPad pros! A regular iPad/iPad mini will have more than enough power.

Ok, well having read various things I've decided to go with the iPad Pro.
I'm a little torn between the 9.7" or 10.5". I'm anticipating getting her the keyboard so she can easily type. 9.7 is £599 in curry's. I'm thinking it would be slightly more portable but then again wondering is screen too small?
Nice to hear from people enthusiastic about them. Reading the reviews, the only faults people seem to have with them is the price.

I've read in the reviews that people have the apple pencil - is that necessary? I.e. is a pencil necessary at all and if necessary would a cheapo job do?
Thanks for all your input. I'm a little out of my depth here.

Oh and the one in currys is 256GB. I have been reading all your comments, don't worry!
I will definitely be getting her the shatterproof screen. She minds her stuff but accidents do happen.

My DDs secondary school is an iPad school. Almost al of the children have one (via a scheme where parents pay for it monthly). A lot of class work and nearly all homework is done via the various apps that the school use. I was sceptical when she started but it seems to work well. They all have the same spec iPad mini and she seems to have no issue typing on it. Some apps require writing on the screen with a stylus and others it's normal typing. The school have a very good set-up, everyone has a school email address and their own area of the school cloud. Each subject has its own area with revision help, tutorials, teacher access, homework help, pupil chat room etc.
Find out if the school recommends specific websites or apps for school work. It works well at our school because the school relies on Apple apps, it might not be so useful if your school uses websites that don't run well on Apple devices.

I have a PC at home and an iPad I use while travelling.

I have Microsoft office on both (you pay a flat annual fee to unload onto several devices) and store all my files on Dropbox so I can access them anywhere.

The big compatibility issues are in the past.

For the purposes you describe I'd get the iPad Air 2 while it's still available with a logitech type + keyboard cover. I'm using this right now and it's going strong.
If homework will involve lots of typing reports etc, I'd get a laptop. It's a real pain typing word documents on an ipad for example and so much functionality is lost. If there is access to laptops and home computers then I'd get the Air 2

You don't need a 256gb. I use mine all the time and struggle to fill a 64! The main thing that gobbles up storage is music and videos downloaded (rather than streamed), but 64. Is plenty.
Also there is a cloud storage option if you need it.

£600 for an ipad is lunacy

What are you intending it to be used for?

My secondary school aged DD uses her tablet for playing basic games, and the PC for doing homework.

I got my 12 yo dsis a 10.5" ipad pro the summer she started high school. She absolutely loves it (it's rose gold) and so far hasn't needed an laptop, she does all her homework on it (I got the keyboard with it). Howevery, this is because her school is apple based - her entire year uses ipads. If not, it really is an awful faff to use an ipad for homework.

Do you mean the 9.7" Natalie - the iPad Pro 10.5" only came out this month.
I got the 10.5" last week, it's definitely smoother and faster than my IPad Air2. I like it very much. I got the 256Gb version, because I have lots of photos and I like to download a lot of TV to watch when I'm away without wifi, but your DD probably won't need so much space. I haven't yet got a keyboard or Apple Pencil, but I'm dropping pretty broad hints to DH for my birthday in August!

One downside is that you can't get a case for it that covers the back from Apple, unless you want to pay £129 for the leather sleeve, which still doesn't protect it while you're using it. So you will want to have a look at the third party cases that are available. There are a lot about, I'm still trying to decide on one, in the meantime I'm being very careful and using a sleeve designed for the Microsoft Surface to protect the back. while travelling.

With document compatibility, you can download Microsoft apps for Word, Excel etc to read Office documents - you need an Office 365 login to edit, but students and teachers can get it free with an academic email - are you able to check with the new school whether their pupils can do this? The new operating system iOS11 that's coming out in the autumn has a new Files app, which will make it easier to keep all her school files together. Some schools use Dropbox or another online file facility, others don't because of technical questions about whether it complies with EU regulations on server security - is there any info on the school website about IT policy, or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy?

As far as printing goes, the pupils at the junior school I work at print using a dedicated app for the printer we lease - again the school may have their own managed system, lots do nowadays, or you may be able to use an app from the App Store for the particular make of printer she will normally want to print to.