To never voluntarily buy Apple again

[SisyphusDad]

Sorry, just need to vent (in the same way that an active volcano needs to vent).

I've just had to buy an iPad today for DS2 because his school requires it. They came up with some bollocks about why it had to be an iPad.

We are an Android household. I've spent well over two hours doing basic setup to fit in (roughly) with the way I do things (I'm quite tech savvy and have a particular way of doing things for very good reasons). And there are several things to do with parental controls and access to the Apps store that I simply cannot do without a second Apple device and there is no fucking way I am spending several hundred pounds simply to be able to approve things that need to be done (install the apps the school wants, for one thing).

I am usually quite calm and reserved but this evening I used a large number of words (in his presence) that I'm sure my son thought that I didn't know. And he described me as jumping up and down like a monkey as I repeatedly stabbed an innocent cardboard box with a screwdriver to release the tension.

I will not be going to the Parents' evening where they deliver a patronising lecture on the dangers of the Internet partly because I will find it very hard not to disgrace myself and partly because I've somehow managed to bring my kids up in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.

I used to think that both Apple and Google had their place, and it was mainly a matter of choice but after today's experience I am now firmly in the camp of Apple haters.

@TracyBeakerSoYeah you can do Microsoft controls from a browser, so, yes, anywhere. There are apps you can use to control Android devices, e.g. Screentime Labs that work via a website as well as via an app. Screentime is available for iOS too, but Apple don't allow the same level of control.

You got so wound up setting up an iPad you had to repeatedly stab a box with a screwdriver?

That doesn’t sound like a normally calm person.

Umm if you didn’t follow the instructions to set up then you have created your own problem! It’s not the device that’s at fault it’s the user!

In other words you wanted to set things up your way and are now annoyed because it hasn't worked?

Why not just follow the instructions? Apple and Android work differently - why are you trying to make them the same?

'Personally I prefer to actually learn about how to protect my children online. Shame so many parents think they have all the answers'.

I wouldn't be waiting around for my child's school to teach me about child on line security, I would be doing my own research.

I have never used apple anything before my ipad neither has my eldery parents. Took me ten mins to set up, no bad words. Just followed the instructions. Same with my parents. Not hard. You sure you read the instructions. Now applying for free childcare..that stressed me as went around in circles but again no bad words. Yabu

You could just not give DS the apple store password and set to ask for a password for each download.

Sounds like you are making it more complicated by wanting things done your own way but Apple doesn't work like that.

I have an iPad, a OnePlus 5t and a Windows laptop.

My apple ID uses my Gmail address.

Setting them all up is piss easy, I really don't understand why you find this so difficult for someone so "technical".

I've had iPhones in the past and I'm considering switching back again. They've got some great security features in the new OS

You don’t need another device. You do t need an apple email. You’ve set it up completely wrong. Apple is very easy to set up and use. I’m astounded that people find it hard.

You sound slightly unhinged.

No she doesn't.

In this house we have a saying, "Apple are evil and smell of poo"

I worked in a school with a couple of computer labs, one was all Apple, but they were running Windows so it was compatible with the rest of the school.

There is no reason for a school to use ipads or insist children have them. If they do then the school should supply them with the apps already downloaded.

Screen time passcode is separate from the iPad unlock passcode. Don't tell the kids the screen time one and then set it up to disable installing apps for them and the entire app store is hidden from the device unless you go back into screen time and re enable it to install something. No second Apple device needed (just done it with my kids devices).

If something needs installing "Pass me the iPad and I'll set it up to be able to" and then pop screen time back on again.

I'm generally an Android fan - but bought an iPad fairly recently as my child need some software which works far better on iOS and since then we have 3 iPads in the house as they just blow Android tablets out of the water really. My kid uses her iPad a lot in school to work on (she struggles with writing physically) and it's a huge game changer for her.

I have an android phone and an iPad and I honestly don't see what the problem is here.

You can set up an iPad in 10 mins.

You need one ID - the parent sets it up and doesn't give the child the password.

You can set up the device to require the password for every download.

OTOH if my children's school told me to buy an iPad I'd just laugh. They want the kids to use tech, they buy the devices and set them up properly with appropriate security options.

You don’t need an apple email address.

You can apprve apps etc from another device if you set up an id and login in to it on another device, it does not have to be an apple product.

So you decided to do the process differently than suggested, got annoyed when it didn’t work as expected, but blamed the school and now refuse to go to what could be a useful information evening?

So you decided to do the process differently than suggested, got annoyed when it didn’t work as expected, but blamed the school and now refuse to go to what could be a useful information evening?

This

Schools here provide the iPads. They can't really insist you buy a £500+ piece of kit. Was it your DS who told you about all this, by any chance?

To answer your question: YANBU to never voluntarily buy Apple again. In fact it sounds like you never have voluntarily bought Apple as you only did so this time because the school "told you it has to be an iPad."

What the hell is the school doing instructing you to buy an iPad, by the way? I'd be telling them to take a running jump!

I dislike apple; older spec, higher price and they do their damnedest to ensure apple doesn't integrate with any other operating system easily, to lock you in as an apple zombie

As others have said, you just need another apple id, not another apple device. I have one and own no apple devices! It’s because I have itunes on my deaktop computer from the days befor my ipod bit the dust.

Maybe missing the point here but if my child's school TOLD me I had to buy an iPad for him I'd tell them to tuck off and buy it themselves! What is this world we live in?!

We all have our computer preferences and are passionate about them. I love Apple and hate Android, for example. Simply what we are used to. I would suggest you set up the iPad under a "normal" id and then, after you have it as you want it, enable the parental controls turning it into a "child". Also, you can use the controls via a PC by downloading iTunes for PC (at least you could a few years ago).

Set up passwords, don’t worry about family sharing and step away from the screwdriver.

Apple is very intuitive as long as you do things exactly how Apple want you to. The problem Is, if you're tech savvy but haven't used Apple before, then you set up your devices as you want and then assume you'll be able to work around this later, as you can with every other piece of tech and OS. Then you later realise that this is a massive pain in the arse.

'You have to completely log out it the iPad as the child and log on as the adult. I am not doing that every time I need to approve a download request.'

Surely that is just common sense?

Maybe you should just change schools? Nowhere round here insists on parents buying iPads.