£400 to spend at curry’s for Ds Christmas

[Xmasprrssiehelp]

I got some vouchers cheep through my job at work, we agreed to spend them on a £319 iPad ;
(To replace the really old one he has now that barely functions) for DS present and a couple of science toys. Well since ordering the vouchers all affordable (under £400) iPads are now out of stock. Next one is £600!

I have suggested (DS8) gets a chrome book / laptop instead and a camera (in laws have offered to pay halves on the camera) so he can have the best of both worlds and nearing the age where a laptop is inevitable for homework.

DH thinks a laptop is unsuitable for his age as he can access more than on an iPad. My argument is a chrome book or laptop is the same as an iPad and both have equal access to the internet! And we will have the same parental control

He is also really artsy and has asked for a phone (no chance of getting one 🤣) but having a camera and editing photos might be a new art he might enjoy!

Am I being unreasonable.

I’ve bought a laptop for my kids this year where the touch screen detached and can be used as a tablet. It was about £240, maybe that would be a compromise?

@AutumnLeaves21

I’ve bought a laptop for my kids this year where the touch screen detached and can be used as a tablet. It was about £240, maybe that would be a compromise?

This would be my choice too.

£459. Biggest memory they have.

Thats the newest ipad by the way. Not £600 like you mentioned. You can buy a keyboard if you'd like as well.

My daughter has had a good laptop since she was eight (she is careful with her things).
We’ve encouraged her to use powerpoint and excel and there are some great books on Scratch coding that are fun for younger kids.
Has really helped with holding off the phone pressure as she has a satisfying piece of tech.
After a few years she has a good grasp of basic computer skills (the annual Christmas wish list PowerPoint is a thing of beauty).
We have a desk in the main part of the house where she uses it, parental controls and have done lots of work on internet safety.

Tbh if your son has previously used an iPad, I wouldn't consider a laptop and a camera a replacement. They're completely different devices (although it depends on what he's been using the iPad for).

You said your son is arty. Does he use the drawing programs on his iPad? Procreate in particular is fantastic for drawing/ painting and suchlike with an Apple Pencil. I'm not sure there would be an alternative on a laptop.

I understand your frustration at them being out of stock at the price point you saw. I wonder whether that is just due to Black Friday though? Perhaps worth contacting them to see if they're expecting more in stock before Christmas?

I agree with the others that you need to consider what he uses it for first and then decide what is best. There are loads of android tablets that are much cheaper than an iPad and do more or less the same thing.

Why not wait and see what happens with Black Friday? They might come back into stock at an even lower price or have other promos on.

I agreed decide in what he wants to use it for. If he uses the drawing / sketch apps then a Chromebook is not a replacement. An android tablet might be a better choice for that. If it's internet based takes then a laptop would be great. Can I ask why a Chromebook? It's quite limited as a laptop and I would think a windows / Mac might be better alternative. If he might get into editing photos then he'll need an app to support that. Paint.Net is an amazing free one or Photoshop Elements is more expensive but no where near as expensive as the full version of photo shop.

Don't get a Chromebook, they are incredibly limited. Ask him if he wants an ipad or laptop, they have different uses.

@Werehamster I wouldn't say that an android tablet does the same thing, although it definitely depends on what you use it for. I don't find them as intuitive to use as an iPad either.

If you solely use it to access emails or the internet, then fair enough.

Worth considering that android devices will not have anywhere near the number of apps as an iPad too.

Dd is 8 and is getting a laptop. She currently uses her big sisters more than her sister does but dd1 is getting annoyed at the sticky fingers marks - no idea how she managed it tbh as she's not allowed to eat while using it - and it also causes conflict as she frequently says no to her using it just because she can. She has an old sim free phone which she uses in place of a tablet and prefers the size and portability. The tablets in the house don't tend to get used.

We have a Chromebook and it is quite annoying! They have very little memory so you can't download many apps, everything is done through the browser. If you could find a laptop instead, I would do that.

[quote Glitterandunicorns]@Werehamster I wouldn't say that an android tablet does the same thing, although it definitely depends on what you use it for. I don't find them as intuitive to use as an iPad either.

If you solely use it to access emails or the internet, then fair enough.

Worth considering that android devices will not have anywhere near the number of apps as an iPad too. [/quote]
I do get what you are saying, but I think for an 8 year old an android tablet is probably good enough. My 8 year old mostly just watches YouTube and plays Minecraft. Once they start secondary school, you could upgrade to an iPad, but I think until until then, a cheaper android tablet's apps are probably sufficient.

Agree with a PP that Chrome books have limited functionality. I'd hold off and see what Black Friday offers they have on.

Have you visited in store to see what they have? Only because our DS asked for the Xbox Series X for Christmas, it's OOS literally everywhere but when we were in Smyths a few weeks ago buying toys for nephews I asked the assistant if they had any of the Xboxes in, she said no. The manager overheard and said he had one in the stockroom, so I bought it immediately! DS will be delighted Xmas morning!

Last Blank Friday I got the previous years ipad for a good price in currys.

I would hold out for them. I cannot imagine they would be out of iPads from now until Xmas.

@Rubadubdub21

£459. Biggest memory they have.

How is that useful when it’s not from curry’s?!

@MattHancocksSexTape someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

My apologies I posted quite late so I was obviously not paying attention to the curry's bit.

It's honestly get an android tablet, so much cheaper and your child is only 8. They will pick up the interface really quickly and it's actually beneficial to able to use both anyway.