Tech Help For Seniors: Should I Upgrade My Old Ipad?
One of my clients wrote me to ask if they should revive their very old ipad or upgrade to a new one. She’d like to use it for her husband who having some trouble with memory and using devices.
The thing about very old tech is that is makes it hard for a user because it is generally very slow to respond and you might get a lot of “warnings” to update or upgrade. Moreover some applications simply won’t work on it because of securities flaws that have been patched in the latest OS (operating system) updates.
In my experience, using very old tech causes a lot of seniors and casual users to become even more frustrated because of all these “unknown” messages which pop up abd add to the confusion and anxiety.
For the most part, people don’t need the top of the line iPad for everyday use, like browsing the internet, checking emails and watching Youtube.
I personally would recommend getting a very capable iPad Air 5th Gen (the lastest iPad), which does everything you need and then some. You’ll also benefit from using it for a very long time before it starts to lag.
I like apple products because the user experience for seniors is extremely logical once you know the basics. Everything just works! The learning curve is also very short and within one or two lessons, you’ll get the hang of it.
For seniors who have difficulty with tech, I won’t not recommend getting an Android tablet. Though an Android is highly functional and less expensive, it is not as intuitive, especially if you have difficulty understanding all the myriad of functions.
Moreover, once you get your tablet, my advice is to keep the screen as minimal as possible. Have only the essentials on it that won’t confuse you and is something that you will be using everyday, ie, web browser, email, Facebook, Youtube and whatever your preferences maybe.
If you are in Victoria BC and would like to have a personal one-on-one session on how to use your tablet, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line and i’d be happy to help you get started!
Cheers!
Gavin