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Opinion: The iPad and the centenarian
#2
redgeminipa 
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 06:28 AM
Awesome!
#3
ThereseStirling
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 06:36 AM
This is precisely why my mother got an iPad initially- her eyesight is too poor to enjoy reading most books. She's gotten to read more books in the last 6 months than she had in the last 10 years.
#4
Biallystock
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 06:39 AM
Must say it is a usage I hadn't thought of.
It is a growing market as the affluent countries' populations age.
It really covers most of the bases. Not just large type but also audiobooks, video and even the ability to read out text.
I'll enquire of the local Royal Society for the Blind to see if they have picked up on the iPad. They were a little slow on digital audiobooks as they hadn't understood just how the technology could be tailored for their use.
Libraries need to cater better for the newer delivery methods as well.
It is a growing market as the affluent countries' populations age.
It really covers most of the bases. Not just large type but also audiobooks, video and even the ability to read out text.
I'll enquire of the local Royal Society for the Blind to see if they have picked up on the iPad. They were a little slow on digital audiobooks as they hadn't understood just how the technology could be tailored for their use.
Libraries need to cater better for the newer delivery methods as well.
#5
novabothar
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 07:21 AM
I thought this as soon as the ipad was announced, when I get the ipad 2 I'm giving version 1 to my Gma
#6
John
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 07:24 AM
My 86 year old father wanted to buy a computer to replace the aging eMac I had given him. He is extremely forgetful and simple things like logging onto his Tmobile internet service are beyond him. I took him to an Apple Store in the hope that I could interest him in an iPad but he went for an iMac instead. His reasons were twofold: one was that the iMac had more of a Tim Taylor macho aura and the other was that he needed larger type.
I showed him how to enlarge the type and the screen on the iPad and I showed him how the relative size of the iPad in his hands was equal to the iMac from two feet farther away but that didn't matter. What it really came down to was the fact that the iPad was too small for him. If Apple offered a 13" model, this would have been ideal.
He never uses his iMac because it is on a desk in another room and he can't figure out how to log on for email, etc. It's kind of sad but that is the way it is.
I showed him how to enlarge the type and the screen on the iPad and I showed him how the relative size of the iPad in his hands was equal to the iMac from two feet farther away but that didn't matter. What it really came down to was the fact that the iPad was too small for him. If Apple offered a 13" model, this would have been ideal.
He never uses his iMac because it is on a desk in another room and he can't figure out how to log on for email, etc. It's kind of sad but that is the way it is.
#7
JonGerardTemple
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 08:10 AM
I got an iPad for my 77-year old mother-in-law as her first computer. Previously she had been using WebTV for email and news.
For the same price as a low-end, boat anchor Dell laptop and being forced to learn how to use a mouse and Windows and file systems, she got this modern, lightweight device which she can just touch. Oh yes, had to get a $18 "g" Wifi router too.
Only problem is that she doesn't use it for more than what she used her WebTV for (email and news) and it can do so much more.
For the same price as a low-end, boat anchor Dell laptop and being forced to learn how to use a mouse and Windows and file systems, she got this modern, lightweight device which she can just touch. Oh yes, had to get a $18 "g" Wifi router too.
Only problem is that she doesn't use it for more than what she used her WebTV for (email and news) and it can do so much more.
#10
applecrate
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 10:28 AM
Half the iPads I see out there are in the hands of older people. A good thing.
#11
matthewmiller1234
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 10:38 AM
That's another good thing about an iPad. Because it so small and mobile, anyone can use it. it's also good for people who are older and/or have poor eyesight. They can just turn on bigger text.
#12
Drivanjacobs
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 10:38 AM
As an ophthalmologist, I have recommended the iPad numerous times with great acceptance by my patients. Not only the ability to increase font size, but the backlighting and crisp fonts is very beneficial with macular degeneration. I also recommend to these patients to get better TVs! The only way for them to see better is go to brighter, larger, and sharper. The new HDTVs and the iPad have really helped!
#13
akamai22
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 10:38 AM
Old guy here... not as old as Lew,but then, few are.
First I appreciate the article.... those of us with vision problems aren't stupid or forgetful, and the ability to have access to so much information in large print is a real Godsend.
Secondly, I dispute the characterization of this article as "fanboy" material. Lots of people have judged the iPad to be the best eReader; accept that.
There is a larger point: I bet a lot of readers would be shocked at how many of the Social Security set are on these sites several times a day... a curious and affluent market that is often patronized or overlooked. Part of Apple's genius is making things that "just work" and the older population - especially those of us who were early tech adopters (the early '80's in my case) appreciate the great reduction in the number of hurdles between us and the information we seek.
First I appreciate the article.... those of us with vision problems aren't stupid or forgetful, and the ability to have access to so much information in large print is a real Godsend.
Secondly, I dispute the characterization of this article as "fanboy" material. Lots of people have judged the iPad to be the best eReader; accept that.
There is a larger point: I bet a lot of readers would be shocked at how many of the Social Security set are on these sites several times a day... a curious and affluent market that is often patronized or overlooked. Part of Apple's genius is making things that "just work" and the older population - especially those of us who were early tech adopters (the early '80's in my case) appreciate the great reduction in the number of hurdles between us and the information we seek.
#14
akaChristian
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 10:55 AM
Unfortunately my family is strapped this Christmas, but if I weren't I'd get my mom a 3G iPad. She's 64, and has not owned a computer or had regular access to the net in about eight years. She used Windows 95, so imagine having to re-learn an operating system now. If she had an iPad, there'd be almost no learning curve. She lives in another state, but she could use her cousin's computer to synch it and run updates periodically, but otherwise, she'd be totally set with just a monthly 3G bill, if she chose to use it in any given month.
