Do your kids really need an iPad?

It’s amazing how the iPad continues to dominate conversations at the office, dinner parties and of course in the car pool. What version do you have? Have you seen the new iPad X and so on, but my focus here is not on what variety you own if any it’s on the pure basis of need. Do your kids really need an iPad?

I am trying to be as objective as possible here and I have seen the interaction that my kids have had from the days of the iPad 1 through to our current model the iPad 3. So, final confession before I continue: I am also what is known as an Indie developer for the iPhone and iPad but I promise that I will ensure that I have my “Dad” cap firmly on here.

My first reaction would be no, kids should be kids and while they should be exposed to technology I am a firm believer in restricting or at the very least controlling that exposure. That being said I have witnessed first hand the educational and fun value that the iPad has brought into the home, I just love watching all the kids working on a puzzle together or going through their new words, spelling or working on their numeracy skills. I also believe that the gesture based interface will continue to grow and getting the kids onboard with that interface is only going to help them at school and prepare them for later life.

So, do your kids really need an iPad… they probably don’t “need” it but if you can afford one and are prepared to do the homework finding the best kid friendly applications and games then I see no reason not to get one.

About Mark Phillips

IT director by day, Indie iPhone and iPad developer by night. I have 2 beautiful boys and I live in the beautiful city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

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  • Anfrew Richard

    I agree on the want/nice to have vs it being an actual need. I don’t have a direct hand in any development for any of these devices but I tend to be the guy with all that tech stuff. iPad 2, wife’s iPhone, my Android, home PC and iMac. My 3.5yro is a rock star with all the tech, but the multi-touch interface shines through in all her interaction with tech. She’ll swipe, touch and pinch the screen on the iMac, or the TV. I do believe there are a few points here, first the human-computer interaction and the second the use of the iPad (or these various devices) as tools to learn. I’m for both and believe in both, as tech moves forward the new generation will be a critical part in adoption as well as development. From a learning aspect these tools are no longer static boring 1 dimensional teaching tools, they respond, reward and I’m excited for the future of this.