A Case for the iPad

I’ll be the first to admit that this is a very specific view of the world. However, it is also a relevant one.

Last week I upgraded my mother to her third iPad, a hand-me-down iPad 4 to replace her much-used iPad 2. It was an incredibly smooth process: install current OS, restore backup from the cloud, and verify each application and password. It took roughly one hour beginning to end, with most of the time spent verifying passwords to avoid post-conversion support.

Noticeably, her fairly new Windows 7 computer had not been turned on in quite some time. There were security updates, Windows updates, and a virus scan pending. Mom asked me, “Do I still need that computer”? Good question. My answer was an equivocal, “Well, not really, but it’s not really hurting anything either.”

Upon further reflection, here’s my takeaway for someone like my mom. An iPad is more than sufficient for communication and light email. Updates are done with simple push of a button. New applications are acquired easily (and mostly for free). The most significant adjustment for a new user is the transition from the primary interface being a browser to using a multitude of applications. Hardware replacement is easy, and doesn’t involve a convulsive change. Remember Windows XP to Windows 7? This OS change drove massive hardware replacements, peripheral changes, and application suite changes. Agreeably, this may not be a fair comparison, but it makes the point.

At the end of the day, this iPad upgrade was enjoyable and left Mom with a big smile. What a different experience a few years (and change in platform) makes.

Interesting: notice the change in curve in the history of the person computer market graph over time. Windows 7 was released July 2009 and the Windows 7 SP1 in March 2010.