iPad for mother in law with a camera

[Olmy]

My mother-in-law's laptop just died and she's thinking about getting an iPad as her only computing device. She really only needs it for mail, web browsing, and Facebook, so an iPad seems like a good solution. The only thing I haven't figured out how to do properly for her is what to do about photos. She currently has a cannon point and shoot camera but is planning to get an iPhone in a couple of months. I'm not sure how we could get the photos from her cannon onto the iPad, and even if we could what we could do with her entire library once it was there. I know that photo stream backs up photos to the cloud, but it only keeps a certain number of photos. If your iPad is your only computing device, how do you back up and manage your entire photo library using it? Would it be better if I just suggested she get herself an ultra book as she already knows how to use Windows but not Mac?

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

[iSmileyFace]

Don't you need a computer to set up the iPad...?

[Mr. Salty]

Originally Posted by Olmy

I'm not sure how we could get the photos from her canon onto the iPad, and even if we could what we could do with her entire library once it was there.

Apple's camera connection kit, $30. There are cheaper third-party card readers, but I don't know how good they are.

I know that photo stream backs up photos to the cloud, but it only keeps a certain number of photos. If your iPad is your only computing device, how do you back up and manage your entire photo library using it?

It depends on how much capacity you need. There's iCloud, which has 5GB for free, then you have to pay for extra storage. Seagate makes Wi-Fi external hard drives designed specifically for iPads, etc., but they get mixed reviews.

Would it be better if I just suggested she get herself an ultra book as she already knows how to use Windows but not Mac?

That might be easiest. Although iPads are easier to use now without having a computer, it's difficult.

Originally Posted by iSmileyFace

Don't you need a computer to set up the iPad...?

I know a couple of people with iPads only. The Apple Store set them up for them when they bought them, including setting up their iTunes accounts. But yeah, it's a lot easier if you have a computer to connect to for some tasks.

[Sparkee]

I wouldn't really call Photo Stream a good place to back up a photo library. It only holds 1000 photos and is more for sharing your photos across different devices using iCloud. You would be better off using other more established services such as Flickr if possible. The iPad backup which can be store in iCloud only saves the Camera Roll but not other photos stored in albums. I'm sure there is an online solution but iCloud is not. Many of the iCloud features are more for sharing or keeping your devices in sync than it is a place to backup your data. The main issue I see when people think of iCloud as a place to backup data is if you accidentally erase something off the iPad and it syncs with iCloud, the data is gone and can not be recovered.

[kornchild2002]

Usually one of the first options for fixing an issue with an iPad is restoring it erasing everything. iDevices should never, ever, ever be used as permanent means of storage. Your mother in law needs a notebook if she is going to be working with photos mainly because notebooks allow for more permanent storage (make sure she gets an external hard drive to back everything up).

Unfortunately for her, since she doesn't want to work with OS X, she is going to get a subpar ultrabook as the MacBook Air is really one of the best ultrabooks on the market. It has the absolute best trackpad, one of the best keyboards, build quality that is only matched by a small percent, and it is priced really competitively. iPhoto would actually be a nice program for helping her manage photos and it is brain dead easy to use.

[Olmy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Salty

Apple's camera connection kit, $30. There are cheaper third-party card readers, but I don't know how good they are.

I had heard of the apple kit but assumed it was an iOS thing only and the iPad wouldn't be able to get the cannon pics. I'll have a look at the 3rd party stuff, but if it is too fiddly then I won't be any good for her.

It depends on how much capacity you need. There's iCloud, which has 5GB for free, then you have to pay for extra storage. Seagate makes Wi-Fi external hard drives designed specifically for iPads, etc., but they get mixed reviews.

It needs to either "just work" for her to use, or be something she already knows how to use. I don't want to have to do too much tech support for her

[Olmy]

Originally Posted by Sparkee

I wouldn't really call Photo Stream a good place to back up a photo library. It only holds 1000 photos and is more for sharing your photos across different devices using iCloud. You would be better off using other more established services such as Flickr if possible. The iPad backup which can be store in iCloud only saves the Camera Roll but not other photos stored in albums. I'm sure there is an online solution but iCloud is not. Many of the iCloud features are more for sharing or keeping your devices in sync than it is a place to backup your data. The main issue I see when people think of iCloud as a place to backup data is if you accidentally erase something off the iPad and it syncs with iCloud, the data is gone and can not be recovered.

That's what I was trying to work out, if there were nice easy photo backup services available to get round the photo stream limitation. I have never used Flickr, and any service would need to be easy for her to use and manage.

[Olmy]

Originally Posted by kornchild2002

Unfortunately for her, since she doesn't want to work with OS X, she is going to get a subpar ultrabook as the MacBook Air is really one of the best ultrabooks on the market. It has the absolute best trackpad, one of the best keyboards, build quality that is only matched by a small percent, and it is priced really competitively. iPhoto would actually be a nice program for helping her manage photos and it is brain dead easy to use.

I agree, however she as never used a mac before and I don't want to have to do too much tech support. I might get her to play with one at an apple store to see what she thinks as this might be the best option.

[Sparkee]

I would agree with kornchild2002 on the MacBook Air. I have converted most of my family to Macs and even the most computer illiterate picked up OS X up fairly quickly and easily. Setting up a backup routine is also as easy as plugging in an external USB drive and letting Time Machine take over. I instruct my family members with laptops to connect the USB drive at least once a week or when ever they add new music, photos or videos to keep the back up up to date.

[kornchild2002]

Learning to use OS X for the first time is no different than learning how to use an iPad. Both are extremely easy to pick up and play. If she's willing to switch to an iPad, she should be willing to switch to OS X. Picture importing is relatively automatic too. Just put the memory card in the computer, iPhoto pops up, and it literally asks you what you want to do. A gorilla could import photos from a memory card using iPhoto. Plus it gives her a more permanent means of storing those photos.

Additionally, iPads run iOS. Accessories listed as working with iOS just mean that they will be compatible with a range of devices including the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. All three run the same OS (iOS) with some tweaks here and there. Either way, the iPad runs iOS. That is the interface that you see when an iPad turns on.

[hangglider]

I agree with the other members that a macbook is better for your mother in law than an ipad. I'm probably youger than her and I have a degree in computer science but I don't think I could go from a PC to nothing other than IPAD without a lot of help. I do agree that she could learn OS X. My mom still gets tripped up by call waiting but had no problem moving fom PC to Mac. LOL