Should I buy an iPad for my 80-year old relative?

[thesource]

Are iPads easy enough for old people to use?

My relative is 80 years old. He still has his wits about him but he's hardly every used a computer. Do you think he could use an iPad?

[djr33]

It's hard to answer that. The ipad is basically a large version of the iphone that can't make calls. Why would he want that? It can surf the internet, but is this really the easiest way for him to learn that? Would he even care?
If yes, then sure, why not. One major consideration due to his age is that the ipad (like all the other recent apple products) requires a lot of fine motor control: using your fingers in specific and well controlled ways, like 2 finger scrolling, 1 finger clicking, on screen typing, etc. If this is a problem, it might not be the best way.
In some ways it makes a lot of sense, but I don't really see (in general) why ipads are special, so if it does everything he'd want, then sure, but why not just get a regular computer? It'll be able to do more, especially for someone who clearly won't need anything top of the line (yet).

[Nile]

Djr33, I'm not sure but I think he wants to buy it for him to read off of... Is that true?

[thesource]

Thanks for your tips

I gave him a PC 8 years ago - it was his first ever computer and he struggled to write letters using Microsoft Word. I gave up because Word is not that difficult. But seeing as Apple hardware and software is intuitive, I thought the iPad might be a game-changer.

I thought he could use it for emails and the web, nothing more. He does not get out of the house much and he is partially deaf, so I think the internet could really improve his quality of life. Email, forums, wikipedia etc.

Good point about the motor skills - he might struggle with the fingers movement and gestures. I guess the only way to know for sure is to try the device, though he does not have a local Apple reseller. Perhaps I could buy one and return it if it is unsuitable..