Which iPad Should You Buy for an Older Parent in Australia

The quickest way to choose an iPad for an older parent is to ignore the most expensive ones. For video calls with the grandchildren, photos, the news and a few games, the everyday standard iPad does the lot, and it is the cheapest in the range. The dearer models add power that an older user will almost never touch. This guide shows you which iPad fits, what actually matters for older eyes and hands, and the rights you have in Australia if something goes wrong.

If you are still deciding between an iPad and another tablet, our guide on tablet versus iPad for seniors is the better place to start. If the iPad is already decided and you just need the right model, read on. For the wider view, our guide to the best tablets for seniors in Australia compares the main options.

How the iPads compare for an older parent

Every iPad runs the same software and handles the same everyday tasks. For an older user the real differences are screen size, weight, glare and price, not raw power. Here is the short version.

Need	Better fit
A first iPad that does everything well, without overspending	The standard iPad, the most affordable model
The biggest, clearest screen for poor eyesight	The 13 inch iPad Air
Bad glare from a window or bright room	An iPad Air or mini, with their anti-reflective screen
Something light to hold for reading or carrying about	The iPad mini, though its small screen suits steady eyesight
Using it out and about with no home Wi-Fi nearby	A Wi-Fi plus Cellular model, with a prepaid data SIM
Professional drawing, editing or design work	The iPad Pro, which most older parents will never need

What actually matters when choosing

Screen size and weight

This is the choice that affects daily life the most. The standard iPad and the 11 inch iPad Air have a screen most people find comfortable for video calls, photos and reading. The 13 inch Air is noticeably bigger, which genuinely helps poor eyesight, though it is heavier to hold for long and is happiest propped on a stand. The iPad mini goes the other way: light and easy to hold in one hand, but the small screen is a strain if reading is already hard. If you can, hold each one in the shop, because the right weight in the hand is hard to judge from a photo.

Glare, brightness and older eyes

Glare is the quiet enemy of older eyes, and it is worth a thought before you buy. The standard iPad has a clear, bright screen, but it is more reflective than the others, so it can catch the light near a sunny window or under a bright kitchen light. The iPad Air and iPad mini add an anti-reflective coating that cuts those reflections, which makes a real difference if your parent likes to read or video call in a bright room. The iPad Pro goes further again with an option to reduce glare, but it is more device than an older user needs. If a sunny lounge or a conservatory is where the iPad will live, the Air is worth the step up for the screen alone.

Wi-Fi only, or Wi-Fi plus Cellular

Every iPad comes in two versions. The Wi-Fi model uses your home internet and is all most people need. The Wi-Fi plus Cellular model also takes a SIM, so it can get online anywhere there is mobile coverage, which suits someone often out without Wi-Fi, perhaps travelling, in the garden, or away on holiday. It costs more and needs its own data, but in Australia you do not need a locked-in phone contract for it. A cheap prepaid data SIM from Telstra, Optus or one of the smaller providers on their networks does the job, topped up only when needed. For a parent who is mostly at home, save the money and choose Wi-Fi only.

Storage, kept simple

Storage is just how much room there is for photos, apps and downloads. The base amount on the standard iPad is plenty for most older users, who keep a moderate photo collection and a handful of apps. Only step up if the person takes a great many photos and videos and likes to keep them all on the device. For everyone else, the smallest size saves money and never gets in the way.

The iPads worth considering

The standard iPad, the right pick for most

If you take one thing from this guide, it is this. The standard iPad is the model to buy for almost every older parent. The screen is large and clear, it runs every app a person could want, and it costs far less than the others. It handles FaceTime and WhatsApp calls, family photos, the news, banking, reading and games without breaking a sweat. Start here, and only move up if there is a specific reason to.

The 13 inch iPad Air, for the biggest, glare-free screen

When eyesight is the main worry, the 13 inch iPad Air gives you the largest screen short of the professional model, and its anti-reflective coating keeps it readable in a bright room. Everything is roomier: bigger text, bigger photos, bigger buttons to tap. It costs more than the standard iPad and it is heavier, so it is best propped on a stand or rested on a lap rather than held up for long. It suits someone who will mostly use it at the table or in a favourite chair and wants the clearest possible view.

The iPad mini, light and pocketable

The iPad mini is the small one, around the size of a large paperback. It is light, easy to hold in one hand, slips into a handbag, and shares the Air’s anti-reflective screen. That makes it a nice companion for a keen reader who likes to carry their tablet everywhere. The trade-off is the small screen. If reading is already a strain, the mini will not help, and a larger iPad is the kinder choice. For steady eyes and a love of reading, it is a charming little device.

The iPad Pro, and why to skip it

The iPad Pro is the most powerful and most expensive iPad, built for professional drawing, photo editing and design. It is wonderful for the people who need that power. An older parent making video calls and reading the news is not one of them. The everyday experience is no better than the standard iPad for those tasks, and you would be paying a great deal for capability that never gets used. Unless your parent is an artist or photographer who wants it, give the Pro a miss.

A common mistake to avoid

The most common slip is buying up the range out of kindness, on the logic that the dearest iPad must be the best gift. We have seen families spend on a Pro when a standard iPad would have made the parent just as happy, with money to spare for a good case and a video call lesson. The opposite mistake is buying the mini to save space, then finding mum cannot comfortably read it. Match the screen to the person’s eyesight and how they will use it, and the price tends to sort itself out.

Setting it up so they will love it

Whichever iPad you choose, the setup is what decides whether it becomes a favourite or ends up in a drawer. Turn on larger text, set up their Apple Account, add the family to FaceTime, and put the apps they will actually use on the first screen. Our step-by-step guides on setting up a new iPad for a parent and making an iPad easier to use walk through every step.

Our recommendation

For the great majority of older Australians, the standard iPad in its Wi-Fi version, with a protective case, is the happiest and most sensible buy. Reach for the 13 inch iPad Air when poor eyesight or bad glare makes the bigger, anti-reflective screen worth it. Add a prepaid data SIM and a cellular model only if your parent is often out without Wi-Fi, and skip the iPad Pro unless they do creative work that needs it. Buy from Apple, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys or Amazon Australia, keep the receipt, and spend the money you save on a good case and a patient afternoon setting it up together.

Where to go next

Once the iPad is chosen, the next job is making it easy to use and showing your parent the few things they will do most, like a video call with the grandchildren. Start with our guide on how to video call on an iPad, pick up a few useful extras in the best tablet accessories for seniors, and browse more in the tablets and iPads section.

Researched and checked against the current iPad range and Australian Consumer Law guidance.