One thing I would love is an iPhone / iPad that docks and dual boots into macOS powering a monitor- surely that should be technically possible by now.
Much like on the other extremely, pilots absolutely love the tiny iPad Mini because it can easily fit in the cockpit (and even be mounted to the windshield).
This is probably going to cost a lot and installing Linux would probably mean to forfeit all the screen modes except one (I don't expect much driver support - but maybe xrandr?) anyway I can see me buying something like that.
Too bad for the missing touchpad buttons (three of them, this is almost a deal breaker), wonderful not having a number pad, I didn't check if it can be upgraded (RAM, SSD) and which ports it has. My wishes: video, ethernet, 3.5 audio jack, at least two USB A 3.0, USB C would be ok, I bet there are adapters for old hardware.
Let me guess you dont have kids.
They can have coloring books, crayons, Legos and building blocks, doll houses, physical plastic, wooden and plush toys, restricted access to PCs/consoles, but no portable smart devices with screens, online connection and spyware apps.
By kids I'm talking about pre-teens. They can get smart devices when they're teenagers.
All your activity sounds good on paper but real life does not work like that. Kids are smart, they can see you are on your smart device, they can see others are on their phones/ipads when they go outside. You dont want your kid to be a social outcast.
Sometimes when you want to do your chores or want some quiet time for yourself the best solution is to give your kids an ipad so that they remain busy.
If you're always on your phone, you're sending your children the social signal that that's OK.
Just compare their feedback over time using the different approaches and you’ll notice that they work more their imagination when the content is not laid out entirely by someone else.
Good or bad, that is the norm now and if you don't let your kid access to a tablet while all the other kids do, that child will be lacking a lot of confidence and practical tech skills.
A balance with both iPad time and physical activity time would be a better tradeoff IMO.
Teach them it's a tool and guide them on how to use it responsibly.
That's mostly an American thing.
>Teach them it's a tool and guide them on how to use it responsibly.
Don't know about your kids or your childhood, but I always did what was cool and not what my parents told me is responsible.
My childhood was irrelevant as was yours. Time changes.
Then how do your kids communicate with those who only have android devices? That's a big social issue among teens in the US.
iMessage is never popular in Europe, as everyone here uses cross platform apps like Whatsapp, Telegram, Snapchat, etc. due to the lower market share of IOS vs Andorid.
Your case seems like an outlier.
What's missing on Android that Apple has for control?
This is a fairly large security concern if I'm honest generally.
I'm pretty sure most of us on HN grew up without access to iPads, but still somehow developed practical tech skills, including the ability to learn to use iPads.
If we normalize this to current HN audience's childhood (roughly), it's more like not touching a computer and not seeing a modem until 20s, while all the kids know at least how to turn a computer, use Windows Explorer/Mac Finder, developed motor skills to use a keyboard efficiently, know how to modify Word docs etc. and the social norm is knowing all these things (as opposed to our chilhood).
Sure, a legendary hacker might arise after touching a computer first time after 20s, but much less likely.
Having said that it is all about balance, and limiting screen time is a good way to go about it.
I found the best low stress and low effort solution was to be a larger drama than they are. This culminated in myself lying on the floor in the Lakeside shopping centre in the UK screaming my head off. Oh yes I can do it too. And it makes you look like a dick when I do it. Make sure you talk to them at the same level afterwards. You are now equals :)
She never did it again after that and has been a joy. Advice has worked for other people.
It doesn't have to be the kid's iPad though.
We have a "family" nintendo switch. I sure don't mind if they play with it on the plane, but at home they only have access to it on request and within a limited time. Same as for a laptop if they want to watch something or my eldest daughter's phone. There is no way these devices stay in their room either. I give them an allotted time, and all these devices need to get back to my office where the charging cables are once time is over. And if for some reason they try to cheat and use the fact I am busy with something to not take notice they are still using it, they get punished for a week without access to said device.
In the end I am glad my daughters are so creative and spend so much time drawing, building things with cardboard, glue and tape, or play outside. Usually screen time is limited to when I am cooking for dinner, after they took a shower. They still aren't stranger to tech but don't need to be hooked on social medias. My daughter's phone is mostly used to play music and for whatsapp, as well as camera when we go out. But since her time on it is limited, every comm is asynchronous and doesn't end with her having to answer to every single notification right away.
What you're doing is enforcing a semi-luddite position on your own kids because you can only leave them unattended with old things. Just be a parent ffs.
Sure, but kids also love eating only sweets, watching cartoons and playing videogames all day, that doesn't mean it's always good for them.
Don't physical pencils and paper work the same without the downsides for kids, like staring into a bright screen?
And by kids I meant 3-12 year olds, not Teenagers and college age kids who need an ipad for study and productivity.
That's not ludditism IMHO.
You could just leave off the "...with the latest internet connected shiny toys."
It's locked down using a combination of Apple's parental controls, controls on the router and NextDNS. The level of pedagogic software available on the platform is excellent, especially for preschool. There are also other 'games', like Crayola's Create and Play[0] app (available for Android too) which are fun, engaging, creative and educational.
Like it or not, this is the world they are going to grow up in. It's the parents job to teach them to be responsible with everything, from sweets to using technology. Kids aged 3-12 can get as much out of a device like an iPad as any teenager.
Just don't install Youtube/Youtube Kids...
This sounds word for word like worries about the first generation of children raised with ready access to TVs.
In 10 years, parents will be complaining about AR/VR
Yes. This is true, and they're still valid complaints. I grew up (currently in my 20s) without a TV or PC with a GUI.
> In 10 years, parents will be complaining about AR/VR
Same potential for completely ruining kids, if not worse.
Not giving access to PCs/Ipads etc is not a good solution though.
I would complain that your parents robbed you of some cool experiences by not letting you use a TV or a PC.