rcharlton
Moderator emeritus
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2005
- Messages
- 641
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 11/2005
- Country
- CA
- State
- Ontario
- City
- Toronto
A lot of members (including myself) seemed to be getting sucked in by all the hype surrounding Ipads and shelling out for this trendy device.
The Ipad is actually a terrible choice for PALS. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen device. It is a sad reality that sooner or later most PALS will lose the ability to touch.
Since I bought my iPad I've pretty much lost the use of my hands and arms. My ipad has become a very expensive paper weight.
With PCs, it is pretty much a free for all. There are no restrictions on the types of software and hardware that can be developed. Not so with Apple. Apple has numerous restrictions on who can develop software and what can be developed. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen only device, so gosh darn it they're going to make sure it stays that way. So, at least for the time being, forget about alternative input devices like mouse, trackpad or eye tracking for the Ipad.
Plus the PC market is more than 30-40 times that of Apple/Mac. So there are more incentives for AAC developers to design programs for PCs as opposed to Apples/Macs.
If your looking for a good all around AAC, best to stick with your good old laptop. If you need portability a PC net book is a good cheap choice.
There are more and more tablet PCs being released to compete against the Ipad. The interface may not be as advanced or fluid as the Ipad, but many run on Windows so you'll be able to use all the same AAC devices and programs as you would on your PC. Alternative input options abound.
The Ipad is actually a terrible choice for PALS. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen device. It is a sad reality that sooner or later most PALS will lose the ability to touch.
Since I bought my iPad I've pretty much lost the use of my hands and arms. My ipad has become a very expensive paper weight.
With PCs, it is pretty much a free for all. There are no restrictions on the types of software and hardware that can be developed. Not so with Apple. Apple has numerous restrictions on who can develop software and what can be developed. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen only device, so gosh darn it they're going to make sure it stays that way. So, at least for the time being, forget about alternative input devices like mouse, trackpad or eye tracking for the Ipad.
Plus the PC market is more than 30-40 times that of Apple/Mac. So there are more incentives for AAC developers to design programs for PCs as opposed to Apples/Macs.
If your looking for a good all around AAC, best to stick with your good old laptop. If you need portability a PC net book is a good cheap choice.
There are more and more tablet PCs being released to compete against the Ipad. The interface may not be as advanced or fluid as the Ipad, but many run on Windows so you'll be able to use all the same AAC devices and programs as you would on your PC. Alternative input options abound.