Giving Apple is giving a gift of dependence. There's no tinkering. You do things the Apple way, or you don't do it. It's also redundant giving a phone that can't make calls(ipod), and a phone that does everything an ipod does, plus make calls.
My sister doesn't let him play Xbox or PC games because they are violent and stunt children socially. He does play games on his mother's iPad though. I agree with her, ideally he would learn a sport or get a hobby like building furniture.
I see that Apple released the new iPod touch for $199, and looking at the specs it looks pretty impressive. I don't want to give him something that is stunted though, I want him to be able to tinker with it somewhat... so I think I may just get him one of these and a cheaper android phone to go with it. That way he gets imessage for his friends and will be able to play the games he likes, but he will be forced to also learn android if he wants to use the phone.
How does that sound? I guess the alternative is to get him an iphone 5c or 5s or 6.... but the ipod has the same specs as the 6 and is 1/3rd the price! It just screams ripoff to me.
My sister doesn't let him play Xbox or PC games because they are violent and stunt children socially.
My sister doesn't let him play Xbox or PC games because they are violent and stunt children socially.
Video games don't socially stunt children, burying their faces in a phone does
I disagree. The vast majority of video games include very little if any social interaction, and the social interaction that does exist tends to consist of people fighting or insulting each other. I've played Call of Duty on xbox before, I find it hard to say that yelling at 10 year olds who claim to have banged my mom is 'social'... vs say twitter/facebook is very social. However, you are entitled to your opinion and I respect your right to raise your children as you see fit.
Fair enough, the kids on Call of Duty are a bunch of little bastards. I was more referring to video games in a friend group setting, which is what we did when I was 10. We'd talk to each other while making our ways through old PS1 / SNES adventure and platformer games, so it was a little different than screaming at and insulting each other through COD. I replied earlier because it's discouraging to see how people go through lives glued to their phones, myself included sometimes until I notice it. If I'd grown up with a smartphone from 10 years old and considered it totally normal, I wouldn't be reminded to look up, get off fb/twitter, and go outside
(I'm 25 btw, no children but if they ever arrive they'll be the weirdos with no phones)
I told the kid I was going to get him an android phone along with an ipod touch but he wants an iphone 6. I am going to take Kieth's advice because I think he is right: I am failing at gift giving. I'm just gonna give the kid what he wants... which unfortunately is an iphone 6. Goodbye $730, I will miss you.
I disagree. The vast majority of video games include very little if any social interaction, and the social interaction that does exist tends to consist of people fighting or insulting each other. I've played Call of Duty on xbox before, I find it hard to say that yelling at 10 year olds who claim to have banged my mom is 'social'... vs say twitter/facebook is very social. However, you are entitled to your opinion and I respect your right to raise your children as you see fit.
I told the kid I was going to get him an android phone along with an ipod touch but he wants an iphone 6. I am going to take Kieth's advice because I think he is right: I am failing at gift giving. I'm just gonna give the kid what he wants... which unfortunately is an iphone 6. Goodbye $730, I will miss you.