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Issue #24: The Switch to iPad gift guide

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Hello!

It’s that time of year when we exchange money, err, presents, and since we’re all more or less obsessed with the iPad, I figured I’d lend a helping hand in your shopping woes.

My name is Thord D. Hedengren, and I love giving away presents. I don’t like the commercial hysteria around it all during the holidays though, but what’re you going to do?

So, here are some tips!

To: The iPad-less

No iPad? Well, no problem, if that kind of present is in your budget! It also makes additional gifts easy because obviously the iPad needs a cover of sorts, maybe an Apple Pencil, keyboard, and so forth.

So, which one? We’ve talked a lot about picking the right iPad in the past, first back in issue 2, and then touching the subject in both issue 22 and issue 23, so I’ll refer to those.

And kudos to you, being a generous bugger that gives away iPads!

To: Parent(s)

Bring a little light, with Hue from Philips. Just make sure you get the ones that support the Hue bridge (which you’ll need) so that you won’t bog down your network with Wi-Fi connected bulbs or bluetooth only versions.

Read more here.

Too technical? Well, then get the HomePod mini so that your parents finally can throw out that old crummy CD player from 1996…

To: Kids

Tear your kids away from Roblox for a second, and introduce them to the wonders of Apple Arcade. For a measly $6/month you’ll get a silly amount of games — over a hundred — and new releases on a weekly basis. There are some real gems here, from the age of five or something, and up to, well, anyone can play games, so 99+, I guess. It’s fun for the whole family, as they say, so be sure to get it for your family plan.

Read more here.

Need another alternative? Sure, the Nanoleaf hexagon lamps (with HomeKit support) are pretty cool, at $200 they can spruce up the room for sure.

To: Gamers

You’ve already got Apple Arcade, so why not get a decent controller to the growing amount of controller enabled games? My pick is the Xbox One controller (make sure you get the new version, with bluetooth), but you can just as well go with PlayStation DualShock 4 if that’s a better fit. There are other options too, like 8bitdo’s controllers(which are less pricy), and MFi controllers (which are more pricy, and less good), but my advice is to stick with either the Xbox or PlayStation ones, they’re usually around $50-60.

If the controller situation is already covered, consider an iPad stand for that console experience. This one from Lamicall is pretty nice, at just $20 too.

To: Influencers

After sound, light is everything when shooting video, which makes Elgato Ring Light a great option for people who like to be in the centre of things. Take better selfies, or illuminate yourself on Zoom with this nifty thing. $200 is a pretty steep price, but it’s a quality product, and looking good was never cheap, was it?

Read more here.

Too much? Chances are they’re shooting their tutorial videos or whatever with a stand-alone camera. That means they need an adapter to connect things to an iPad Pro, and that makes this Satechi mobile USB-C hub a great choice, at around $60.

To: The ones you don’t know what they like

App Store gift cards is a great present, and easy to deliver too since you can just send it. These are sad times, when we can’t be with the ones we love the way we’d like, so digital presents might have to do. Attach a couple of app suggestions too, and you’ll be golden.

Read more here.

To: Yourself

Let’s not forget ourselves in these trying times. I’m giving you 20% off the annual plan forever (or rather, for as long as your subscription is valid), even if the price goes up in the future. And it will. Just use the link below to get the discount.

Get 20% off the Annual Plan, forever!

The offer is valid until January 31st, 2021.


That’s plenty of stuff to give to likeminded people, or to yourself as it were. What are your go-to gifts related to the iPad? Tweet me your best gift ideas!

Speaking of stuff, I’m typing this on the Brydge Pro Plus keyboard, and I’m going to compare that to the Magic Keyboard in the next issue, so stick around for that. Until then, take care!

— Thord D. Hedengren


In the wild…