Electronics

[gidgetgh]

I should know the answer to this since I have an iPad but, alas, I don't.

My father is thinking about getting an iPad. He's a young 82. Doesn't own a computer- never has. He started taking beginner computer classes at the senior center last week.

He isn't really that interested in ALL the aspects of having a computer, but feels that to get along in today's world, he should have something. So he expressed an interest yesterday in an iPad. My sister and I think it's a perfect fit for him. Wouldn't take long to teach him to use it. We'd set up an email account for him and he'll be happy as a clam with that and basic internet surfing.

So my question is, do we need to have a computer at all for his iPad to work? Can we just buy it and set it up for him at home, register it from the iPad, set up his iTunes account from the iPad, etc? I know we can set it so that he gets his updates and stuff through iCloud. It wouldn't be a problem to set hook it up to my computer at home for the first time if we need to to "get it started", but do we even need to do that?

I know how to set up the 3G account from the iPad and have it be a repeating credit card transaction for him. I just need to know if we bought him one like today and drove it straight to his house will it work from the box?