Hi!
I'm thinking of buying a second hand ipad just so I can access the smartgo books app- will an original i pad still be up to the job? Should I worry about memory? Does it matter that I don't have another apple comp to sync it with? Is there anything else I should have thought of?

Thanks all

I own a second-generation iPad and it works just fine with Smartgo and Smartgo books. The application is not very resource intensive. I can't speak for an original (first-generation iPad) specifically. You don't need a Mac to sync it with; it can operate as a stand-alone device.

I would say that if you can, try to get a used iPad mini instead. It can be difficult to find a place to put a large iPad among rows of go boards, and quite frankly, the older iPads were fairly heavy. The weight is the biggest consideration for me with a tablet.

Of course, price is a serious consideration. With iPad on its fourth generation, I'd hesitate to get anything lower than 3rd generation (personal preference) unless the cost was $50 or lower - some amount of money you feel comfortable doing without after a couple of years of use. It'll be hard to find a buyer for it.

_________________
Ko is the best solution.
With Ko, I can keep eating and drinking until I am full.

Visit >>>Koosh's Study Journal<<<

forget it forget it forget it forget it don’t click thereforget it forget it forget it forget it

(Sorry, replied too fast again. Thanks for showing me, oren.)

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

You missed this part, I think...

I have a first gen iPad and both smartgo books and smartgo kifu work smoothly. No need to sync.

However I would definitely NOT recommend to buy an iPad 1 for this purpose:
- many apps crash due to insufficient memory (the most noticeable being safari and AppStore! Shame.)
- you may get into trouble when downloading apps because Apple stopped the support of the iPad 1 at IOS 5 and many apps require a more recent iOS version. For instance go books requires iOS 8. You may download a former version of the app but this might be not straightforward or even might be not possible, see:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5519108?tstart=0
- even if you are able to download the app, you will not get the last version of Go Books, since iOS 8 is required for this and Apple stopped the support of this model at iOS 5. Consequence: you won't have the most recent books (15 are missing as I have seen).
- the battery of your IPAd 1 will certainly have gone through many cycles, so need to change it quickly. I don't know if Apple still supports battery change for this model and it certainly is not worth the cost.

Wow thanks guys! Really helpful stuff- given me plenty to check for when I'm buying so I feel much better. Plus nobody said 'Ew don't bother, isn't worth it' which is reassuring too
Jo