What’s the best gift for your parents right now?

Posted on August 5th, 2011. Written by Rico.

Want to reward your parents for the sacrifices they’ve made for you? If a story my mom just shared with me is any indication, a great gift for your forebears would be the iPad.

Now never assume that giving your parents an iPad will make them more productive. They only use my iPad2 to play Bejeweled 2 + Blitz and Word Challenge Scramble Edition—two games they discovered from friends who’ve also played them on the iPad.

Even though they love borrowing my iPad 2 for entertainment purposes , my parents refuse to buy one for themselves. “We’d end up not talking to each other,” my dad would say.

So anyway I was supposed to meet my mom at my sister’s house. But I was running late, and here’s what my mom first thought upon arriving first: “Rico isn’t here yet, so maybe the iPad isn’t too… Oh no! I’m actually missing the iPad more than Rico!”

My parents regular problems with their laptops are a constant source of personal frustration. Even basic “issues”—such as how to locate a downloaded file—require thorough walkthroughs on my part.

But I’ve never heard mom or dad wonder how to do something on the iPad. We all know the iOS—the software that makes everything on the Apple gadget run—is designed for tech newbies. There’s nothing more straightforward than tapping buttons or objects right on the iPad’s large 10-inch screen. It’s clear Steve Jobs knows how to relate tech to the lowest common denominator, which is why Apple is swimming in cash right now.

So buy your parents some fun, and some piece of mind for yourself. Get an iPad 2. Read our previous articles on the gadget here for information on prices, availability, and even how to get one for free.

As for my own parents, maybe I’ll just give my iPad 2 to them. I rarely see that tablet nowadays.