Quote:
Originally Posted by khalleron
I would think that, before spending at least $200 on a gift, the giver would be sure the recipient wants it.
Although it would make a nice pile of cash when it's returned if they don't.
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There are also those who (even in today's economy) are perfectly willing to purchase the latest and (sometimes questionably) greatest tech gadget for friends and family without any knowledge whatsoever.
A shopping trip to Sharper Image comes to mind.
So his warning to be careful is well-intended, but his message seems a little heavy-handed to me. But I would rather see people warned off the technology for a little while, now, rather than put off the technology forever by a premature gift beyond their current interest level.
I am put in mind of the many children with a budding interest in astronomy who were (are) put off, perhaps permanently, by the gift of a telescope from a well-meaning but uninformed relative. They are taken in by the package's blazing "650 power" claim accompanied by close up photos of Jupiter and Saturn, leading one to believe this $200 60mm (2.4") scope is capable of these views.
In reality, with the best quality optics and best seeing conditions, a scope of this size MIGHT be capable of 120 power. With their plastic lenses, they are lucky to exceed Galileo's original 20 power scope, and with worse results than Galileo's primitive glass lenses.
These would be okay for looking at the moon, and perhaps bringing Saturn or Jupiter from tiny dots to larger dots, if only the included tripod wasn't so flimsy that it shakes when an ant walks by.
The comparison isn't precise, of course, because buying an ereader for someone uninterested in the technology isn't going to stop them from reading.
However, it is an example of how willing well-intentioned but uninformed gift-givers are to blindly spend $200.