So my son will need an iPad for school next year. Next week we are flying overseas (Thailand Singapore). Do I buy one now and claim the gst back or should I just wait until December or later in the year if any ozbargain deals come out that would be better value ?
Need an iPad - wait or now ?
ELH05 on 24/07/2015 - 08:40
Comments
not cheaper at all, plus doesn't look like a very reputable site. With shipping, the order would come to 525 USD which equates to around $718 AUD. Officeworks has the same one for $687.
AH RIGHT sorry i did not double check her work!!! Didn't realise it was USD
Haha i will make sure i tell her that
Just two weeks ago Officeworks were selling for $619.
Hi mate,
This website gives you a good indication of the cycle times for each Apple product. According to the website, the ipad range is nearing it's end of cycle at the moment, maybe wait a little longer.
This. Apple will push out another update to their range shortly and you'll be able to buy the lower end iPad for a reduced price.
But in addition to this, Apple tend to discontinue old models periodically. What I would be doing is waiting for the new iPads to be released for sale and then hit up your local JB Hi Fi/Officeworks until you find an older model. Wait for the phase out and buy at the reduced price.
New iPad usually releases around Sep / Oct timeframe. But due to current iPad Air 2 prices were set last year when AU$1 = US$0.87. I believe this year's new iPad prices will see 10%-25% increase from last year's prices since AU$ is weaker everyday until end of the year.
If you can find iPad Air 2 at a good price from local stores, get it NOW ~
This. I'd wait
OP can you please explain why they "Need" an Ipad for school? Shouldn't the school be providing some purchase scheme if they are mandatory item?
Although you can purchase through the school portal they are trying to get the best deal, not the most convenient. Buying something through the school's partners rarely works out to be the cheapest option.
Nope, each child requires their own iPad from year 1. No rebate, just buy your own, sort it out yourself.
Just to let you know a few parents got together with my wife and I and told the school we weren't happy with the "requirement". Met with the "technology" teacher and found out 99% of what they needed to do could be done on ANY tablet. Worst is they use Google Apps (in particular Drive), which is really more native to Android than iPad anyway!
This year we've been given a pass, and as of next year ANY tablet, be it iPad, Windows, Android, basically anything with a decent browser will be allowed.
I have 5 Android tablets in this household currently, so I'm heavily invested, certainly not keen to spend thousands locking myself into Apple ecosystem!
If your children have no tablets currently I guess you may as well especially if you have iPhones in the house already but if not have a chat to them. I think "TECHNOLOGY" should not equate to any particular brand.
depends on the age but for preps, 1s and 2s.. teachers will spend half the time troubleshooting.
@sal78: So you keep rehashing. What was it again, turning on, logging on, and then troubleshooting right? Because the on button is so hard to find, then swiping must be a lot harder on Android tablets, logging on is not even required, nor is troubleshooting.
This takes half the lesson apparently.
OK we got it.
Back in your hole now - now you're just annoying me.
rumrunner what are you talking about - the guy just wants to know if he should buy an iPad or not.
Not change the whole system for his school.
@Ramrunner: wow what a nasty person you are. my husband is a teacher and have been to many schools for PD to see how they implemented devices and use them in class. The teachers trialled both at school. geez you are a mean person.
I'm sorry but that is ridiculous.
The requirement is so everyone has the same device so they can follow along certain steps which may be different on android to iOS.
no they dont. if u cant afford it then you cant. they will let kids share the schools ipads. a few kids dont have ipads.
Keep waiting and never buy one..
best advice ever lol..
If you need it now, buy it. No point waiting!
ye no point waiting. the most you'll save is 10% (generally the discount on apple products).
Just buy it now, claim tax.
but then again, he needs it next year… and you'll be saving like what, $50? why not just buy it next year. maybe he wont need it next year coz circumstances change
Wait till the next eBay 20% sale
Thanks actually that's a great idea, i think I'll do that, surely they will do another one before Christmas :)
Don't some schools list it as a requirement?
Don't know about some private schools, but AFAIK it's not a requirement of the K-6 curriculum?
Yes private catholic school, definitely mandatory
My daughter is going to a private catholic school from year 7 onwards and a laptop is mandatory. There is an option to provide your own or lease one from the school.
No, there are quite a few schools (including my daughters) where an ipad is mandatory. They put text books, learning programs and a lot of other stuff on the ipad. No ipad, no learning.
It is a private school so, yeah, not public and perhaps not usual (and no need to talk about public/private - she goes to that school, it is a requirement for the school).
In year 7 she will require a laptop. Yes, need, require, must have.
So you need to learn that some people actually know what they are talking about before mouthing off at them.
The school does offer a 'portal' but generally this is bundled with Apple care. Its cheaper to buy the ipad separately without AppleCare, but cheaper to buy through the portal with AppleCare.
I doubt 'old' ipad prices, even if a new one is released, will drop much more than 10-15% before the start of next school term. So by waiting (rather than buying and claiming the GST) you probably wont save an awful lot, if anything. Also, it depends on which model is required (although, really, any ipad model will be suitable for school even if they encourage retina displays etc).
Actually it's quite exciting to see the possibilities of using tech in the classroom. This isn't lazy, it's innovative.
@djmatt24: Nonsense. I hear these hipster rumblings about supposed 'innovations' being touted all of the time, I'm yet to see any real results or even sensible rationales…hence no inclusion in any noteworthy curriculae…it's just a cop out for weak pedagogy. The hopes for any significant outcomes are about as realistic as the dream of the paperless office! I'd be interested to see how many of the supposed electronic texts & "learning apps" are actually ratified by the DET for use in the curricula???
I used to see it all of the time when I had a paed caseload, kid supposedly 'needs' FAHCSIA funded iPad for whatever reason, often several thousand taxpayer dollars later (diagnostic processes for funding & the purchase/ongoing licensing of apps ain't cheap) the only use it gets is playing Angry Birds or Candy Crush to keep little Timmy quiet whilst mum watches reality TV. Don't get me started, thank goodness I don't have to work with kids other than my own now…
@StewBalls: Well I didn't want to waffle on, but I think your comments are nonsense as well. I will mention at this point that I am a high school teacher and have worked in schools both with and without personal computer/ipad arrangements. I've used it effectively and seen the results. But thanks for the insult of weak pedagogy. Cheers.
Just a few reasons why computers/tablets in classrooms are a good idea:
1. Interactive experiences - Students can interact online, with each other, with me as the teacher through applications. It's easier than ever before, which is a good thing.
2. Books come alive - Really well designed ebooks offer a great experience over tradition textbooks. Check them out sometime.
3. Cost - While you say it's expensive, buying bulk licences on tablets is cheaper in the long run than students or schools buying classloads of textbooks each year. Every 3-5 years, the books need replacing do to damage or content relevance, where as on ipads there's no need. In the long run, this is cheaper.
4. Better for the environment - Shouldn't need to spell this one out.
5. Preparation for tomorrow's workforce - technology is improving our lives in every way and changing rapidly. We are trying to prepare students for the workforce. Why would we become slack on this skill set? We need to be at the front of the curve, not the back.And on and on and on….
@djmatt24: Just out of curiosity, did the school lock in a particular ecosystem? (Apple, Windows, whatever)? My biggest gripe is pretty much ANYTHING these days can be done on 100% compatible HTML5 web portals so why can we not just bring whatever devices we already have as long as they have a decent browser?
You say "prepare students for the workforce" but my kid's school has settled on MacBooks. My argument is that penetration of Macs in the workforce less than 10% so how is that preparing them except how to completely re-learn how to use a computer with Windows?
I really wish schools would simply settle on "technology" in the classroom, regardless of what platform you wish to use.
@Ramrunner: I personally see the whole eduction sector supports from the tech giants as a fight to get more and more kids to get used to their ecosystem. It's like they are investing for the future customers.
@AznMitch: And YOU sir, have hit the nail on the head. +1 and kudos.
2 years ago the school my kids go to was all Windows. Now they're all Mac. There's talk of going back.
And us parents are supposed to just open our wallet every time some slick salesman convinces the school we need their ecosystem.
Like I mentioned - technology <> MAC and technology <> Windows or Android.
Technology is about teaching kids about computing and how to use tablets, wherever they come from.
It's a money game again…….sigh
@Ramrunner: Frankly speaking, I don't understand why kids need to have technology. Do the kids really need the technology? Why do we need to replace the "old method"? Have we seen enough to know all the negative consequences?
Don't get me wrong, I do use technology for study, reading PDFs from Google Scholar without printing saves a lot of space/money. That said, I do not deny that the tablet I own is more of a candy crush/movie machine. Also, the environment and means that we use influence our memory and recall ability a lot, if the kids are not going to be tested using iPads or something like that, it's going to negatively affect the efficiency.
I personally see this push on iPads as a fight between tech giants to push their ecosystem to the kids, I frankly don't think it is necessary or beneficial. MS, Google, Apple, etc etc, they are all guilty of this in my opinion.
I might be slightly biased, my dad is rather stubborn; he does not like accepting new ideas that has not been test thoroughly. It might be showing up in my attitude.
Why would a school be endorsing the most expensive tablet on the market just to read text books and learning programs. I'm not calling you a liar but it just sounds like elitist schools that want the image of kids using unnecessary overpriced equipment. Tablets are a great idea, I still have back issues from carrying around my textbooks, but I cant imagine why a school would mandate iPads.
but I cant imagine why a school would mandate iPads.
Apps maybe?
Also all ipad's UI are all the same. Even if they had a specific android tablet, would there really be a reason to not be able to choose a different one? The customization and skins that android allows could make it harder for the teacher.
Apps maybe? Also all ipad's UI are all the same.
An argument could be made that the closed ecosystem might be one reason; but having worked with quite a few teachers over the years, the most likely answer you'd get in all truth is "Huh, what's android???" :p
I'm only being quasi facetious, BTW…I posed this very same question to some Allied Health professionals a while back on this very topic, and that was essentially the answer I received.
@ozhunter: The shouldn't use Apps at all, if everybody used HTML5 compliant web portals for all teaching, any student could bring anything they wanted. With modern browsers these days it would just work. This whole "It must be an iPad" thing is lazy thinking.
my husband's school did a trial and ipad was a no brainer in the classroom. they can all get on with it instead of spending half the class helping each kid log on, trouble shooting etc problem with a droid is that there are so many diff brands and designs and some of tge pipular apps are not available. just trial any prep class and the whole class runss smoother with ipads. kids all know what to do and teachers too. lol its really easy to criticize but you need to experience it as a teacher for yourself.
especially early yrs, preps, yr 1s and 2s. kids are engages, its innovative, exciting, especially helpful for lower kids as its a different tool of learning.
@ozhunter: Uhm. Boohoo?
First of all like it or not ANYONE can click on an icon. Starting an app is simply clicking on an icon. Both in iOS and Android. Customizations and skins aside, the all apps drawer is available on all Androids, where all apps can be clicked on.
This whole "harder for the teacher" doesn't hold much water as I've taught TABLETS to senior citizens (which I believe can be harder to teach than children). Apart from MAYBE the different location of the wireless settings, you can set up both iOS and Android on any hardware to look and work essentially the same. There was no issues at all in my class using either platform by any of my students.
Again, a teacher teaching technology should be versed in "computers" and "tablets", NOT locked in to teaching MacOS, iOS, Andoid, or Windows. Hell even Linux works basically the same.
Yes it may be slightly slower going, but I'd rather my students can pick up any tablet and work with it. It takes a little more education for the teacher sure, but forcing young adults into an ecosystem and making parents buy everything twice is simply NOT the answer.
And things become a whole lot easier when schools use the resources of HTML5 standard web sites, which means any browser on any device can work 100% with it.
Like it or not, having all the same UI, does make it a bit easier. I'm not sure why they use ipads, but that's probably one of the reasons. Apps are also compatible on all ipads, with android tablets there's no certainty.
I don't think their even teaching technology. I'm guessing they use it to help with maths and English. If I was a student, I'd definitely like to have a choice; as a teacher, I can see how it's less problematic if everyone is using the same device.
@sal78: helping each kid log on? Trouble shoot problems? Some popular apps not available?
What year are we talking here? 2008? 2009?
You obviously have NO android experience at all or at least recently.
And let me pose it this way - if ALL students in the class were handed Samsung Note 10.1 tablets (which are crazy handy by the way as they are designed also with proper pressure stylus use in mind I cannot understand why they aren't used in education a lot more).
Everybody on the same platform.
I mean, forgetting the "logging on", "troubleshooting", "popular apps" arguments as they simply are not true.
Does this then not make the Samsung a "no brainer"?
The MAIN reason iOS is used in education is due to the heavy push by Apple, THEN by the Apple marketing machine, THEN by people who simply don't know better THEN by people who are used to Apple, have fallen in love, and can't be bothered changing even if the features in Android - fair to say - are better then iOS now.
I can and do use both, and have chosen my household to be full of Android devices. I mean, seriously for education especially programming itself for the tablet check out MIT App Inventor 2. Look it up. My son has written (visually) simple translation and GPS based apps, apps that work out calculations, and he is only 8. He proudly shows them off to the teachers at school, they are amazed. Can't do that on an iPad.
And side-loading of Android programs bypassing the store if they move on to serious programming. Can't create an app for Apple unless you fork out big dollars for a development kit. Certainly can't side-load them onto other iPads
Teachers don't really investigate the advantages of other platforms, that's what bugs me. The trial that was done was probably simply comparing the two, not going beyond and seeing how Android actually has far more advanced features that can be used in the classroom (the programming being an example).
Not to mention no tie-in to iTunes and simply being able to drag and drop all files to/from the Android tablets, I just don't understand the Apple love. My dad's iPad is in the cupboard collecting dust after he had to have one then used my Nexus 9 and bought that instead.
Teaching kids to program, which is a big essential part of technology actually makes Android a no-brainer.
@ozhunter: See my post to @sal78 below. All your points are valid by the way, but "less problematic" is not always the way is my point.
It's less problematic for teachers to teach my visual spatial son the traditional serial based way.
Is this the best way to teach someone who is visual spatial? No it's not. My son would be lost in the system labelled (incorrectly) as ADHD or somesuch. One of his teachers suggested that until I showed her the psychiatrist report stating he was highly visual spatial and with an IQ of more than 140 (140 is the most they can measure at his age).
I just think too often the easy way out is being taken. That's all. Android is a perfectly acceptable teaching device, and better at a few vital things than iPad (see the programming reference).
Again, your points are valid, but I feel they are being used as an excuse not to open minds and prepare for out kids best interests, not the schools, Apple's or the teachers.
I think it is easier one brand/model. "kids press the home", hmm, mine doesn't have that? different tablets, means different speed, configuration, storage, etc.
Pick one brand one model and make things easier for the school, teacher and kids.
@aldoduco: Android does have specifications and guidelines for manufacturers to follow. Besides, the argument becomes rather redundant if the school chooses what device they want to use.
Anyways, about "Home", here is what Google have set as the guideline.
The Home, Recents, and Back functions (mapped to the key events KEYCODE_HOME, KEYCODE_APP_SWITCH, KEYCODE_BACK, respectively) are essential to the Android navigation paradigm and therefore:
- Android Handheld device implementations MUST provide the Home, Recents, and Back functions.
- Android Television device implementations MUST provide the Home and Back functions. Android Watch device implementations MUST have the * Home function available to the user, and the Back function except for when it is in UI_MODE_TYPE_WATCH.
- Android Automotive implementations MUST provide the Home function and MAY provide Back and Recent functions.
- All other types of device implementations MUST provide the Home and Back functions.
These functions MAY be implemented via dedicated physical buttons (such as mechanical or capacitive touch buttons), or MAY be implemented using dedicated software keys on a distinct portion of the screen, gestures, touch panel, etc. Android supports both implementations. All of these functions MUST be accessible with a single action (e.g. tap, double-click or gesture) when visible.
Refer to 7.2.3.
http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/source.android.com…they're primary school teachers, not IT experts. geez, my husband is also heavily involved in extra curriculum, sports and he has no authority and it's a feedback from all the teachers. it goes back to the school, the principle and the board.
for what they use a device for it will not be what you have taught your son. seriously good for you and him but teachers teach the curriculum.
You need to learn not to be an arrogant a hole stew balls
Hmmm, I don't think iPad Air 2 will become outdated soon (though this is more of me guessing than anything). They've increased RAM from 1GB to 2GB (it was 1GB since iPad 3), A8X is also really good, designed for tablet and all. Other than TLC nand memory on it, I don't think there is much I want to criticise (other than the price of course). I personally think it's going to be at a reasonable position in terms of spec for a long time compared to newer iPads (though this is my opinion).
Waiting for newer generation would allow you to grab the device at cheaper price, but if you could find a decent price on it, I don't see any reason not to buy it (though it's just my opinion).
Make sure you buy Australian. You will get 2 years coverage under consumer law where as you will only get 12 months on an overseas model.
I just came back from the UK and iPads were around a third dearer there than Australia. I couldn't believe what I saw and checked both the Aussie and UK websites to confirm. Even secondhand iPad 2's seemed to cost what they did new in Australia.
Then I realised the Aussie dollar has been high for a while. We've dropped a fair bit recently. I'd expect a decent rise in iPad prices very soon. Grab a new iPad if you're travelling and claim the GST back on the way out. Check the TRS website to make sure you comply with the receipt requirements and enjoy. Check Mac Price website to make sure you find the best price before shopping.
Good luck.
I think UK always gets really bad price on electronics, including Android phones and Windows phones as well. I remember seeing Macbook bargains that was basically retailers adjusting their price after Apple have done it, iPads probably had the price adjusted for the fall of AUD .
Heaps of public schools are doing the ipad program as well from a junior primary year (cant recall which year). Also fantastic learning tools for special needs classes where they need to see things visably and interestingly to learn and understand. I sometimes think the resistance only comes from people that havent seen their kids using one or any of the fantastic learning apps
"only comes from people that havent seen their kids using one".
Uhm, I think the majority of the reason is people being asked to spend large amounts of money. (> $500).
Not everyone is as well off as you seem to be hey? We're not all in a great financial situation.
I have purchased tablets for both my kids already, they're just not iPads. I'm not in a position to buy again.
yes my dh is a yr 2 teacher. you will find most famillies already have an iPad anyway but u dont you can use schools one. it may mean the child needs to share and cant do any activities at home. the apps my kids use are fabulous for learning. my hubby just implement augmented reality for his kids.. its pretty good.
im still kicking myself that i didnt have time to go to officeworks to price match that ipad 2 64g typo. will never see that cheap for a long time.
the reason why teachers prefer ipad over android is because its more kids friendly. especially for early yrs. 15mins of lesson is wasted just going around helping kids to switch on and log on. its so inefficient. the remainder lesson is helping kids trouble shoot various android devices.
just dont buy lots of toys here n there n invest in an ipad. ours are kept with us. its supervised use for homework activities and they get some usage on weekends.
i have seen the benefits. my prep child last year loved creating whole story books with voice narration and animation. we use it for english, maths, piano, research etc and if i'm not home i call them or they call me on facetime or email
Switch on, log on, troubleshoot, why are you spreading that FUD sal78? Stop it please!!!
All our Android devices here, switch on, swipe to unlock (just like Apple), and you're at the desktop ready to click on your apps.
If you are spending 15 minutes showing kids where a power button is then YOU have a problem, not the device.
That's the second post where you complain of non-existent problems.
By god you must have shares in Apple or something. Look, I don't mind a good debate but stop spreading rubbish here please or at least try and explain what you mean.
As I mentioned before I've taken a few classes showing senior citizens how to use a mix of tablets both iOS and Android. If they can do I I certainly hope you could right?
Oh, and no, there was no 15 minutes turning on, logging in, OR troubleshooting.
I don't understand why people think that Android will be like "adb install" for installing apps or something like that. I've only used commands once and that was to tweak resolution (which I personally think something you wouldn't need to or want to do in most cases). Then I found an app for it. Other than that, I honestly don't understand how a device with touch screen as input would be less kid friendly than the other device.
That said, I will be hopelessly lost in iOS device for awhile, I'd need to look up how to change settings and stuff (even though I used it for 2 weeks, I never got invested in it that much). I surely would be able to use apps. Apps that are commonly present have similar control, to an extent where I can almost guarentee that you wouldn't notice difference between the devices (other than obvious differences in buttons, which I personally think is better on Android; click "back button" to go back is rather simple I think?). It's more of how much you are invest/used to the system.
While I can do all sort of different things on Android, give me an iPad and I will have to learn all those from scratch.
My dad uses Android and my mother uses iOS, both of them are rather blind to technology. I assure you, if I swap their devices, both of them are going to have problems. To be honest, when I was helping my parents to set their new phones up, I was lost for awhile with iPhone 6 more (back then I had Windows Phone as my main device, I had my dad's Tab S for a bit at that time), because I was not used to iOS.
My dad refused my offer on getting him an iPad, because he didn't know how to use it and didn't want to learn. I've given him a Tab S and he seems to be happy with it.
[@sal78] and [@Ramrunner] you both saying what you see of each product, I bet both of you struggle with what you are not familiar. you might like to try new things or not, some people don't like changes and stick with what they know.
It is harder for the teachers/school to have to deal with different brand/OS, configurations. It can be done, yes. but, it will take teachers more time.
im just telling you that the teachers feedback was that with different devices in class they didnt get much work done. not in early years. how do i know the specifics? no im not that interested but i trust the school, teachers and my husband. if it was android then we would buy android. they say android is good in middle school and above but early yrs ipad works better.
i know in hs kids need a laptop but they can just use any brand. so no they do favor apple. all the teachers have windows/android computers. but they use ipads in junior school for kids.
we hear this from kids saying "i prefer using schools ipad than the one we have at home (android) but my dad says i'm not allowed to have one and it makes me sad" big deal. dont buy android. they can use the schools ipads. at the end of the day if the lesson goes smoothly thats the main goal and kids are learning and enjoying.
ppl just turn anything into a fan war. cant we just respect the schools decisions. i feel bad for teachers that have to work all day and deal with difficult parents as a side job too.
@sal78:Exactly and then we sit and wonder why more aren't taking up teaching as a career, why would they when they see their teachers having to deal a parent who will bite your head off just because you aren't using their preferred/favourite OS.
If any school told my son they needed an Apple product, I'd tell them to go (profanity) themselves. No Apple products are allowed in my place.
LOL I'm not that bad, there ARE a couple of iPods floating around somewhere, but I'm 100% with you buddy, no-one tells me I NEED an Apple product.
Refurbished ipad air 2 is available now… has anyone used refurbished ipad?
Yes, it works exactly the same.
too early, wait. We have seen better deals than what you will get from GST ($60?).
Buy Wish gift cards http://www.cashrewards.com.au/woolworths-gift-cards with 5% off and buy your iPad from BigW. Save 10% GST when u travel.
There is a high chance prices might increase due to Aussie dollar going down.
Another I am going overseas to do a tax refund thread. Just be careful of admitting your intention to defraud the country of tax money in a public forum. The rules clearly state that you are not supposed to bring the item back into the country which looks like you will unless your kid is studying overseas. You won't know which government spy is lurking in ozbargain.
I think if If it is less $900 don't need to declare it when returning.
$900 in total for general goods not just one item. But no one follows this amount anyway.
Just be careful of admitting your intention to defraud the country of tax money in a public forum.
WTF???? You mean, by utilising the government's own perfectly legal TRS?
The rules clearly state that you are not supposed to bring the item back into the country
The rules state nothing of the sort. (https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Tour/Are-you-a-traveller)
You won't know which government spy is lurking in ozbargain.
I'm sorry? I think we all really need some of the stuff you are smoking. Of course, 'government spies' have nothing better to do than 'lurk' around bargain hunter forums on the off chance of snaring someone who may take advantage of a legal government scheme.
$900 in total for general goods not just one item.
It's $900 in total, per person. And families travelling together can aggregate the amount. How does 'general goods' differ from 'one item'?
But no one follows this amount anyway.
??? English please.
The TRS website is written in really easy-to-understand language, and clearly explains how the scheme operates.
There's no fraud involved, you don't have to leave your precious items overseas, and there are certainly no spies hiding behind your local lampposts.
Due to Apple adjusting the prices of most (if not all) Apple products earlier this year, even after 10% discount, you might still be paying more than people who bought the same iPad last year.
A new model for iPad Air (iPad Air 3) and a new iPad Mini (iPad Mini 3) are both due out later this year. A clearance sale for older models is likely. Also, you may prefer to get the newer model.
You can't claim the TRS if you are bringing the item back into the country which is what you're planning to do.
Nonsense.
(https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Tour/Are-you-a-traveller)
You can claim the GST refund upon leaving Australia for an eligible item. There's no limit specified on this. So it could be a $5500 gold & diamond encrusted Commodore 64, for example. You would get (eventually) the $500 GST paid back to you. Alternately, it may be just an $880 iPad.
Upon returning to Australia, if you brought the C-64 back, you'd have to declare it (as its value is > $900), and you'd have to pay back the $500 GST. Unless you were a family of seven adults all travelling together. Whereby you could 'pool' the total Passenger Concession amount (7 x $900 = $6300), which is greater than the value of the item. And you could get back to playing Impossible Mission. And still keep the $500 GST refund. :-)
A more likely scenario however: You bring the iPad back with you; as its value is < $900, you would not even have to declare it upon return. And sometime in the indeterminate future, you'd get the $80 GST refund pop up in your bank account.
FANTASTIC. Kids hunched over a tablet, eyes going the way of the dodo, can't spell properly, can't speak properly, can't write properly, can barely see beyond 30cm. Give them a pen and paper. Nothing more. Use your brain for once. Tech this and tech that. Learn all sorts of useless rubbish you will never use again in the first place, now with overpriced tech.
I see that you've included "etiquette" in your list of "useless rubbish you will never use again".
What does school teach you? You know how to read a map with a compass? Longitude and latitude? Break down an SKS or Glock or AR? Survive when everything inevitably falls apart? Relying on yourself instead of selfies and friends that inevitably stab you in the back? Skills that are actually valuable? Everything beyond maths and English basics with a sprinkling of non biased history is useless. Nothing but indoctrination like a good little wage debt slave. Over a decade of mostly pointless rubbish - 90% easy - you will never need ever again.
Clearly, you must've thought logical thinking was not useful and forgot about it, which should've been taught with maths and science.
You see, just because you don't use it, it doesn't mean that it's not necessary for everyone. Besides, the idea about teaching in class, is not limited to just "maths is all about arithmatics". In Maths, you learn how to think logically, in English, you learn about how to express yourself and see what constitutes language, communication. In Science, you learn about scientific reasoning, hypothesis testing, etc etc. History, you learn about reasons, actions and how everything have lead to one another. Providing education is part of duty to guardians/parents in some countries, as basic education teaches kids those skills to a basic level that's expected by the society.
Simply because you don't see the meaning of something doesn't make it meaningless.
Also I should've mentioned this before, you are talking to a person who've gone through conscription, 2 years in the
chair force. So there you go. I know how to dismantle AR-15 (M16A1, to be exact) for basic maintenance, yaddi yadda. No, I think those skills are as useful as this conversation.
"Relying on yourself instead of selfies"
What a shame Underdale campus is gone - I'd really like to know how to recognise the ore and smelt down the copper and zinc, or at least tin. I could then make the casings to utilise the black-powder I'd made off the dung-heap and midden to use my SKS, Glock, AR ect.
I could sing the "who needs school" song as I wend my weary way onto total self-reliance…
♫♪ They've got facts, facts, big as alley cats in the store, in the store… ♪♫
Still, never mind - that would have been a bloody arts degree in the worst sense of the word.
I also wish my children's school had not decided they had to have iPads, but they did.
When you get your iPad, make sure you budget for a sturdy, waterproof case that can protect it from schoolbags, leaky drink bottles etc.
For example, http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/m.html?_odkw=LifeProof+Fre+Case&_…
You may be able to use this deal (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/204417) for either the ipad or the case, if you want to order it now. Or wait for a similar deal closer to when the school requires the ipad.
My friend just found one on digitalwirelessltd.com
Ipad Air 2 64gb for $500. This is so much cheaper than Australia, and is coming from the US (brand new). All works over here obviously, though you would need a different charger to plug into teh wall
best to get in before the GST applies to online purchases!