I'm not sure I'm the age of your parents, but even as an over-50 tech nerd, I am quite happy with my iPad 1. I use it as a reader, an alarm clock, and a terminal emulator on a daily basis. The battery still keeps its charge and it is one of the most solid pieces of tech that I have ever purchased.

Students always come into my office and wonder why I don't have "a good computer" or why "everything is so old" (which admittedly the Apple //e is), but if the only software you need to run is a terminal and a browser, then upgrading your hardware becomes a lot less critical.