Which Tablet do you like?

[ukcatfan]

Just saw this on tablet displays. I guess my informal testing (eyeballing it) at Best Buy was right. We thought the SGT was best, iPad was second, Transformer was third, and Xoom was a distant last. The Xoom really looked inferior in our opinion. Those were the only four we considered.

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2011/07/27/ipad-2-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-goes-neck-neck-in-tablet-display-comparison-study-reveals-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-and-apple-ipad-2-have-the-best-displays/

 

[ukcatfan]

Just a random thought.....

If you're thinking about using a tablet as a reader (I mean heavy, daily novel or textbook reading) make sure your eyes can handle a backlit screen. If you have problems reading at length from a computer you might want to consider an eink reader (insert plug for Kindle here)-- eink is the awesomest thing for those of us who get tired eyes easily on the computer... I don't even need my glasses to read on it which made it totally worth having to carry an extra device for me.

back to something that was said earlier....

iPad/ iPhone apps cost because Apple says they have to. They won't let you give stuff away easily. Android has no restrictions like that. Apple also has a more stringent review process too and as a result it's really hard to get a virus from a legitimately purchased iPad app. Were as with Android viruses are starting to pop up here and there. But with Android you have the Amazon app store where they give away a free app a day. There's pros and cons to both approaches.

There are rumors that there will be Android color E Ink tablets by the holiday season or first quarter of '12. The main one being talked about is the rumored one from Amazon, but it is not likely until '12.

 

[DisFam95]

Well I did it! Bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It just looked and felt better than the ipad.

Yes some of it is a "statement" against Apple - even though I have an iphone but next time I need a new phone I'm not committed to them. Steve Jobs now officially has more cash than the US Treasury.

It was interesting to see no one touching ipads in the store but all over the others. I think the hype is over now that there are some great equivalents out there.

As far as apps so far it's had everything I need. No Facebook app but who cares - just log in direct.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[boBQuincy]

To the OP, so as to avoid all of the Apple vs the World segue threads...

Are you SURE you want a tablet? That's the only thing I'd throw out there. They are excellent as visual media devices - watching movies, viewing slideshows, pulling up YouTube, and of course playing with a million apps. But they aren't necessarily always the best device for some of the more basic, traditional uses you mention. ...snip...

I agree, tablets are good for content consumption, netbooks are better for content creation.

 

[ukcatfan]

What press rags are you reading? With all due respect, if you think Apple has lost the phone wars, you need to find a new source for your information. Apple owns the GLOBAL smartphone market. A month or two of close calls because of new competition being introduced doesn't change the overall numbers.

It also owns the tablet market. Look at the market research. The ship has sailed, partner. The numbers don't lie.

Not trying to revive any debate here, but these numbers don't lie and are from CNN. Hopefully this information can end this for good. Android increased worldwide market share to 50% for smartphones in Q2. You cannot be larger than that and not be #1. Apple is individually the most dominant company (19%), but for the OS, Android has won and is continuing to gain momentum. Apple is not doomed by any means, but they will never be the #1 and from what I can tell they never were the #1. Android took down longtime champ Nokia to claim it, not Apple. If they were never #1 in sales, then they could not possibly be #1 in any statistic any way you slice or dice it.
http://http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/08/02/android.smartphone.market.mashable/index.html?hpt=te_bn2

 

[ukcatfan]

Well I did it! Bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It just looked and felt better than the ipad.

Yes some of it is a "statement" against Apple - even though I have an iphone but next time I need a new phone I'm not committed to them. Steve Jobs now officially has more cash than the US Treasury.

It was interesting to see no one touching ipads in the store but all over the others. I think the hype is over now that there are some great equivalents out there.

As far as apps so far it's had everything I need. No Facebook app but who cares - just log in direct.

Thanks for all the input.

Congratulations! I hope you are enjoying it.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

iPad on top.

HP. Gone. (check).

Next.

 

[ukcatfan]

iPad on top.

HP. Gone. (check).

Next.

"iPad’s market share has predictably fallen as alternatives flood the market. Whereas at the end of 2010, the iPad had 85 percent of the tablet market share, that number has shrunk to 61 percent as of July 2011, with Android tablets making up 30 percent of the market. Of course, this stat represents all of the Android tablets against one Apple iPad, so the iPad’s dominance appears stable, though perhaps not as dominant as it once was."

The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/19/hp-touchpad-ipad-tablet_n_931593.html

I don't think Jobs can claim the TouchPad as his victory. Android killed the WebOS on phones and now again on tablets.

I said it before and I will say it again, Apple will continue to be either the top manufacturer or near the top for both phones and tabs, but a few years from now either Android or Windows mobile is going to be the top OS for both. I think once the dust settles, Samsung is going to be the top manufacturer of both markets with a mix of both Windows and Android in their lineups. Apple is going to be really good for investors, but not necessarily the best for customers. It is clear that they put profit above customers right now with all their lawsuits (including falsifying evidence) instead of trying to win customers by innovating. They are a good investment because they are going to end up settling all those lawsuits eventually. That will mean that HTC, LG, Samsung, etc, etc will have to pay them a portion of the profits from every unit sold. Microsoft is in the same position. So financially speaking Apple, Microsoft, and Google are going to make a ton of money while the big manufacturers make a little less but still a lot. The losers in all of this are going to be companies like HP, RIM, possibly HTC, and a few others that do not hold many patents. The big boys will remain big and strong. Look at IBM, they are still big and strong and have practically nothing directly to do with consumers anymore.

We can continue to debate this until we are blue in the face, but only time will tell.

 

[webshark3]

"

I don't think Jobs can claim the TouchPad as his victory. Android killed the WebOS on phones and now again on tablets.

For $499 the Touchpad was garbage. At $99, it's a bargain. I picked one up. LOL

I have no love for Apple. None at all. But I now own 2 iPads and 1 iPad2. I evaluate many tablets for work. It's amazing how far behind they are. Even simple things like screen rotation seem laggy on high end models compared to the iPad2. But anyways, to your point I agree , Apple didn't kill the Touchpad. HP did a excellent job of committing suicide with the tablet hardware. But Palm dug the grave by the "exclusive" deal for the Pres on the Sprint. They had the resources to compete with Android. But they didn't have the developers or the sales, thanks to the lackluster hardware.

 

[webshark3]

I agree, tablets are good for content consumption, netbooks are better for content creation.

EXACTLY why I bring both to Disney. iPad for consuming (movies and such for the kids), Netbook for downloading photos/video from my cameras and creating second backups to a external hard disk, etc.

 

[webshark3]

Not trying to revive any debate here, but these numbers don't lie and are from CNN. Hopefully this information can end this for good. Android increased worldwide market share to 50% for smartphones in Q2. You cannot be larger than that and not be #1. Apple is individually the most dominant company (19%), but for the OS, Android has won and is continuing to gain momentum. Apple is not doomed by any means, but they will never be the #1 and from what I can tell they never were the #1. Android took down longtime champ Nokia to claim it, not Apple. If they were never #1 in sales, then they could not possibly be #1 in any statistic any way you slice or dice it.
http://http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/08/02/android.smartphone.market.mashable/index.html?hpt=te_bn2

Apple always knew Android would take the dominant role in the market, because ANY hardware manufacture could adopt it (hence cheap/free phones filling the marketplace). Apple doesn't license iOS and controls its own hardware, in name of maintaining a more, what would you call it..."exclusive" image. That's where they know their value is. If someone where to look a high-end Androids which directly target Apple, those numbers would drop very quickly.

Of course, with the $99 fire sale, I wouldn't be surprised to see HP make a appearance on the lower end of the market share charts (although very very briefly. )

 

[ukcatfan]

If someone where to look a high-end Androids which directly target Apple, those numbers would drop very quickly.

I have heard that comparison made before, but I think there is also merit to the counter argument. It is that most people do not take advantage of the high end hardware. I can speak on this from experience. I know four people at work that do not take advantage of their high end devices. One has a Droid X and only apps like Facebook, e-mail, etc. She has nothing on it that any Adnroid cannot do. Another lady has an iPhone 4 and in around six months has not installed one single app. The other iPhone guy has only games like Angry Birds, so again nothing special. The other guy with a HTC Android does not have anything special beyond Angry Birds either. These are all people that got talked into the phones by either salespeople or their spouses. I do not know if age plays anything into it, but all are over 50. I am mid 30's, have a mid grade Android, and I have it pushed to the limits! I wish I had a better one, but only to use Flash. It does everything else I need, so even a top of the line one would be overkill for me.

All that said, I do think that total numbers should be included in the comparison because I think many iOS users would pick cheaper less powerful options if they had that choice.

 

[photo_chick]

Apple always knew Android would take the dominant role in the market, because ANY hardware manufacture could adopt it (hence cheap/free phones filling the marketplace). Apple doesn't license iOS and controls its own hardware, in name of maintaining a more, what would you call it..."exclusive" image. That's where they know their value is. If someone where to look a high-end Androids which directly target Apple, those numbers would drop very quickly.

Of course, with the $99 fire sale, I wouldn't be surprised to see HP make a appearance on the lower end of the market share charts (although very very briefly. )

Apple did license out the Mac OS in the 90's. Power Computing built Macs for a year. They were better hardware than Apple's Macs and outsold Apple computers. Consequently, Apple did not renew the license. The difference between the Apple business model and the Android, Windows and other business models is that Apple makes both hardware and software so they have to protect their interests.