Ipad Vs Samsung Galaxy tab et al

Einhard

Hello good denizens of this forum,
I've been thinking of purchasing one of those newfandangled tablet devices for a while not, and was focused on the Ipad purely because I've heard most about it. However, doing a bit of research I've noticed that the market is somewhat crowded with these devices, and that there's a lot to choose from. My question therefore, is what makes the Ipad so special? I'm asking particularly in relation to the Samsung galaxy Tab because I know that Samsung is a good brand, and the Tab seems to be a top of the range device. There seems to be a pretty hefty disparity in the price between the Apple product (going by the Ipad 3) and everything else on the market, so I'm just wondering is that gap justified?

Muchos gracias as they somewhere foreigh!

talla

I had the original IPad and IPad2, and after apple pissed me off with the iphone4s release, I decided to give android a go. Got rid of both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 for a Samsung s2 and Samsung tab 10.1.

While android on a phone is still better than iOS in my opinion, the whole tablet experience is still a let down on android.
Yes it's more customisable than iOS , however the experience is not as smooth as ios. Even though essentially the same specs is in the galaxy tab as iPad 2, moving from screen to screen, orientation etc is not fluid.

However the main problem is apps, they are just not there. Yes the core apps may have finally made it after over year as a tablet, but do a direct comparison between the apps on an iPad and the vast majority of app are inferior on android.
You could spend literally hours browsing for iPad apps in the app store, I usually finished after 10 minutes on android.

Then there is the whole mess of operating system upgrades. When apple relapse a new version of iOS, it's available for all people for all devices at the same time. I bought a sim free version of the s2, so you would expect it to be one of the first devices to be upgraded to ics, not a chance. five months later, still no sign of the sim free version being upgraded despite all the carriers models receiving the updates in the last month. God knows when they will get around to upgrading the galaxy tab.

Finally while the lower end android tablets are cheaper than an iPad, the samsung galaxy 10.1 or transformer prime is in and around the same price as and iPad.

All of the above is why I moved back to the new iPad when it came out and I haven't regretted it.

murpho999

talla wrote: »

I had the original IPad and IPad2, and after apple pissed me off with the iphone4s release, I decided to give android a go. Got rid of both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 for a Samsung s2 and Samsung tab 10.1.

This bit just made my jaw drop.

Why would you be that annoyed with release of 4s when you had the 4 already and then get rid of iPads as well?

talla

murpho999 wrote: »

This bit just made my jaw drop.

Why would you be that annoyed with release of 4s when you had the 4 already and then get rid of iPads as well?

Sorry should have been clear, my contract was coming to an end and I felt that the 4s did not warrant being tied into an 18 months contract as very little had changed compared to the iPhone 4(in 16 months). I still believe that android phones(both hardware and software) are now way ahead of the iPhone and are pulling further away every 6 months.

After using an android phone for two months, I decided to try i on tablets.
I have no brand loyalty and if I'm not happy with a service / company, I'll vote with my feet.

Tom Dunne

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 appears to be the nearest competitor to the iPad (according to Engadget). While there are top-class tablets out there, it really comes down to the operating system.

I've been fortunate enough to have had a chance to play around with a number of tablets, including the iPad.

For me, Android is still not as polished as iOS. iOS just feels slick in comparison. Sure, there's no widgets on iOS (who actually gives a damn?), it's not as customisable as Android, not <insert standard Android detraction here>.

Another area where iOS shines is parting with your money. Seriously. Purchasing content (which is very important to me) is way too easy with iOS/iPad. Living abroad, I regularly purchase newspapers and magazines to keep up to date. Plus, I am an avid music fan. In comparison to Android, it is much easier.

Either way, you will get people who take things a little too seriously and engage in a type of religious warfare over which is device is better. There is no "better". It is a matter of personal choice.

Einhard

Hey thanks for the replies people. I had feared that I might spark some of that religious warfare with zealots of each brand fighting their respeective corner, but my fears were unfounded!:D

I'm thinking of going with the ipad, especially as there doesn't seem to be much difference in price between it and the Samsung thingymajig. I was looking at the Sony tablet today today and for the 16bg device it's €59 which seems pretty reasonable. It also seems to have gotten good reviews (especially from the salesman ) . Does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks again.

whiterebel

Einhard wrote: »

Hey thanks for the replies people. I had feared that I might spark some of that religious warfare with zealots of each brand fighting their respeective corner, but my fears were unfounded!:D

I'm thinking of going with the ipad, especially as there doesn't seem to be much difference in price between it and the Samsung thingymajig. I was looking at the Sony tablet today today and for the 16bg device it's €59 which seems pretty reasonable. It also seems to have gotten good reviews (especially from the salesman ) . Does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks again.

Give it a chance, its early yet.......

Hobbes

As i understand it so far.

Android pro - you can switch to new device from a different vendor and not lose any apps. Device is open to customize.

Con - screen touch is handled as all processes, so it suffers from screen lag. This means you need a much more Powerful CPU to get the same response as an ipad.

Apple pro - peronally it feels a much more polished device. More stuff for it then android and apps are vetted making you not have to worry about spam/trojans.

Con - apps are not transferable. Closed system unles you pay a lot of cash or jailbreak.

Professey Chin

Hobbes wrote: »

As i understand it so far.

Android pro - you can switch to new device from a different vendor and not lose any apps. Device is open to customize.

Con - screen touch is handled as all processes, so it suffers from screen lag. This means you need a much more Powerful CPU to get the same response as an ipad.

Apple pro - peronally it feels a much more polished device. More stuff for it then android and apps are vetted making you not have to worry about spam/trojans.

Con - apps are not transferable. Closed system unles you pay a lot of cash or jailbreak.

Tom Dunne

Einhard wrote: »

I was looking at the Sony tablet today today and for the 16bg device it's €59 which seems pretty reasonable. It also seems to have gotten good reviews (especially from the salesman ) . Does anyone know anything about it?

While I don't know anything about that specific tablet, I have played around a bit with cheap, low-end Chinese imports. They typically run Android 2.2/2.3 and are pretty low performance. However, again context is king. I was rooting them for a friend's kids and they were ideal for that purpose.

Would I use them? Possibly for a student project, of limited functionality, but as my main tablet device? Definitely not.

Hobbes wrote: »

Con - apps are not transferable. Closed system unles you pay a lot of cash or jailbreak.

That is not my experience. I regularly hop between devices (combination of 1st gen/2nd gen iPads and different physical machines of the same generation) and am always able to download my apps on whatever device I am using.

dodzy

Had iPad 1. Loved it. Got iPad 2. Love it. Will end up with the 3 I'm sure, at some point, but in no rush at present. Have used all 3 models and feel that the performance upgrade was more significant between models 1 & 2 than between 2 & 3. As has been said so many times in so any posts before, iOS is slick, it just works, and is without doubt, more fluid that the competition. The smoothness of screen transitions is something that you take for granted very quickly, but switch to another tab and the difference is immediately noticeable.

The only bstard about it is the camera kit adapter won't fit into the iPad port with the case on :mad:

Sad Professor

Hobbes wrote: »

Con - apps are not transferable. Closed system unles you pay a lot of cash or jailbreak.

Like Tom said, this isn't the case. There's absolutely no problem transferring apps to another iOS device. In fact, it's never been easier. I sold my iPad 1 and got an iPad 2 recently. I was up and running with all my old apps within 20 minutes, with all my settings and content exactly as it was before. Same when I upgraded from an iPhone 3GS to a 4S.

Closed system refers to fact that all apps must be approved by and abide by strict rules set by Apple. It's actually a good thing and is the reason why iOS users buy so many apps - because they aren't worried about some crappy app screwing up their phone.

murpho999

Hobbes wrote: »

As i understand it so far.

Android pro - you can switch to new device from a different vendor and not lose any apps. Device is open to customize.

Con - screen touch is handled as all processes, so it suffers from screen lag. This means you need a much more Powerful CPU to get the same response as an ipad.

Apple pro - peronally it feels a much more polished device. More stuff for it then android and apps are vetted making you not have to worry about spam/trojans.

Con - apps are not transferable. Closed system unles you pay a lot of cash or jailbreak.

Can somebody please tell me what these superb "adjustments" are that you can make an android that they keep going on about?

All I see is battery draining widgets!

Professey Chin

murpho999 wrote: »

Can somebody please tell me what these superb "adjustments" are that you can make an android that they keep going on about?

All I see is battery draining widgets!

Its that every app is replaceable. Anything you dont like can be changed.(without any rooting)
Default browser, dialer, launcher, phonebook so anything can be improved on without a system update with many alternatives

murpho999

The Great Chinholio wrote: »

Its that every app is replaceable. Anything you dont like can be changed.(without any rooting)
Default browser, dialer, launcher, phonebook so anything can be improved on without a system update with many alternatives

Ok, but I don't have a problem with any of the iOS versions of these. Don't see it as a major advantage.

Other browsers can be put on iOS as well.

tallus

talla wrote: »

After using an android phone for two months, I decided to try i on tablets.
I have no brand loyalty and if I'm not happy with a service / company, I'll vote with my feet.

Same here, I have an Android phone, but the iPad is king when it comes to tablets for sheer quality of user experience. It's just a joy to use for me.

Professey Chin

murpho999 wrote: »

Ok, but I don't have a problem with any of the iOS versions of these. Don't see it as a major advantage.

Other browsers can be put on iOS as well.

Not everyone likes to say this works fine and stick with it. Some like to see what other devs can do when given a chance. And I know iOS can have other browsers but they cant be default so links from other areas will always go to Safari (unless this has recently changed).

I prefer to look at it in this was.
iOS = Missionary. It works, its effective, and easy to pick up and get used to.
Android = Fetish. Not for everyone. Can be very messy but we all have our kinks and lots of people like to experiment more then theyll admit :pac: