iPad or tablet?

[SacredStar]

I need some opinions here. Was going to buy a laptop for my wife for Xmas. I asked one of her friends to find out exactly what she wanted.....and she said an ipad.

I've been talking to some people who said tablets....specifically the Samsung or Toshiba tablets are better than an ipad. She will mainly use it for facebook and surfing as well reading books. I myself think that she doesn't know much about ipad or tablets, just like me. I need to know what people think of either and why one is better than the other. I have been told that ipad's cost too much to add applications and that adding applications is all you do with an ipad. Thank you for any replies.

[Jenky]

I need some opinions here. Was going to buy a laptop for my wife for Xmas. I asked one of her friends to find out exactly what she wanted.....and she said an ipad.

I've been talking to some people who said tablets....specifically the Samsung or Toshiba tablets are better than an ipad. She will mainly use it for facebook and surfing as well reading books. I myself think that she doesn't know much about ipad or tablets, just like me. I need to know what people think of either and why one is better than the other. I have been told that ipad's cost too much to add applications and that adding applications is all you do with an ipad. Thank you for any replies.

If she wants an iPad, get her an iPad. Has she used any devices with iOS or OSX before? How about Android?

Spec and hardware wise, the ASUS Transformer Prime will be better and it comes out in December. You can attach a keyboard to it, which is sold separately, and it turns into a little laptop.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/asus-transformer-prime-pre-order-page-hints-at-december-8th-rele/

This is the first tablet ASUS released earlier this year:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/asus-eee-pad-transformer-954145/review

It got pretty good reviews for being their first mainstream tablet. Now this next one that comes out will be quad-core.

[Dallas]

iPad if you like


ease of use
closed platform
buying adapter after adapter - to get anything to connect w/ it
lots of games/apps
everyone has one and you gotta be like everyone elseTablet if you like


ease of use
not a closed platform
ports throughout the tablet oo connect things is a snap
microSD slots
USB ports
top of the line hardware/chipset/goggleOS
apps/games from Market -doesnt have 300k game - only about 150k games - Apps about the same as Apple Store.I would go into why you would want a tablet for the enterprise world and not an iPad, but it appears this is strictly for a home user.

I have 3 ipads in my unit that we bounce around for testing new apps and software on. I am not at all thrilled w/ them. I get the whole ease of use and cute factor, but I look for a lot more when buying a tablet.

I am NOT a fan of Apple requiring gobs of adaptors to be purchased in order for anything to connect to it. I am also anti closed platform. I also an avid nut about proper resources being avail for multitasking and w/e app/games I have up at the same time.

CPU and memory and OS is huge for me.

I will be getting the ASUS Transformer Prime when it releases in DEC.

You can actually pre-order it now off Amazon.

Good luck w/ your purchase w/e you decide on.

[REDVOLUTION]

Woman = ipad

Case closed

[TheCount]

I'd agree with getting her what she wants, no woman wants to hear pro/con arguments on something like this, and if you get her something other than what she wants, if she has any issues with the alternative she'll assume the iPad is better.

Save yourself the headache ;)

[Heisenberg]

If she wants an iPad, I don't think it'd be in your best interest to get her something else. :D

[theogt]

I'd wait on the iPad 3, if that's an option. It should be leaps beyond the first two iPads.

And as far as which is better, it's not really a competition. There really is no "tablet market"; there is only an "iPad market". For a comparison, fewer than 5 million non-iPad tablets have been sold (ever), whereas over 40 million iPads have been sold. Not only is this evidence that it's a better product (which is obvious anyway), but it also means that developers are almost exclusively going to direct their efforts at the iPad. The only time in which another tablet is worthwhile is when it's EXTREMELY cheap, but even then it's probably not worth it.

Also, as far as applications for the iPad, they're generally pretty dirt cheap (most are free, some $1 and some $5 or more). The Facebook app, for example, is free.

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

iPad.

[Sam I Am]

Get her what she wants. If it doesn't live up to what she hoped, not your problem. If you get her something she doesn't want, even if it works out for her, she will still hold it against you.

[jobberone]

Unless you want to surprise her, then consider talking to her about it. That's a personal decision that only you can know.

The support for the non-iPads is my issue with them. And I'm talking about their long term viability as well as compatibility issues.

If she Skypes or the like you need a forward facing camera. Something to consider. If not then even the Kindle fire is in the hunt. The Barnes and Nobles one. Lot's to consider.

[davidyee]

iPad if you like

I will be getting the ASUS Transformer Prime when it releases in DEC.

You can actually pre-order it now off Amazon.

Good luck w/ your purchase w/e you decide on.

...what are your thoughts on a person looking to find a unit that is smaller than a laptop to bridge the gap between his blackberry and his laptop?

I need the office suite of software plus a VPN connection and I use them regularly in airports and other points in transit.

I see many with Ipads, but they are just playing games, reading or watching movies.

I'm interested in one that can allow me to view and work within the MS enterprise with convenience. Sparking up my laptop is a pain and I don't have a lightweight laptop like the Macbook Air - nor does my company want me to buy one.

Ipad or tablet?

[Sam I Am]

...what are your thoughts on a person looking to find a unit that is smaller than a laptop to bridge the gap between his blackberry and his laptop?

I need the office suite of software plus a VPN connection and I use them regularly in airports and other points in transit.

I see many with Ipads, but they are just playing games, reading or watching movies.

I'm interested in one that can allow me to view and work within the MS enterprise with convenience. Sparking up my laptop is a pain and I don't have a lightweight laptop like the Macbook Air - nor does my company want me to buy one.

Ipad or tablet?

Check out the ASUS Transformer Prime (http://asustransformer2.com/asus-transformer-2/). (ie Transformer 2) It's not out yet, but coming soon. It's a mix between an iPad type device and a laptop. If you attach the keyboard (that has battery) with the built in battery it has something close to 18 hours of battery life. It will have the new Android 4.0 OS on it. (Ice Cream Sandwich)

9tAwHCDq-94

[Eskimo]

I need some opinions here. Was going to buy a laptop for my wife for Xmas. I asked one of her friends to find out exactly what she wanted.....and she said an ipad.

I've been talking to some people who said tablets....specifically the Samsung or Toshiba tablets are better than an ipad. She will mainly use it for facebook and surfing as well reading books. I myself think that she doesn't know much about ipad or tablets, just like me. I need to know what people think of either and why one is better than the other. I have been told that ipad's cost too much to add applications and that adding applications is all you do with an ipad. Thank you for any replies.

Playbook from Blackberry is a very good device and the base model has been on sale for $200.

It will play flash and has true multi-tasking. It has an HDMI output.

With the expected software upgrade in February it will have native email and will be able to run apps designed for Android OS as well as any Blackberry apps.

Based on her needs this may be sufficient.

If she wants a reader, it is also very portable as the display is only 7 inches.

[WoodysGirl]

Playbook from Blackberry is a very good device and the base model has been on sale for $200.

It will play flash and has true multi-tasking. It has an HDMI output.

With the expected software upgrade in February it will have native email and will be able to run apps designed for Android OS as well as any Blackberry apps.

Based on her needs this may be sufficient.

If she wants a reader, it is also very portable as the display is only 7 inches.
You're the first I've heard of to speak about the Playbook. I see good/bad reviews about it.

I'm a Blackberry fan, so I was considering a Playbook at some point.

What are your thoughts about it?

[Dallas]

...what are your thoughts on a person looking to find a unit that is smaller than a laptop to bridge the gap between his blackberry and his laptop?

I need the office suite of software plus a VPN connection and I use them regularly in airports and other points in transit.

I see many with Ipads, but they are just playing games, reading or watching movies.

I'm interested in one that can allow me to view and work within the MS enterprise with convenience. Sparking up my laptop is a pain and I don't have a lightweight laptop like the Macbook Air - nor does my company want me to buy one.

Ipad or tablet?

Honestly I would get the Prime for the very reasons you have here. I rely heavily on my VPN connection back to the office and I need something other than a full on laptop when I travel. The prime is the perfect mix of portability and performance and open platform + battery. The Prime is also only a hint larger than the iPad2 w/ the kb plugged in and device folded up. It's even thinner than the iPad2 w/o the kb. It also comes in 2 colors of brushed aluminum and some blueish looking aluminum. Gorgeous looking tabs if you ask me.

Sam I Am has it all summed up and why the Prime is perfect for those needing true performance and battery + pluggable keyboard dock. The Prime is going to be perfect. The battery life w/ that thing is about 24-26 hrs w/ the keyboard attached.

[Dallas]

You're the first I've heard of to speak about the Playbook. I see good/bad reviews about it.

I'm a Blackberry fan, so I was considering a Playbook at some point.

What are your thoughts about it?

We mess w/ the Playbook all of the time when we go out looking for new products. Its nice and an excellent option for those wanting to only surf/movies/read. Its very nice for all of that actually.

My director is a huge BB fan and is always pestering us to get a few Playbooks in the house so they can take a closer look. Its a great tab for the price.

[jubal]

Mama bought a Galaxy by Samsun after a couple of months it went kaput. Took it back to Best Buy and they gave her a IPad2 and threw in a Kindle reader.
She carries it everywhere and we are always looking for free internet connections.So being the good guy that I am I went back to the store and bought us a MiFi,to keep our connections encripted and let us use our good stuff on the road. The MiFi is smaller than the IPhone so is no problem to tote, gets good hr.s on usage like the IPad. She hasn't been exposed to all the other options out there so is happy as a clam.
Hope this helps!

[Eskimo]

You're the first I've heard of to speak about the Playbook. I see good/bad reviews about it.

I'm a Blackberry fan, so I was considering a Playbook at some point.

What are your thoughts about it?

WG, I haven't bought one yet. They just went on sale due to overstock.

I have friends who have bought it.

It looks quite good, it is very fast, it does flash.

Right now you can't run the Android apps yet. You need a software patch for the OS that is coming in February.

There is also no native email or calendar. Those will also be coming in February.

The Playbook is also the only OS that allows true multi-tasking like your laptop. That is it can run multiple apps at once.

It is supposed to be a very stable OS with true multi-tasking because it is based on QNX OS which is well-known for its stability and something called an efficient micro-kernel.

I wasn't too big of a fan of tablets but my son likes them. I thought about the Apple but I don't want to spend $500 on one and have him wreck it. My wife would like an e-reader and this should fit the bill.

My understanding is that the initial Playbooks won't have wireless but allegedly should tether to your blackberry device. I don't know if the US telcos are allowing this or not. It will have wifi, of course.

I know it has had lots of negative press but I think lots of that is because it is popular to pick on this company right now - kick them while they are down phenomenon.

[Jenky]

A review by Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-review/

Must resist the urge to buy. :banghead:

[Sam I Am]

A review by Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-review/

Must resist the urge to buy. :banghead:

I have a feeling I'm going to demand Santa place one of these under my tree. :laugh2:

[tupperware]

I have a feeling I'm going to demand Santa place one of these under my tree. :laugh2:
Give me that over an iPad any day.

[Joe Rod]

Unless she is a computer geek, if she asked for an ipad, I would get her the ipad.

[kapolani]

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/12/01/transformer.prime.benches.show.tegra.3.too.slow/


ASUS' Transformer Prime has arrived to good reviews but has shown that the iPad 2 is still well in front in performance. Early tests run at AnandTech show that, despite having two extra main cores and a third companion core, the Tegra 3 processor in the Prime is only just as fast in browsing as the two-core, nine months old iPad 2. In graphics, normally NVIDIA's strong suit, the iPad 2's PowerVR graphics were unambiguously faster, in one case nearly doubling the performance.

[Sam I Am]

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/12/01/transformer.prime.benches.show.tegra.3.too.slow/

rofl, what a freaking tool website. Their quote is a bunch of ****. They provide a link to the tests and the tests don't say that at all! All the tests that compare Prime to the iPad2, there are only two and they are both "web browser speed tests" which the Prime beats the iPad2 in both! (not to mention that web browser speed tests are for practical purposes irrelevant when you're talking about this type of horsepower)


electronista.com is ran by a bunch of Apple fanboys. Next time quote a non-bias site.

Apple had better HOPE the iPad3 is at least comparable to the Transformer Prime. The Prime is the new standard in these types of tablets. If it isn't, they are going to start losing market share. (actually, they already are)

[tupperware]

rofl, what a freaking tool website. Their quote is a bunch of ****. They provide a link to the tests and the tests don't say that at all! All the tests that compare Prime to the iPad2, there are only two and they are both "web browser speed tests" which the Prime beats the iPad2 in both! (not to mention that web browser speed tests are for practical purposes irrelevant when you're talking about this type of horsepower)


electronista.com is ran by a bunch of Apple fanboys. Next time quote a non-bias site.

Apple had better HOPE the iPad3 is at least comparable to the Transformer Prime. The Prime is the new standard in these types of tablets. If it isn't, they are going to start losing market share. (actually, they already are)
lol yeah what a joke. Let's run some 'speed tests' which are trivial to run in regards to CPU speeds in all modern CPUs and more an illustration of how one browser may be superior to the next.

YAWN.

[kapolani]

rofl, what a freaking tool website. Their quote is a bunch of ****. They provide a link to the tests and the tests don't say that at all! All the tests that compare Prime to the iPad2, there are only two and they are both "web browser speed tests" which the Prime beats the iPad2 in both! (not to mention that web browser speed tests are for practical purposes irrelevant when you're talking about this type of horsepower)


Did you read through the whole Anandtech article?

There are more than two test. You might want to start reading a little more before frothing at the mouth.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5163/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-nvidia-tegra-3-review/3


electronista.com is ran by a bunch of Apple fanboys. Next time quote a non-bias site.


It links to AnandTech, bonehead.

I've never found Anandtech to be biased at all.


Apple had better HOPE the iPad3 is at least comparable to the Transformer Prime. The Prime is the new standard in these types of tablets. If it isn't, they are going to start losing market share. (actually, they already are)

Of course. Another Apple killer device coming out. This time it will be for real!

[Jenky]

Did you read through the whole Anandtech article?

There are more than two test. You might want to start reading a little more before frothing at the mouth.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5163/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-nvidia-tegra-3-review/3



It links to AnandTech, bonehead.

I've never found Anandtech to be biased at all.



Of course. Another Apple killer device coming out. This time it will be for real!

At the same time, NVIDIA has finally delivered an SoC capable of delivering the sort of smooth experience we'd expect from a $500 tablet. Honeycomb was a great first attempt by Google at a tablet OS, but Tegra 3 really makes the whole experience complete. Everything you'd expect to be smooth, is finally smooth. Video playback is no longer an issue, the Prime and Tegra 3 can finally play back virtually anything you'd want to throw at it. Thank goodness.

As good as the combination is today, I admit that I still can't wait to put Ice Cream Sandwich on this thing. Even more polish on the OS side (and the absence of any hardware issues during the testing process) would've easily catapulted the Prime into editor's choice territory.

------

It really needs it's software upgrade before you make this comparison. Honey-Comb was Google's first attempt at an OS for tablets. I'd like to see the numbers again once ICS hits this tablet.

[tupperware]

Did you read through the whole Anandtech article?

There are more than two test. You might want to start reading a little more before frothing at the mouth.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5163/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-nvidia-tegra-3-review/3



It links to AnandTech, bonehead.

I've never found Anandtech to be biased at all.



Of course. Another Apple killer device coming out. This time it will be for real!
I don't care what will, will not, could, should, might, probably, maybe, definitely will kill off anything Apple. I'm not biased and because I'm not biased I don't like for a platform or company to handcuff the products or technologies I wish to utilize.

I've owned a few Apple products (Nano and iPod 4th gen) and they're not bad at all, however I find the flexibility to far outweigh the benefits of having the Apple style/brand and their boxed solutions for things I want to do. Because I know how to take full advantage of my PC I can do far more than I could with an Apple computer or tablet.

Now, the majority of people out there are not geeks or have a lot of technical knowledge. That being said, Apple is probably the perfect choice for them, it just isn't for me.

[tomson75]

Now, the majority of people out there are not geeks or have a lot of technical knowledge. That being said, Apple is probably the perfect choice for them, it just isn't for me.

This is a key statement right here.

[Sam I Am]

As I said many times. I'm not anti-Apple. I was anti-Steve Jobs.

Now that he is gone, my hate is gone and could without issue purchase an Apple product for my personal use. The only reason I don't is because I would prefer to use a wrench to a shoehorn. Meaning, I prefer the ability to customize my gadgets than be forced to use someone else's preferences.

If there was one Apple device that I would be most likely to buy, it would be a PC with OSX on it. Though the odds in me doing that are very slim for two reasons.


Apple PCs are over priced.
Apple is trending away from OSX and moving to the tablet version of iOS.


Stop the trend away from OSX and allow me to just purchase the OS and install it on my own hardware build. I might actually own a PC with OSX on it.

[kapolani]

I don't care what will, will not, could, should, might, probably, maybe, definitely will kill off anything Apple. I'm not biased and because I'm not biased I don't like for a platform or company to handcuff the products or technologies I wish to utilize.

I've owned a few Apple products (Nano and iPod 4th gen) and they're not bad at all, however I find the flexibility to far outweigh the benefits of having the Apple style/brand and their boxed solutions for things I want to do. Because I know how to take full advantage of my PC I can do far more than I could with an Apple computer or tablet.

Now, the majority of people out there are not geeks or have a lot of technical knowledge. That being said, Apple is probably the perfect choice for them, it just isn't for me.

I don't understand this argument. Well, I do in a sense.

I can geek out with the best of them.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but what can you do "far more" with on a non Apple machine?

I've jailbroken every device I've owned. I've customized it. Installed non-Apple apps.

I can do everything on my Macbook Air that I've done on my PC's.

I do a lot via CLI. I've worked with Unix/Linux/OS X. I can do far more within those operating systems rather than a Window's based machine.

[kapolani]

Apple PCs are over priced.
Apple is trending away from OSX and moving to the tablet version of iOS.



I don't know if they're over priced. That's all relative.

I do know, however, that I can sell my year old (sometimes 2 years old) device and get almost 80% back.

I've sold my old iPhone's (3G and 3GS) for $200 a piece - jailbroken and unlocked right before the iPhone 4 came out.

I can sell my MacBook Air for about $700 right now. Bought it for a little over $900 a year ago.

As for moving towards IOS - I'm not entirely convinced that they are doing that. All the IOS like stuff in Lion can easily be turned off. I'm still uncertain if it's a good direction they are going or not.

[Jenky]

Anyone find a place to preorder the Prime?

[Sam I Am]

Anyone find a place to preorder the Prime?

Go to NewEgg here and click Notify (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230217&Tpk=ASUS%20Transformer%20Prime).

btw, NewEgg had it initially set for pre-order Dec. 8th, but that appears to have been removed.

[Jenky]

Go to NewEgg here and click Notify (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230217&Tpk=ASUS%20Transformer%20Prime).

btw, NewEgg had it initially set for pre-order Dec. 8th, but that appears to have been removed.

Bestbuy did too. Amazon cancelled all of their orders.

Also the auto-notify is slow in letting you know stuff in stock. I've used it before trying to buy a GPU and I saw the product in stock and never got the auto notify e-mail message until it sold out.

I usually buy a ton of stuff from Newegg.

[theogt]

I don't care what will, will not, could, should, might, probably, maybe, definitely will kill off anything Apple. I'm not biased and because I'm not biased I don't like for a platform or company to handcuff the products or technologies I wish to utilize.

I've owned a few Apple products (Nano and iPod 4th gen) and they're not bad at all, however I find the flexibility to far outweigh the benefits of having the Apple style/brand and their boxed solutions for things I want to do. Because I know how to take full advantage of my PC I can do far more than I could with an Apple computer or tablet.

Now, the majority of people out there are not geeks or have a lot of technical knowledge. That being said, Apple is probably the perfect choice for them, it just isn't for me.Any 12 year old can jailbreak an Apple device and do all sorts of things to them -- pretty much anything you can do to any other similar device. It's not rocket science.

Apple devices aren't for people who aren't tech-savvy. They're for people who want their devices to work well out of the box.

[Sam I Am]

Bestbuy did too. Amazon cancelled all of their orders.

Also the auto-notify is slow in letting you know stuff in stock. I've used it before trying to buy a GPU and I saw the product in stock and never got the auto notify e-mail message until it sold out.

I usually buy a ton of stuff from Newegg.

I've never used it, though I too buy tons of stuff from Newegg. Personally and for work.