Technology & Online

iPad vs Android pads

Technology & Online

Posted by: philmm

28th Sep 2010 02:29pm

I am about to get a new Pad device and have been reviewing all the data .... although I like some of the apps on my iPod Touch (almost a small pad) they dont seem to match up with the Android offerings starting to be announced.

Where the iPad falls short for me
- no camera
- no flash support (for my sites eg Bloomberg)
- no memory expansion

What do you think?


Comments 28

Hkmt
  • 25th Sep 2012 02:06pm

I prefer the Android tablets, seems like you can do much more with those and prefer the design and structure of the android much more.

caityp
  • 21st Sep 2012 11:49pm

Android definately wins for me

Anonymous
  • 20th Sep 2012 09:42pm

Ipad is way better

Anonymous
  • 14th Aug 2012 05:34pm

i belive androids is way better then apple because
1. on android angry birds and other good games are free
2. android is way better quailty
3.you can customize android more then apple
4 android is getting cheper as it go's
5 you can do what the ipad does with android and more

aj
  • 7th Aug 2012 05:52am

i think that android pads have better apps

Anonymous
  • 29th Jul 2012 07:15pm

Android Smartphones are the King of smartphones. But Tablet? I never used one before.

taras
  • 21st Jun 2012 08:09pm

I so feel for this flash value needed to make this experience..... try Kogan and its solid tablet creation for less than $200 ....IC 4.0.. the rest its all fine print......a simple droid phone for my child failed with sales reps to lazy or to appled to care to offer what is available..... go to adobe mobile and see who they have signed up to sleep with.... be pleasurably surprised....
Taras
:~)

Anonymous
  • 2nd Jun 2012 02:27pm

I just bought myself a new tablet. I had the same issues of whether to buy an ipad or an android. I ended up buying the Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 for about $100 more than what an ipad cost (this was just before the ipad 3). It is great, has great free apps, great camera, e-books, etc. However it misses the apple feel and is not as smooth as the ipad. I would recommend getting the ipad 3 if you want a full sized tablet, although if you want one that can double as a phone get the galaxy note

felixthecat
  • 27th Apr 2012 09:53am

Android for me I am afraid.

With my work place making the transition to iphones it was obvious the ipad would follow and I do not like them. I am currently involved in designing some (the framework flow only) work specific apps for our ipads and I am sure it would be easier on droid or windows product.

Don't get me wrong I think the apple product is great product in many ways but equally restrictive in many ways. Itunes just does my head in, how convoluted does it have to be?!

The apples are great from a corporate perspective because unlike windows based products people (most) cannot buggerise around with the OS or other critical settings / folders etc.

I dunno, maybe I am just too windowsfied and find the droid is similar in this respect that it is to me at least, a logical framework to work with.

Apple is great for surfing the net, looking at pics / movies oh and games. There are some terrific apps out there for ipads/phones but...

Anonymous
  • 22nd Apr 2012 11:34am

I suggest getting an iphone it has all the options your looking for

princessxena
  • 29th Nov 2010 03:41pm

And with the next version of the iPad:
Rumours: Front and back camera(Facetime - videophone), USB/USB mini connection, Retina Display, gyroscope, thinner, smaller.

lpullman
  • 29th Nov 2010 06:17pm
And with the next version of the iPad:
Rumours: Front and back camera(Facetime - videophone), USB/USB mini connection, Retina Display, gyroscope, thinner, smaller.

Had to LOL! I just finished trying to find specs on Apple's website - I love the fact that they say:

"even as others try to catch up, the technologies and features built into iOS 4 keep it years ahead of the competition"

To me it sounds like they cribbed you list of coming attractions from the current Acer 7" tablet!

luke
  • 29th Nov 2010 11:52am

ipad is the cool thing that ive seen its just like playing a vedoe game

ahbdesign
  • 17th Nov 2010 07:25pm

It all depends on what you're after! The iPad has a bigger screen than most of the other tablets out there! Theres a new samsung galaxy tab out (android) but from what i've heard its quite expensive too, costs as much as an iPad.

Where the iPad wins is:
Bigger screen
Better Apps
iTunes syncing!
Can replace 80% of your laptop use

You've already listed down the shortcomings of the iPad. Anyway, the android tablets seem more as an add on to your existing computers whereas the iPad is more of a replacement (albeit not a 100% replacement).

typhoon
  • 30th Nov 2010 06:54pm
iOS 4.2: Upgrade!!!
multitasking - check.
iTunes Account setup without creditcard- itunes gift card setup, check.
UI easy - check.
Airprint - check.

I can't see the...

let's see
DLNA support not out of the box and limited formats supported
Virtual keyboard
no decent file management
still no flash
still no camera
no usb port
only airport compatble printers work. Only a handful currently available.
still need a computer and a wireless network before you buy one.
still an overclocked mobile phone processor.
Reports are that after upgrade you need to re download apps

lpullman
  • 30th Nov 2010 01:37pm
Tablet computing is still in it's infantile stages for all platforms and models. One brand will bring out something new and the others will follow. If you are wanting something that has all the...

LOL! I think I've made my point. Waiting 20 years is not really a ringing endorsement is it :-)

I've been working in the IT industry since the early '90s so I'm well versed in the limitations of various platforms. What get's on my tits is clueless newbies (that's a general statement, I'm not aiming at you by the way) getting all swampy and gushing nonsense about the latest toy that really doesn't do anything new. Apple fans are especially bad for this 'cause generally their latest shiny toy is their only experience. Bah humbug, I'm just old and cynical.

Now, tablet computing is not in it's infancy at all - tablet devices have been on the market at least since the Apple Neuton (c.1993 from memory). Someone at Park Xerox - the guys responsible for computers as we know them - built something we'd recognise as a tablet in the mid '80s. There have been a steady trickle of devices for nearly the last twenty years. My old Palm IIIc does 90% of what an iPad does, just slowly , in many cases badly and on a tiny screen.

I think that in few years we'll see the iPad as the end of a particular development cycle and Android as the start of another.

princessxena
  • 29th Nov 2010 06:33pm
Yup, at version 4 iOS finally got multitasking. If the experience of the people I know with iPhone 4s and iPhone 3s that have been upgraded is anything to go by, the reason it wasn't done earlier...

Tablet computing is still in it's infantile stages for all platforms and models. One brand will bring out something new and the others will follow. If you are wanting something that has all the bells and whistles already installed you wont find it whichever brand you try.
Answer, wait until a 10-20 years when the tablets have been around.
OR
Buy something that suits your needs now and upgrade to new technology in a few years time.... I think that's what happens in most IT devices around as new ideas and technologies are made and tested.

lpullman
  • 29th Nov 2010 06:11pm
iOS 4.2: Upgrade!!!
multitasking - check.
iTunes Account setup without creditcard- itunes gift card setup, check.
UI easy - check.
Airprint - check.

I can't see the...

Yup, at version 4 iOS finally got multitasking. If the experience of the people I know with iPhone 4s and iPhone 3s that have been upgraded is anything to go by, the reason it wasn't done earlier was battery life. That and the low power CPU. I wouldn't go so far as to dismiss it as just a "mobile phone chip", the Intel Atoms were intended for set top boxes and they are plenty powerful enough.

Next question: is iOS4 a viable upgrade for iPads? Edit - it appears so!

OK I went and checked out AirPrint 'cause it might make one customer's tablet a whole lot more useful to her. Turns out it only supports "AirPrint enabled printers". Read a handful of HP models. No network printing, no postscript, no RPC. Bugger.

So, still no printing unless you have the right HP printer...

There's a couple of third party apps that enable SMB printing to either Mac or Windows shared printers. I assume those two cover *nix running Samba. But paying for limited network print services seems, well, shoddy.

lpullman
  • 29th Nov 2010 05:56pm
Yes you can print, see latest news from Apple!
Have you used one?Don't knock it yet.

There are problems with Android systems too, if you read all the usernet feedback. The apps are...

Have used two actually. Had to set them up for clients. Couldn't print. No print ability at all. I take it Apple have fixed that now. Seems a bit like Windows Mobile 7 and the lack of cut and paste...

What is the "usernet"? Do you mean Usenet? I'd take anything posted there with a huge pinch of salt :-)

As for App "quality", I've not noticed any difference in my limited exposure to both. Frankly, I couldn't find anything useful to me on either. The Apple store is swamped with pointless soundboards and fart noise generators, the Android one with crappy games. I don't know about "very poor", have YOU used one? LOL

princessxena
  • 29th Nov 2010 03:29pm
The ipad does not have a mature OS itself. you cannot multi task on it. This was probably done deliberately as it only has a mobile phone processor and cannot handle anything else. You do also need...

iOS 4.2: Upgrade!!!
multitasking - check.
iTunes Account setup without creditcard- itunes gift card setup, check.
UI easy - check.
Airprint - check.

I can't see the problem??

typhoon
  • 27th Nov 2010 01:40pm
Yes you can print, see latest news from Apple!
Have you used one?Don't knock it yet.

There are problems with Android systems too, if you read all the usernet feedback. The apps are...

The ipad does not have a mature OS itself. you cannot multi task on it. This was probably done deliberately as it only has a mobile phone processor and cannot handle anything else. You do also need a credit card to create your itunes account to access all the apps and if you do not have a credit card then the ipad is practically useless then. Printing under the ipad is also a yes and a no. You need IOS 4.2 and it is the most convulted interface for many to get it to happen. It may be beyond the realms of many users to set up.

princessxena
  • 26th Nov 2010 06:55pm
Just thought of two other issues:

Can you print from an iPad yet? Last time I checked you couldn't.

Android pads seem to come with a much bigger range of connection options: USB,...

Yes you can print, see latest news from Apple!
Have you used one?Don't knock it yet.

There are problems with Android systems too, if you read all the usernet feedback. The apps are very poor, not up to the same standard as iOS apps. The Android is still in infant stage, it needs more time to grow up to a mature OS.

lpullman
  • 26th Nov 2010 02:08pm
Hate to break the news to you, but the iPad is dependent on a computer to. it is not an independent device. Where as many of the Android devices are intended to be stand alone.

Bigger...

Just thought of two other issues:

Can you print from an iPad yet? Last time I checked you couldn't.

Android pads seem to come with a much bigger range of connection options: USB, HDMI, etc.

Not that I don't think they are all expensive toys right now...

lpullman
  • 26th Nov 2010 02:05pm
It all depends on what you're after! The iPad has a bigger screen than most of the other tablets out there! Theres a new samsung galaxy tab out (android) but from what i've heard its quite...

Hate to break the news to you, but the iPad is dependent on a computer to. it is not an independent device. Where as many of the Android devices are intended to be stand alone.

Bigger screen: Samsung, Acer and LG all make tablets 10" or bigger off the top of my head.

Better apps: that's a matter of opinion, but at least with Android I don't have to use only what Apple aprove. I'd actually score the App RANGE as a dead heat.

iTunes syncing: not a plus in my book 'cause I don't want a tethered device.

Laptop replacement: if you don't type much that is. Typing on a tablet is horrid no matter who it's from so I doubt it could replace more than about 50% of my laptop use.

I think this market is much muddier.

typhoon
  • 20th Nov 2010 03:21pm
It all depends on what you're after! The iPad has a bigger screen than most of the other tablets out there! Theres a new samsung galaxy tab out (android) but from what i've heard its quite...

The ipad is nowhere a replacement for any existing computer and will be lucky to replace 5% of my laptop use. it is still a fad and better and more suitable devices are on the way. I's much rather a netbook with a neo chipset as it is faster than the atom chipsets and i can get this for hundreds of dollars cheaper than an ipad. This is considerably more useful than what is a large screen iphone without phone capabilities.
the ipad is useless as a keyboard device and consequently is unsuitable as a laptop replacement. You buy something for what you want to use it for and if an ipad falls short of needed requirements then forget the hype and wait for something that fulfills requirements.I still think that they will never be a replacement for laptop use

typhoon
  • 17th Nov 2010 04:12pm

Me personally, i think that the ipad is great as a fashion accessory but is over hyped for what it is. As more Android PAD's hit the market you will see devices with more flexibility than the ipad. Me i would wait a little for Android devices to get into the swing and you may see something much better suited for what you want

lpullman
  • 26th Nov 2010 01:50pm
Android pads will have the same problems with Flash. It just doesn't work that well on a touchpad. Adobe have realised this and are moving toward HTML 5. So will everyone else as Flash is very...

Er, actually Flash works just fine on Android devices, Princess. I suspect there are two reasons for Apple not supporting it: the iPad and iPhones are low power devices (no matter what the Apple fans say) and just don't have the grunt and (I think this is the biggee) Apple want Apps for their store. If it's just a web link to a Flash application then who needs the app store?

As it is, most of the Apps I've seen are just call the web browser and load a page.
Everybody else seems to be backing away from HTML5 just now. I think they've figured out just how much it's going to cost in patent licensing to implement it.

princessxena
  • 19th Nov 2010 07:51pm
Me personally, i think that the ipad is great as a fashion accessory but is over hyped for what it is. As more Android PAD's hit the market you will see devices with more flexibility than the...

Android pads will have the same problems with Flash. It just doesn't work that well on a touchpad. Adobe have realised this and are moving toward HTML 5. So will everyone else as Flash is very resource hungry. Philmm, buy whatever you think is comfortable and easy for you to use, don't listen to other's views as it is tainted.

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