Interesting Article: "Why Android Tablet Apps Suck and the iPad Wins"

[preslove]

I think Amazon will own the low price tablet market, and the battle will be between Apple and nobody for the $500 tablets. Google can subsidize Android, MS needs to make money off Windows.

FTFY

If apple sells a 2 year old $300 tablet, then only amazon will be able to compete on price because they can go into the red and make it up with amazon sales. MS has no chance in mobile, at all.

 

[Ns1]

It's just so easy to spend money on iOS apps - I have over $60 in my iTunes account cuz people keep giving me iTunes gift cards as gifts

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Because you use a tablet on a smaller screen with a finger, while on a desktop you use a larger screen with a mouse. These are two different experiences. Web designers and developers out there are trying to make the experiences better for everyone by creating mobile friendly web sites.

If you visit a site frequently on a mobile device, its mobile app trumps the website version almost every time.

Let's say that's the case (although, personally, I always prefer using the desktop view on my Galaxy tab.) Fine. But we're talking about two different things here:

1) Web sites accessible through regular browsers - whether a) optimized for mobile view, or b) left "as is"
2) "Apps" which can only access a single web site, anyway.

IMHO, the "appification" of the internet is a backward, nasty and dangerous process, and should not be encouraged.

 

[MrX8503]

I think we understand the differences between website, mobile website, and apps. I'm just clarifying why applications exist on tablets for websites.

Apps have a superior experience (for smaller screens and touch input) compared to its web base counterpart. This is why they exist and will continue to exist, unless there's a convergence of tablet and laptop into one device in the future.

For example using the cnn app is much much better than visiting the site itself on a tablet.

 

[Piano Man]

Android apps do suck on tablets. But, just like apps on their phones used to suck, I think that will change, and I think this might be the year. Google needs to get that Google Tablet out. As long as we see sub 200-250 tablets that actually have decent specs, android will explode on volume. After a certain point, app developers won't be able to ignore the market, but its nowhere close to that point yet.

 

[theeedude]

All I can say to Google is "good luck". They're heading for a race to the bottom against Kindle and Nook. I honestly don't see how Google can compete on price vs. B&N and Amazon. Those two can both likely subsidize their hardware far more than Google can.

I opined on this before that Amazon does indeed have great cross-subsidy opportunities, but let's have some perspective before saying that Google doesn't.
Google makes a lot of money on advertising. It's worth more than 2x of Amazon for a reason. It makes more money on ads than Amazon makes on selling products. To them an Android tablet is an advertising terminal for which they can sell ads. The more Android tablets they get out there, the more money Google can make. Google can afford to subsidize just as much as Amazon if not more to establish Google's Android as a tablet player. It can also sell apps, books, and music as additional offsets, just like Amazon.
Additionally, Google is a step ahead of Amazon because Amazon doesn't see latest Android source code until Google decides to open source it. It also lacks Google apps like Gmail, Maps, and Youtube. Google has a much bigger ecosystem in place than Amazon.

 

[theeedude]

I think we understand the differences between website, mobile website, and apps. I'm just clarifying why applications exist on tablets for websites.

Apps have a superior experience (for smaller screens and touch input) compared to its web base counterpart. This is why they exist and will continue to exist, unless there's a convergence of tablet and laptop into one device in the future.

For example using the cnn app is much much better than visiting the site itself on a tablet.

What we need are touch input and mobile extensions to HTML5. Downloading app for each website is like going back to the days of AOL.

 

[Ns1]

What we need are touch input and mobile extensions to HTML5. Downloading app for each website is like going back to the days of AOL.

The point is that some apps are better than their website equivalent.

 

[theeedude]

The point is that some apps are better than their website equivalent.

Sure, but it's going backwards. Each tablet ecosystem is going to have its own version of the internet through apps.

 

[Ns1]

Sure, but it's going backwards. Each tablet ecosystem is going to have its own version of the internet through apps.

???

Nobody is forcing you to use an app.

I can access facebook (for instance) through safari just fine, I just prefer the app.

 

[theeedude]

???

Nobody is forcing you to use an app.

I can access facebook (for instance) through safari just fine, I just prefer the app.

It would be better if HTML was extended so developers could make touch work better with mobile sites instead of writing an app for each device and only having desktop version of the website.

 

[alent1234]

Sure, but it's going backwards. Each tablet ecosystem is going to have its own version of the internet through apps.

so organizing information how people want to see it is bad?

 

[MrX8503]

What we need are touch input and mobile extensions to HTML5. Downloading app for each website is like going back to the days of AOL.

That's not going to solve the problem. Desktops and laptops have larger screens with a very precise mouse. A tablet doesn't have those features. There are design elements better suited for mice and for fingers, a finger is not a mouse and I don't think people want giant sized tablet screens.

There's no reason for CNN to have a desktop app because a desktop doesn't have the same physical limitations as a tablet, but there is a great reason for them to have a tablet app. The usage of app-websites on a tablet would be different from app-websites on a laptop/desktop. We're not moving backwards to the days of AOL, you're just making correlations that have no relation.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Because you use a tablet on a smaller screen with a finger, while on a desktop you use a larger screen with a mouse. These are two different experiences. Web designers and developers out there are trying to make the experiences better for everyone by creating mobile friendly web sites.

If you visit a site frequently on a mobile device, its mobile app trumps the website version almost every time.

Couldn't they just make a www.t. or something website, similar to mobile but optimized for touch? Which would display equally on andoid, iOS, win8 and whatever else we get type of tablet? No more coding from scratch an app for each system! After all tablets are just weak computers you poke with your finger instead of a mouse anyway..

 

[Ns1]

Couldn't they just make a www.t. or something website, similar to mobile but optimized for touch? Which would display equally on andoid, iOS, win8 and whatever else we get type of tablet? No more coding from scratch an app for each system! After all tablets are just weak computers you poke with your finger instead of a mouse anyway..

m.facebook.com...

 

[preslove]

Honestly, www.facebook.com on the asus transformer is great.

 

[Ns1]

Honestly, www.facebook.com on the asus transformer is great.

No push notifications would be the largest drawback to not having the website specific app IMHO

 

[vulcanman]

I am reading all your posts that are essentially saying that apps are nothing but website replacements and hence have very little to offer. And thereby concluding that despite the lack of good apps, an Android tablet can perform at the same level as an iPad.

I am sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out the 'experience' gap.

For starters ... I am a very utilitarian (geek? nerd?) kind of guy. I try to use reason (ROI?) for most things I do (and my wife hates me for that). I bought an iPad2 about a year ago and now migrated to the iPad3. I use this thing about 5 hours a day. And during that time I probably use the browser no more than 10% of the time. I use the tablet mainly as a productivity tool and occasionally a recreational tool.

To make the case for the existence of a 'tablet' ... I offer you the following APPS. You explain to me why my experience would be equally good on a browser.

1. Goodreader - I use this 'must-have' swiss-army knife to work with documents. Using my capacitive pen (or finger) I can easily scribble and put comments on PDF documents and send it off for review. I sometimes use this to sign on documents too. This app makes reading a graphical PDF so much easier ... you can pinch and zoom into charts and figures so much faster. It can log into Dropbox / BoxNet / iCloud / Skydrive etc. etc. and upload and download your documents. It can host a web server to allow you to wirelessly send even more documents to the tablet. It can do things that will make you want to jump up and scream with joy.

2. Educreations - I use it to record instructional videos. As you talk .. you scribble onto a multiple-page notebook and it records your voice and your scribbles onto a video which you can upload and share with anyone in the world. Once you find out how versatile this app is ... you try to find even more ways to use it. FREE.

3. Network World / Computer World App. Each cost about $3 for a lifetime subscription to this technical magazine. And I do mean 'magazine' ... its the exact replica digital copy of the paper publication. It stores the entire magazine locally. No more surveys to fill.

4. Note Taker HD - Exceptional program to take notes. Its very quick and very versatile. Once you get used to it ... you will never want to use a paper notepad.

5. The new Khan Academy - Unlike the youtube video site ... this app does SO MUCH MORE. Check it out ! FREE.

6. Google Earth - An APP that was meant for pinch and zoom. You will never use Google Earth on a PC once you see it on a Retina iPad. FREE.

7. AutoCAD WS - Wow Wow Wow ... if you work with AutoCAD files ... this is a must-have. Again, pinch and zoom ... nuff said. FREE.

8. Free digital magazines !! Very often I jump on deals on regular paper magazine subscriptions. For instance, I subscribed to Time Magazine for $2 (52 issues). Tanga.com often has magazine deals. The best part is that a number of these magazine publishers offer FREE! digital subscriptions on the iPad !! I have "Atlantic" and "Bloomberg Businessweek".

9. TalkaTone - Free use of the wifi-only iPad as a phone (via Google Voice) ! The iPad does astonishingly well as a speakerphone. FREE.

10. Discover Movies - Absolutely incredible app for movie lovers. You put in "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" ... and see what it suggests. You will be surprised. On top of that each movie has RottenTomatoes ratings. This touch-heavy app cannot be replaced by a PC app .. or a website. See it to believe it. Best of all its FREE !!!

11. Garageband - no comment

So ... you tell me which of these APPS can be replaced by a website?

 

[Ns1]

8. Free digital magazines !! Very often I jump on deals on regular paper magazine subscriptions. For instance, I subscribed to Time Magazine for $2 (52 issues). Tanga.com often has magazine deals. The best part is that a number of these magazine publishers offer FREE! digital subscriptions on the iPad !! I have "Atlantic" and "Bloomberg Businessweek".

A true iPad benefit that I did not realize until we opened up the iPad 3. We had subscribed to quite a few print magazines and they all give free digital magazines. Awesome.

 

[theeedude]

That's not going to solve the problem. Desktops and laptops have larger screens with a very precise mouse. A tablet doesn't have those features. There are design elements better suited for mice and for fingers, a finger is not a mouse and I don't think people want giant sized tablet screens.

There's no reason for CNN to have a desktop app because a desktop doesn't have the same physical limitations as a tablet, but there is a great reason for them to have a tablet app. The usage of app-websites on a tablet would be different from app-websites on a laptop/desktop. We're not moving backwards to the days of AOL, you're just making correlations that have no relation.

It's going to solve it to some extent. If touch screen extensions were added to HTML5, you could have a separate web page with touch controls for ALL tablets, still using HTML5. So instead of a desktop version(HTML), iPhone app, iPad app (obj C), Android phone app, Android tablet app (Java), WP7 app, W8 tablet app (C#/Silverlight), you can have desktop and mobile versions all in HTML5, just using different elements and images. And you don't have to download an app for every site you visit, you can just go to the site and use it, leave the site and have it wiped from memory.

 

[Mopetar]

How many touch controls do most websites really need? The baked in controls such as swipe to scroll and pinch to zoom are generally enough to get around most websites.

 

[BoberFett]

If the fact that 3rd party developers are lazy means Android sucks, then we can assume that OSX sucks as well? Because there are about about a million more Windows programs than OSX programs...

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I am reading all your posts that are essentially saying that apps are nothing but website replacements and hence have very little to offer. And thereby concluding that despite the lack of good apps, an Android tablet can perform at the same level as an iPad.

I am sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out the 'experience' gap.

For starters ... I am a very utilitarian (geek? nerd?) kind of guy. I try to use reason (ROI?) for most things I do (and my wife hates me for that). I bought an iPad2 about a year ago and now migrated to the iPad3. I use this thing about 5 hours a day. And during that time I probably use the browser no more than 10% of the time. I use the tablet mainly as a productivity tool and occasionally a recreational tool.

To make the case for the existence of a 'tablet' ... I offer you the following APPS. You explain to me why my experience would be equally good on a browser.

1. Goodreader - I use this 'must-have' swiss-army knife to work with documents. Using my capacitive pen (or finger) I can easily scribble and put comments on PDF documents and send it off for review. I sometimes use this to sign on documents too. This app makes reading a graphical PDF so much easier ... you can pinch and zoom into charts and figures so much faster. It can log into Dropbox / BoxNet / iCloud / Skydrive etc. etc. and upload and download your documents. It can host a web server to allow you to wirelessly send even more documents to the tablet. It can do things that will make you want to jump up and scream with joy.

9. TalkaTone - Free use of the wifi-only iPad as a phone (via Google Voice) ! The iPad does astonishingly well as a speakerphone. FREE.

So ... you tell me which of these APPS can be replaced by a website?

I know you were intending this list vs websites but I thought it was worth pointing out #1 would be substantially better on one of the several Android tablets with a active digitizer for pen input. Not only would you have a vastly more precise tool for writing but you also wouldn't have to work around iOS' limitation just to transfer files to the device.

As far as #9 is concerned there are several Android tablets that can act as regular cell phones and are not limited to wifi calling.

 

[dbn]

I have the new iPad along with a Motorola Xoom running 4.03. My experience thus far: 1. Internet browsing: Browsing itself is better on the iPad. HTML5 video works seamlessly as opposed to stuttering along and/or not working on the Xoom. Syncing bookmarks was easier on the Xoom since the native browser and Chrome beta both integrate syncing with my desktop browser. 2. Reading: About the same. The major reading apps are available on both platforms. It's easier to import a single epub into iBooks via Dropbox than dragging the file into the Nook my documents directory in Android. However, moving an entire directory of books is still easier on Android since I don't have to use iTunes to do so. 3. Media: The iPad is great if you use iTunes primarily for music and video. However, I don't, so it's a pain in the ass. I'm not going to change nor is Apple. So, I'd have to use a third-party application to do the same as I could with a stock Android tablet. 4. Comic Reading: The iPad has the same fallback as the other categories as far as file management goes. Reading itself was better on the Android tablet because Perfect Viewer on Android is free and has a nifty fit to screen feature that I like. Comics Zeal on the iPad costs $5 and doesn't have the same feature. Oh, it's "polished" and therefore looks nice, but I'm out $5 on an app that doesn't have a feature that a free app on Android has. So, for me, comic reading was better on the Android tablet. Maybe another app has that function, but I'm not spending anymore to find out. 5. General Usability and Interface Both iOS and Android support folders on the desktop/homescreen. Stock android supports widgets on the homescreen and I like to easily be able to toggle things like WIFI and GPS on or off without having to go into settings. I cannot do the same in iOS to my knowledge without jailbreaking and downloading SBSettings.

 

[MrX8503]

It's going to solve it to some extent. If touch screen extensions were added to HTML5, you could have a separate web page with touch controls for ALL tablets, still using HTML5. So instead of a desktop version(HTML), iPhone app, iPad app (obj C), Android phone app, Android tablet app (Java), WP7 app, W8 tablet app (C#/Silverlight), you can have desktop and mobile versions all in HTML5, just using different elements and images. And you don't have to download an app for every site you visit, you can just go to the site and use it, leave the site and have it wiped from memory.

People are already doing this, it's called a web app, but it's still inferior to a native app. How do you get a website to talk to Apples API? I build mobile and desktop sites so I'm not just blowing fluff here. There's a reason why CNN or eBay have native apps.

Mobile web has its place but its a poor excuse for android tablets to rely on. Developers aren't making all those numerous app platforms you listed off. Developers make an iPad app and forget about android tablets.