iPad 2 or Transformer?

[Necrolezbeast]

Lets start this off with stating that I personally like the for factor of the Transformer and other Android tabs... widescreen is useful for media consumption and that's a lot of what these tablets are made for. Anyway, on a normal day living in the USA I would choose an Android tablet without much hesitation, but here are the reasons why I am strongly leaning against it.

I am living in China and will be here for at least another year, probably many more years. The Chinese language support is far superior on apple products the last time I checked, a lot of useful and easy to use dictionaries and IME. The price is the same here, either way I will be paying about $500 USD as there is only about a 40rmb difference in price ($6.50).

The reason I want a tablet is to be able to take it with me when I go to the classes I teach, classes I take, and on all the random adventures to new cities I take every few weeks. I am always on the go, and right now I pack around my 15.6in HP which does it's job perfectly; but when I am on the go I just need an internet / media consumption device that is reasonably comfortable to use. I will be using it mainly for maps, surfing, watching movies, playing games, and as a dictionary when needed.

So right now I am heavily leaning towards the iPad 2 because there is no price difference and as far as I know the Chinese language support and app support is much higher without digging into any custom roms that may or may not work correctly. The GPS in the Transformer is the main point I am even considering it right now... is there any other things I should consider or should I just take the plunge? Anyone have a similar experience or have used any Chinese IME or dictionary on a Transformer?

Thanks a lot!

 

[annomander]

Can't tell you either way. Two points on both.

1. The transformer has a keyboard dock that might or not be useful. Gives you full size USB, SD slot and extra battery life.

2. Tablet vs Tablet the iPad has much superior battery life, in standby mode with wifi on it hardly drains, the same can't be said of the transformer.

 

[Necrolezbeast]

Well, I went and played with a Transformer today, the switching between Chinese and English was a lot better than I imagined... It had 3.2 if I remember correctly, not sure if there is an update available here yet or how quickly updates are available (let alone what sort of custom roms are there with both Chinese and English support)... No native English/Chinese dictionary and couldn't find one browsing on whatever market was available (yet again, not entirely sure what it had access to or what market it was). I also couldn't manage to get the GPS to lock on after about 5 minutes of waiting, which sucks cause this is a main selling point of this particular device for me.

Looks like the iPad is pulling farther ahead, the only thing I am still a little hesitant on is the aspect ratio... ugh... why no 16:10 or 16:9 Apple? Would make the thing a much better media consumption device and I can only imagine browsing is a little better with never having to scroll horizontally (do you even have to do this while browsing with the ipad? haha, I am not sure, I just imagine you would on some websites). Well, I'll continue to browse around and wait for some feedback... I am heading to HK at the end of the month, so I will probably wait until then to buy, as things are cheaper there than in mainland.. Thanks Annomander and anyone else that wants to chime in!

 

[Pliablemoose]

iPad2, (I've got a gen 1 and 2) lots of accessories, the GSM version has GPS on board.

 

[vbuggy]

iPad. Honeycomb is a bad joke - the only reason it gets traction is Google. The only thing worse are the underpowered Windows slates, and even they have more useful software.

 

[boomhower]

iPad, Android is still a generation or two from really competing with with iPad. I'm rooting for Android for competitions sake but in pretty much every category I can think of the iPad comes out ahead.

 

[pm]

I have an iPad (1st gen) and a Transformer. In day to day use, I use whichever one is closer physically to me, but while I like them both, but if I had to choose, I'd keep the iPad and would sell the Transformer. IMO, the biggest reason to get a Transformer is that it's not made by Apple, and that - to me - isn't a very compelling reason. If you already have an Android phone (I don't), the decision might be harder though. The Transfomer is a good tablet, but the iPad 1 is better and the iPad 2 is better than the iPad 1.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I have an iPad (1st gen) and a Transformer. In day to day use, I use whichever one is closer physically to me, but while I like them both, but if I had to choose, I'd keep the iPad and would sell the Transformer. IMO, the biggest reason to get a Transformer is that it's not made by Apple, and that - to me - isn't a very compelling reason. If you already have an Android phone (I don't), the decision might be harder though. The Transfomer is a good tablet, but the iPad 1 is better and the iPad 2 is better than the iPad 1.

The funny thing is that's such a common reason for not buying an iPad

"I'm going to go with a buggy piece of crap, because Jobs is the devil!"

I can see it now in a few years

"I'm not going to buy an iPad 7 because Steve Jobs ghost is such a douche!!!"

 

[Necrolezbeast]

The funny thing is that's such a common reason for not buying an iPad

"I'm going to go with a buggy piece of crap, because Jobs is the devil!"

I can see it now in a few years

"I'm not going to buy an iPad 7 because Steve Jobs ghost is such a douche!!!"

Haha, this is probably one of the biggest reasons I have/had a hard time making a decision. I had an iPhone 2g, it was awesome I loved it... but then I jumped on to MyTouch 3g and other than the 3g the iPhone kicked it's ass in every way, but I stuck with the MyTouch 3g and sold the iPhone a few months later probably just trying to justify my purchase and knowing the iPhone would return the money I lost going to an inferior device... but as the smart phone market stands today, I think Android has some compelling devices... Moving into the tablet world hasn't gone so smoothly yet, I know that Apple makes the better product, I know that Apple will support their product probably for a lot longer than any of the competitions manufacturers... but I still like the idea and dreams of Android getting the to point that I want it to... haha maybe in a generation or 3 they will catch up, for now I guess I will use my money to buy the better product and suck-in any dislike of a certain company

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Can't tell you either way. Two points on both.

1. The transformer has a keyboard dock that might or not be useful. Gives you full size USB, SD slot and extra battery life.

2. Tablet vs Tablet the iPad has much superior battery life, in standby mode with wifi on it hardly drains, the same can't be said of the transformer.

I'd hardly call it "much superior" when both of them get over 8 hours. Academic difference at best. Both would be able to last a full workday on the battery.

The Transformer costs $100 less and has a better screen for content consumption.

 

[Spineshank]

I own a Transformer and used to own an Ipad.

For battery life..I go days without charging my Transformer and use it regularly. Compared to the Ipad, I dont see a difference really.

I like being able to have Flash support on Transformer.

The SD slot is nice. Havent played with the HDMI yet.

I think both are equally as good though.

 

[Genx87]

I have a transformer. Battery life seems good to me. It can sit in idle for literally days. Otherwise if you are using it can get a solid 8+ hours out of it.

 

[pm]

For what it's worth, I agree that the iPad1 and Transformer battery life seem mostly on par to me. I think the SD card slot on the Transformer could be neat but I've only used it once (just to try it), the 16:9 screen on the Transformer is better (for me) that the iPad's 4:3, and being able to view Flash is somewhat useful, although I go to Flash sites so rarely that I don't think it's really that useful for me. The keyboard dock is too expensive and I have a bluetooth keyboard so I doubt that I'll buy one.

Here's my comment from the previous iPad vs. Transformer thread (which is this one: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2178237):


I have an iPad1 and an Asus Transformer. I bought the Transformer to help me code Android and also as an iPad replacement. While, I generally like the Transformer, it's a little quirky sometimes (things don't always work... I can elaborate), and I tend to prefer the iPad over it. But I generally reach for whichever one is closer to me and I have no real complaints with the Tranformer. But right now, if I had to keep just one and had to choose, I'd take the iPad. It's smoother to use, the screen is a bit better, it's a bit more firm in the hand, the iPad games are more numerous and more polished and generally things seem to work better. But that said, I really have no issue with the Transformer either. It works ok... aside from a couple of quirks.

In the Transformer's favor, I like the Amazon AppStore (and it's daily free giveaways) a lot.. while Android apps are a bit behind iOS apps, I think Amazon's appstore is far superior to Apple's in terms of ratings and searchability. I like the Transformers better integration with Google (like Google+) and Amazon (like the Cloud player). I like the 16:9 form factor better. I'm not super impressed with the screen customizability - which is supposed to be a superior Android feature over iOS... I'm underwhelmed with my Transformer customization options. I like the microSD slot... although I rarely use it and my fingernails often have a hard time removing the small card. The speakers seem slightly better than the iPad although not enough to be notably better. I really like the way that Android apps and the Android OS auto-update themselves. I think the battery life is basically the same between the iPad and the Transformer. While Adobe Flash support is not anywhere near as good as I thought it was going to be (a lot of Flash games don't work) it is nice that Flash sort of works.

There's a bunch of quirks the Transformer. First is that I have never been able to figure out how to mute the incoming email chime. I poked around, couldn't find it and the master volume switch doesn't affect it. So while I leave my iPad on my nightstand, the Transformer is banished to another room because I don't want to wake up when Groupon sends me an email at 2am. Then for whatever reason if I go to CPR.org (Colorado Public Radio) and choose any of the live streaming options, none of them work on the Transformer, but MP3 works fine on the iPad. Since I like to listen to public radio on my tablet while I'm working in the garage, this is annoying. One of my favorite websites is "reddit.com" and for whatever reason it doesn't render correctly in the default browser on the Transformer... everything is super, super small and shoved into the upper left corner and then I need to pinch to zoom like three times to be able to read everything. I also seem to get browser crashes more often on the Transformer. I'll be browsing and I'll snap back to the homescreen without warning. It's rare but annoying when it happens. So almost all of these are fixable... I should hunt some more for the email chime mute, download a different browser and spend more time trying to figure out why CPR's MP3 stream doesn't work but what I tend to do instead is just use the iPad unless it's a longer walk to get it.

I think if someone really wants a tablet and doesn't like Apple, then they should get a Transformer. I think it's a good tablet and I really don't have anything negative to say about it except minor quibbles. But I think the iPad has the edge - particularly in apps - for now and that's enough to swing me over to the iPad side of the fence... until Android gets some really good games.

 

[Oyeve]

My biggest gripes on the TF are

1. The stock apps kinda suck. The email in particular. I have hundreds of email in the trash and I can only delete by selecting each email. There is no "select all" option. The default music player is barely addequate but not much an issue as I purchased Poweramp which works great on the TF.

2. Wifi issues up the ass. Constant disconnects if the TF is idle. I had to hard-code the IP settings for my wifi at home. Granted its a few years old but it is a standard WAP.

3. Sound is too low from headphone jack. It isnt just me as I have tested other TFs. I find the volume level way too low for any decent headphone use. Defeinately not gonna replace my ipod. 4. Strange blemish on the screen just "appeared" 3 months after I first received. Many claim they have it too so may just be some defect. I can only see it if the screen is real dark.

4. Light sensor useless? My sensor only goes from dark to light, never from light to dark. Sensor is basically useless so auto brightness is also useless.

5. No netflix. Not Asus' fault but still a bummer.

Other than that I love my TF. I was gonna get the ipad2 but the lack of sd slot and 16:9 video made me look elsewhere.

 

[Spineshank]

For what it's worth, I agree that the iPad1 and Transformer battery life seem mostly on par to me. I think the SD card slot on the Transformer could be neat but I've only used it once (just to try it), the 16:9 screen on the Transformer is better (for me) that the iPad's 4:3, and being able to view Flash is somewhat useful, although I go to Flash sites so rarely that I don't think it's really that useful for me. The keyboard dock is too expensive and I have a bluetooth keyboard so I doubt that I'll buy one.

Here's my comment from the previous iPad vs. Transformer thread (which is this one: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2178237):


I have an iPad1 and an Asus Transformer. I bought the Transformer to help me code Android and also as an iPad replacement. While, I generally like the Transformer, it's a little quirky sometimes (things don't always work... I can elaborate), and I tend to prefer the iPad over it. But I generally reach for whichever one is closer to me and I have no real complaints with the Tranformer. But right now, if I had to keep just one and had to choose, I'd take the iPad. It's smoother to use, the screen is a bit better, it's a bit more firm in the hand, the iPad games are more numerous and more polished and generally things seem to work better. But that said, I really have no issue with the Transformer either. It works ok... aside from a couple of quirks.

In the Transformer's favor, I like the Amazon AppStore (and it's daily free giveaways) a lot.. while Android apps are a bit behind iOS apps, I think Amazon's appstore is far superior to Apple's in terms of ratings and searchability. I like the Transformers better integration with Google (like Google+) and Amazon (like the Cloud player). I like the 16:9 form factor better. I'm not super impressed with the screen customizability - which is supposed to be a superior Android feature over iOS... I'm underwhelmed with my Transformer customization options. I like the microSD slot... although I rarely use it and my fingernails often have a hard time removing the small card. The speakers seem slightly better than the iPad although not enough to be notably better. I really like the way that Android apps and the Android OS auto-update themselves. I think the battery life is basically the same between the iPad and the Transformer. While Adobe Flash support is not anywhere near as good as I thought it was going to be (a lot of Flash games don't work) it is nice that Flash sort of works.

There's a bunch of quirks the Transformer. First is that I have never been able to figure out how to mute the incoming email chime. I poked around, couldn't find it and the master volume switch doesn't affect it. So while I leave my iPad on my nightstand, the Transformer is banished to another room because I don't want to wake up when Groupon sends me an email at 2am. Then for whatever reason if I go to CPR.org (Colorado Public Radio) and choose any of the live streaming options, none of them work on the Transformer, but MP3 works fine on the iPad. Since I like to listen to public radio on my tablet while I'm working in the garage, this is annoying. One of my favorite websites is "reddit.com" and for whatever reason it doesn't render correctly in the default browser on the Transformer... everything is super, super small and shoved into the upper left corner and then I need to pinch to zoom like three times to be able to read everything. I also seem to get browser crashes more often on the Transformer. I'll be browsing and I'll snap back to the homescreen without warning. It's rare but annoying when it happens. So almost all of these are fixable... I should hunt some more for the email chime mute, download a different browser and spend more time trying to figure out why CPR's MP3 stream doesn't work but what I tend to do instead is just use the iPad unless it's a longer walk to get it.

I think if someone really wants a tablet and doesn't like Apple, then they should get a Transformer. I think it's a good tablet and I really don't have anything negative to say about it except minor quibbles. But I think the iPad has the edge - particularly in apps - for now and that's enough to swing me over to the iPad side of the fence... until Android gets some really good games.

In settings, change your notification sound to silent.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

OP if you are in China there are literally a metric shit ton of devices to choose from. Look into a Flytouch 3/SuperPad 3. I just purchased one to play with. Cost me $150 to have one shipped from China. Those have Chinese ROMs available. They are 1GHz, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, with 8GB and 16GB options.
They are only running Android 2.2, but Some people have gotten Honeycomb on them.
Anyone that says Honeycomb sucks, just hasn't used it. I prefer it over the iPad 2.
As far as HDMI out it works great. I was playing Angry birds on a 52" Plasma this weekend on an Transformer.

I have the Transformer and a Acer Iconia. The expandability options are really want sold me on them over the iPad.

 

[annomander]

My Transformer struggles over 6 hours
my Ipad lasts over 10 hours

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

My Transformer struggles over 6 hours
my Ipad lasts over 10 hours

You're probably doing something wrong, then. Anandtech easily got 9 hours of use out of the Transformer and 11 hours out of the iPad 2.

 

[Oyeve]

You're probably doing something wrong, then. Anandtech easily got 9 hours of use out of the Transformer and 11 hours out of the iPad 2.

nah, He's just trollin'

 

[annomander]

nah, He's just trollin'

Stop being a tit if someones experiences don't match your own.

To expand the battery life I've turned wifi off when possible and background updates

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

nah, He's just trollin'

Yeah, I figured. That's gotten kinda crazy here, but that's a topic for another thread.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

The ASUS Transformer was given a thorough and objective review here at Anandtech and it broke 9 hours under normal usage.

 

[annomander]

Yeah, I figured. That's gotten kinda crazy here, but that's a topic for another thread.

This is fricken stupid, just because you don't believe what someone who owns a transformer experience you accuse of trolling, are people really so pathetic on here.

Try reading the tranformer forums, there is many on there disappointed with battery life.

 

[annomander]

The ASUS Transformer was given a thorough and objective review here at Anandtech and it broke 9 hours under normal usage.

I have one and it'll only last 9 hours with no wifi on

Do you have one?

If not, then whats your problem.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Anyone can make up claims on the internet. To me it seems kinda funny that you say you easily got over 10 hours of battery life out of an iPad when Anandtech only got 9:45 hours and then you claim you can't get 6:00 hours out of a Transformer when Anandtech got 9:15 hours.