Why would you buy an Apple tablet over an Android tablet?

[Doppel]

Title says it all...

Same reason rich guys screw models instead of women they picked up at Walmart.

 

[zerocool84]

I bought a Kindle Fire mainly because it was on sale for $139, but I also don't like iOS so that factors into it for me as well.

 

[preslove]

Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps. Apps.

Third party apps are much more important on a tablet than on a phone. IMHO, the optimal OS arrangement is a reasonably open Android phone with an iPad. Android gives you free wifi tether without hacking and free turn by turn navigation. The iPad gives you the app catalog.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I bought a Kindle Fire mainly because it was on sale for $139, but I also don't like iOS so that factors into it for me as well.

Yeah I bought a Kindle Fire as well, and price was the #1 reason. I figured I'd try out the whole tablet thing and hey, it's kinda fun. No way I'd spend $500 for any tablet, iPad or otherwise. But if I was spending $500, I'd probably get an iPad. Or I'd at least strongly consider it even though the iPhone has no appeal to me.

 

[ZOOYUKA]

What is this, 2003? What a silly complaint - apple's proprietary cable's as ubiquitous as micro-usb. Any 711 or gas station will have the cable and it can be had for a few bucks. What does the EVIL proprietary connection get me? The ability to use and control my ipod with my car stereo system, my various docks, etc. etc. The dock is SUPREMELY useful and there are no dock options for my windows phone (and android docks are rare too, and I'm not sure if you can control the device or if it's just audio pass through).

Expansion? Well, everything's moving to the cloud these days... But it's a valid point if you're a short sighted person that doesn't know how much storage you'll need in the long run

True, but a 32GB microSD card costs $20 and a 64GB can be had for $90. Apple expects you to pay an $100 to get up to the 32GB and an extra $200 to get to the 64GB for a device that already cost 2X its competitors price.

 

[slackerinabox]

True, but a 32GB microSD card costs $20 and a 64GB can be had for $90. Apple expects you to pay an $100 to get up to the 32GB and an extra $200 to get to the 64GB for a device that already cost 2X its competitors price.

2x it's competitor's price? Really? REALLY? Come on now, you must know that's not true.

 

[bearxor]

ES file explorer (or any other SMB file manager) + Dice player = free AirVideo.

What do you use remotely?

 

[bearxor]

True, but a 32GB microSD card costs $20 and a 64GB can be had for $90. Apple expects you to pay an $100 to get up to the 32GB and an extra $200 to get to the 64GB for a device that already cost 2X its competitors price.

I don't think you can directly compare the cost of a MicroSD card to NAND flash.

 

[AstroManLuca]

2x it's competitor's price? Really? REALLY? Come on now, you must know that's not true.

Agreed, Apple may price gouge on extra storage but the iPad is still competitively priced compared to 10" tablets from Asus, Samsung, and others. Besides, it's just margin building, which every company does.

I don't think you can directly compare the cost of a MicroSD card to NAND flash.

I don't know the technical aspects of it, but the iPad's storage is used for just that, storage. You don't need ultra fast memory to store music files. It would not be expensive for Apple to incorporate whatever kind of flash memory is used in MicroSD cards into the iPad for extra storage. It's obvious that the reason they don't is they want people to spend $100 extra on an additional 16 GB of storage. It's pure profit. But I can't fault them for that, I guess. Although it seems kinda cheap not to include a MicroSD slot when you're asking $500 for your gadget.

 

[ponyo]

What do you use remotely?

I dont stream remote. I usually copy it to my device before I leave. If I wanted to I guess I could use AirVideo, Plex, or Splashtop Remote. I have all three.

 

[Geekbabe]

I have and greatly enjoy the 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Tab, it is seriously slim, light and well made, I've had zero problems with the hardware. All that said I was gifted with an iPad 3 a few days ago, the selection of apps available is totally mind blowing! What's even better is that the apps I've installed work without freezing, without forced closes. Yes, I'd love to be able to customize iOS more to my liking but I can totally understand why so many people choose the iPad.

There is good to be said for BOTH platforms!

 

[poofyhairguy]

There is good to be said for BOTH platforms!

Exactly.

 

[ImDonly1]

Yeah but to get a decent phone you have to have a data plan and I dont need one...

Go prepaid, don't need a data plan.

 

[Binky]

Bigger epeen. Also, all the hot chicks carry iDevices. Only geeks like Android.

I have multiple android devices and exactly zero iDevices. I must be a geek.

 

[SAWYER]

I like Android better and use Android as my phone but I prefer the ipad due to games

 

[MrX8503]

The tablet space is nothing like the smartphone space. With smartphones there are many phones that are better than the iPhone, but with tablets, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than the iPad.

Price wise...there shouldn't be Android tablet more than $499, unless its specs are way above the iPad, which they aren't. With the iPad 3, there isn't another tablet that comes close to its hardware.

On the software side, Android is anywhere from mediocre to bad. So if apps mean anything, I would get an iPad, which is what I did. My iPad3 is the first tablet I've ever owned and its awesome. I use it for all my general surfing/reading needs and my laptop is strictly work now.

 

[Anubis]

they only way i would buy one is if it was many hundreds of dollars off and i was planning on selling it for profit

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Seriously, I wonder why anyone would buy an android tablet at the same price point (or higher, which is just goofy). I use my android tablet (which I got for $200, which was a bargain at the time) for web browsing, email, etc. while my wife's iPad is an entertainment center in a little device - video chatting with her family (perfectly, not some half ass compromise), tons of games, tons of unique apps, tons of potential. I'd be very interested in a $200ish IC tablet as an organizer, but for a FUN device (that does everything else too), you can't beat the ipad.

Combined with airplay, the glut of accessories, and apple's build quality and support (something break? walk into a store and get same day service = woot!), I couldn't imagine spending $400 on a non-Apple pad.

Do you seriously think video chat is a compromise on Android? Considering the worthless cameras on the iPad 2 and the total lack of cameras on the 1 I would say Apple is the one playing catch up on that front.

I never got what's so fun about the iPad either, it's just an iPhone gui scaled up a stupid amount. Sure it has games but even the best ones are utter garbage compared to what has been available on other platforms for close to two decades now.

 

[pm]

I try not to do this very often, but I can see a bunch of posts that are pretty close to trolling, so I'm going to issue a proactive warning. Keep the posts factual, on-topic and impersonal please or I'll lock the thread and will infract whomever I judge took it off the rails.

As far as the OP, as moderator I prefer it when you actually post some text in your posts that describes why you are asking since Apple vs. Android is a hot-button issue around here. I'll leave it go, but consider this a warning as well.

Thanks for a (mostly) positive discussion so far.

Moderator PM

 

[dagamer34]

I would just go ahead and close this thread. The premise of the question just invites vitriol. If the OP wants to ask a more thought provoking question, he should open anothe thread so that this thread's title doesn't stroke the fanboy fire.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I would just go ahead and close this thread. The premise of the question just invites vitriol. If the OP wants to ask a more thought provoking question, he should open anothe thread so that this thread's title doesn't stroke the fanboy fire.

Already did.

 

[vbuggy]

Title says it all...

Title doesn't.

Why would I even bother buying an Android table over an Apple tablet? And I say that as a core disliker of how Apple does things, but a tablet in the iOS / Android vein plays right into Apple's Fisher-Price hands.

I've never seen a need to get rid of my iPads. I've even expanded my collection as of late for the home automation I'm having put in. Every Android tablet I bought has been a colossal waste of time (not to mention resales are in the toilet every time when I do go to get rid of it) - key (for me) app-poor, and the Android OS is still less stable and just requires way too much nursemaiding for a fricken tablet OS (the same fear I have for WinRT but I'm pretty convinced MS will do a much better job of it, while all the 'I'm a geek and can't see the wood for the trees' types will undoubted be still busy sucking on Google's teat).

I have three main uses for tablets. As a general purpose utility device secondary to a notebook (second screen to read documents, emails, etc), on-the-go entertainment - i.e. a giant iPod, and as a glorified remote.

The latter use is what I have the bulk of my iPads for and they stay at home, but whenever I venture out with one I've always found Android tablets a) a poor user experience, period and b) a fourth-rate iPad compared to what it can do as opposed to whether the camera is a little better or some other unimportant stuff in what is essentially still a toy. Why even bother?

I'll put much more stock in RT when it's out - but until then (or until 5.0 is out, where I'll once again probably get one to prod) I don't see any reason to change what I use.

 

[shortylickens]

For the same reason people troll this forum every fucking day.

 

[MotionMan]

ZOOYUKA,

Let's put it this way:

If you were going to be given one tablet for free (including all necessary cables), that you cannot sell, and have to use as your only tablet for at least the next, oh, year or two, which would you pick, a current android tablet or the new iPad?

MotionMan

 

[Skott]

Right now Apple simply does it better than anyone else. That is the short answer.

See how things are in about 2 years time and revisit this question again. Why? Jobs is dead. R.I.P. Steve. See how visionary and innovative Apple is then. You are only as good as your last product. Like any other company Apple has to hit a home run every time to keep ahead of competition. Can they do it without Steve? His hands are all over their products for the next two years but after that it is going to be up to someone else to pull it off. Just my opinion.