iPad Mini May Hurt Android Tablet Vendors

[halcyon]

You're absolutely correct, again, Watcha

 

[john_e]

That's great news for the competition, now they can all band together and SUE Apple for copying their smaller tablet size. Let the lawsuit games begin again.

 

[john_4]

[citation][nom]king_maliken[/nom]Apple and cheap are antonyms, Apple is overpriced dung.[/citation]
Another Apple hater, Apple makes quality stuff and their OS is superb, if not they would not be doing as good as they are. The numbers do not lie. Overpriced, no. Look at Dell's new 13" ultra book laptop. Aluminum and such, surprisingly similar to Apple in quality and Dell has them priced in line with Apple products.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]john_e[/nom]That's great news for the competition, now they can all band together and SUE Apple for copying their smaller tablet size. Let the lawsuit games begin again.[/citation]

Apple has never sued anyone for releasing a tablet the same size as theirs.

 

[jaquith]

I am tired of seeing 'Apple' hate, the iPad is great. Some of you must have iPad envy. I've tried the others and they are all lacking cohesion to a 'complete quality experience.' I don't give a rip if a benchmark is marginally better if the experience is lacking or convoluted -- then it's worthless.

My mother hated the idea of a PC or Notebook, and initially was scared of even the iPad. Now, she's on Facebook, emailing family, sharing photos, looking up information of her movies, news, etc.

So to me and my family the iPad linked us all together. It's easy to use and seamlessly integrates into books, movies with the BEST online media store - period!

 

[acerace]

[citation][nom]jaquith[/nom]I am tired of seeing 'Apple' hate, the iPad is great. Some of you must have iPad envy. I've tried the others and they are all lacking cohesion to a 'complete quality experience.' I don't give a rip if a benchmark is marginally better if the experience is lacking or convoluted -- then it's worthless.My mother hated the idea of a PC or Notebook, and initially was scared of even the iPad. Now, she's on Facebook, emailing family, sharing photos, looking up information of her movies, news, etc. So to me and my family the iPad linked us all together. It's easy to use and seamlessly integrates into books, movies with the BEST online media store - period![/citation]

Please, do tell us more about your mother.

 

[nforce4max]

Not everyone wants to cough up $500+ for a tablet. Apple and cheap are two vastly different things.

 

[Djanarak]

One good reason not to buy any of the more popular tablets on the market: the lack of a microSD card slot. Apple's tablets are in my opinion half-baked entertainment products, which is why I still can't justify buying one. I found the Galaxy Tabs equally disappointing since Samsung excluded the microSD slot on them. Its funny how people are always touting the number of available apps for the iPad, because they're mostly games. Games you cant really play in a moving vehicle because it will make you motion sick. If you're going to play games sitting down, may as well build a desktop PC for that. As far as web browsing, document creation/editing, music and movies are concerned, the Android tabs are on par or exceed Apple's toys. One good example of Android Tabs beating iPads: full HD video playback and mkv support. Another one? HDMI. I could name a few other advantages but Im running out of space here. Now, I'd love to hear from the Apple fanboys WHAT apps they have that are actually useful, that don't have an equivalent on Android? As of yet, not a single fanboy that I've spoken to in person has given an intelligent reply.

 

[watcha]

Not everyone doesn't want to cough up $499 for the fastest tablet ever made. Subjectively 'cheap' and facts are two vastly different things.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]the lack of a microSD card slot.[/citation]

Given the proliferation of cloud based storage eg iCloud or Dropbox, this is a non issue.

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]Its funny how people are always touting the number of available apps for the iPad, because they're mostly games.[/citation]

20% of apps are games. Not 'most' at all.

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]Games you cant really play in a moving vehicle because it will make you motion sick.[/citation]

1 - Playing games in moving vehicles doesn't make normal people motion sick.
2 - Who says that you have to be in a moving vehicle to benefit from an iPad? You could be in a field enjoying a BBQ, at a friends or families house, in bed, sat on the sofa, walking around town? Thousands of scenarios.

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]If you're going to play games sitting down, may as well build a desktop PC for that.[/citation]

So if I sit on a park table outside I'll just whip out my desktop PC?

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]As far as web browsing, document creation/editing, music and movies are concerned, the Android tabs are on par or exceed Apple's toys.[/citation]

This isn't evidence, this is a misinformed opinion, especially given the number of new creative apps which have come out with the new iPad.

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]One good example of Android Tabs beating iPads: full HD video playback and mkv support. Another one? HDMI.[/citation]

You can play back full HD video on your iPad. You can also wirelessly stream it to a television, something no Android tablet can do. You can get HDMI leads very cheaply for the iPad.

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]
I could name a few other advantages but Im running out of space here. Now, I'd love to hear from the Apple fanboys WHAT apps they have that are actually useful, that don't have an equivalent on Android? As of yet, not a single fanboy that I've spoken to in person has given an intelligent reply.[/citation]

There are thousands, but here's one:

Sky Sports. You can watch on Android smartphones (only recently) but not Android tablets. Sky sports have the exclusive rights to many games in the English Premier League, the biggest and most watched sporting league in the world. If you have an Android tablet, you can't watch it. You can with the iPad.

http://www.sky.com/products/ways-to-watch/sky-go/

Another example, Formula 1 coverage:

http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/03/sky-has-no-plans-to-bring-f1-coverage-to-android/

Here's an article on 'why Android is always second':

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/02/22/instagram-for-android-the-latest-missing-app/

There are also several games which only the iPad is powerful enough to run. You may not see that as 'useful' but people who enjoy gaming disagree. And that's a lot of people.

Oh, and finally, many people find it useful to have battery life which actually lasts when they use their tablet ;-)

 

[watcha]

Oh and .MKV files can be freely converted using VLC or streamed using software like Air Play, so that's another non issue.

 

[jgutz2006]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Given the proliferation of cloud based storage eg iCloud or Dropbox, this is a non issue.[/citation]

spoken like a true fanboi, rofl. so in other words, your glad that you have less choices because of cloud service because you could NEVER want to transfer a file when an internet connection is available, Ohh and how goes it with those mp4 2gb+ movies to your cloud storage? unfortunately android too can get to "the cloud" so its just another feature.

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]"As far as web browsing, document creation/editing, music and movies are concerned, the Android tabs are on par or exceed Apple's toys."

Given the proliferation of cloud based storage eg iCloud or This isn't evidence, this is a misinformed opinion, especially given the number of new creative apps which have come out with the new iPad.[/citation]
But your statement isnt misinformed opinion but the opinion that everyone else shares?

 

[beardguy]

Apple's iPad is way overpriced, and has been since it's release. All the competition has to do is release a solid tablet with good specs and a much lower price point. Still hasn't really happened yet.

I know a lot of people who own iPads, and yes they are nice. But my impression has always been "meh". No way they are worth the money. Say what you will, tablets are a novelty device. If you have $600 to fork over for surfing the internet on your couch, go for it. That said, if they were $200, I would buy one.

 

[Djanarak]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Oh and .MKV files can be freely converted using VLC or streamed using software like Air Play, so that's another non issue.[/citation]
I beg to differ, it is an issue. The whole point of an mkv file is that it can contain multiple subtitles and audio tracks, so converting using VLC is not an option. Besides, converting takes time. I just want to send an 1080p MKV to my tablet and watch it wherever I go. Obviously streaming via Air Play wouldn't be an option when on the move, which renders it pointless doesnt it? I could just watch my mkv on an HDTV then.

 

[shortbus25]

Everyone knows Apple they will put out this 7.85 inch tablet but the price will be $400.00 or more they do not do cheap pricing!!! The ipods start at $100.00 for the smallest one what makes anyone think they will put out a tablet of any size for $200.00 even $300.00! Get real people only dipsticks and dumb asses buy Apple why waste all that money!!!

 

[sweatlaserxp]

I bet a lot of people would buy the smaller iPad instead just because it's cheaper. It would take business away from the iPad 2 and 3. Same reason why Apple has never offered a budget laptop.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]jgutz2006[/nom]spoken like a true fanboi, rofl. so in other words, your glad that you have less choices because of cloud service because you could NEVER want to transfer a file when an internet connection is available, Ohh and how goes it with those mp4 2gb+ movies to your cloud storage? unfortunately android too can get to "the cloud" so its just another feature. But your statement isnt misinformed opinion but the opinion that everyone else shares?[/citation]

The fact that Android can connect to the cloud too is completely irrelevant when assessing whether or not it negates the need for SD cards. For me personally, I don't use SD cards full stop, on any of my pc's, so such a facility would be completely pointless. If I was in a situation where I didn't have internet, I'd simply connect the iPad to the PC and transfer it like that, much faster than transferring it to an SD card. 2GB movies transfer perfectly well to cloud storage, no issues whatsoever.

The evidence that the majority of people don't care about SD card readers is in the sales figures, both of the iPhone and the iPad.

[citation][nom]jgutz2006[/nom]But your statement isnt misinformed opinion but the opinion that everyone else shares?[/citation]

Most of what I stated was factual. The claims which weren't, such as the SD cards being unimportant to the end user, are backed up by the evidence of sales. What you stated had no evidence whatsoever.

[citation][nom]jgutz2006[/nom]I beg to differ, it is an issue. The whole point of an mkv file is that it can contain multiple subtitles and audio tracks, so converting using VLC is not an option. Besides, converting takes time. I just want to send an 1080p MKV to my tablet and watch it wherever I go. Obviously streaming via Air Play wouldn't be an option when on the move, which renders it pointless doesnt it? I could just watch my mkv on an HDTV then.[/citation]

It takes hardly any time to convert from an MKV file, and the conversion includes the subtitles and audio tracks you want - making converting to MKV a simple option for anyone with any tech savvy whatsoever. You can even download a program which lets you simply drag and drop the file into iTunes.

Streaming via Air Play is an alternative, not the only way, and since you don't necessarily have to be on the 'move' every time you use an iPad, sometimes it's a good option. For example if you're in a room without a television, or if you're somewhere with a small laptop plugged in and prefer to watch on the iPad.

Again though, most users don't have a series of MKV files they need to watch and are incapable of converting. The issues such as battery life, missing apps, OS lags & freezes, lack of software updates, relatively poor performance, lower resolution - affect EVERYBODY.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]beardguy[/nom]Apple's iPad is way overpriced, and has been since it's release. All the competition has to do is release a solid tablet with good specs and a much lower price point. Still hasn't really happened yet. I know a lot of people who own iPads, and yes they are nice. But my impression has always been "meh". No way they are worth the money. Say what you will, tablets are a novelty device. If you have $600 to fork over for surfing the internet on your couch, go for it. That said, if they were $200, I would buy one.[/citation]

The fact that the competition have been unable, thus far, to match Apple's specifications at a lower price point is precisely why you can't describe it as overpriced.

What you're describing is simply that the iPad costs more than you are prepared to pay, because to you they are a novelty device, but that is not the same thing as it being overpriced.

 

[Darth415]

Tegra 3 has a quad core processor, so any benchmarks that show apple a5 to be faster are biased or inaccurate. Sure there is no quad core support in apps right now, but wait until there is more than ONE quad core device on android.

The only reason why iOS apps can appear faster than android apps, is because iOS is superior to android as an operating system. A slower iOS device will appear to scroll through web pages smoother, and do SOME things faster.

To the people who think that the iPad is overpriced... Find me a competing tablet that has a display at 260 ppi, similar processor and gpu, 4g LTE, 9.6 mm thick, weighs 1.4 pounds, a 9.7 inch display, and 64 gb of memory.

I am unsure as to why a micro sd card slot is useful. No one I know with such a device EVER takes the card out. They just plug the entire tablet into their computer if they want to transfer something. Wait a second, I can plug my iPad into my computer too(sarcasm). Micro Sd card slots have a maximum capacity of 32 gb currently, so my 64 gb iPad is easily superior. My music library alone is ~25 gb, so I don't know how I would fit my music, apps, AND movies into 32 gb device, even if it also had some onboard storage.

Just to clarify, the iPad also has hdmi support, at 1080p. Even my first generation iPad can use the hdmi adaptor(at a lower resolution).

 

[hoofhearted]

[citation][nom]Djanarak[/nom]One good reason not to buy any of the more popular tablets on the market: the lack of a microSD card slot. Apple's tablets are in my opinion half-baked entertainment products, which is why I still can't justify buying one. I found the Galaxy Tabs equally disappointing since Samsung excluded the microSD slot on them. Its funny how people are always touting the number of available apps for the iPad, because they're mostly games. Games you cant really play in a moving vehicle because it will make you motion sick. If you're going to play games sitting down, may as well build a desktop PC for that. As far as web browsing, document creation/editing, music and movies are concerned, the Android tabs are on par or exceed Apple's toys. One good example of Android Tabs beating iPads: full HD video playback and mkv support. Another one? HDMI. I could name a few other advantages but Im running out of space here. Now, I'd love to hear from the Apple fanboys WHAT apps they have that are actually useful, that don't have an equivalent on Android? As of yet, not a single fanboy that I've spoken to in person has given an intelligent reply.[/citation]

Great post!
My transformer prime is great. I was on an iphone a while back, but have migrated over to Android now. First device to come out with raid or jbod sd (4 slots) will get my dollars. I don't see Apple doing this anytime soon, since they use that as their price point. Kind of stupid if you ask me because you limit the intangible purchase of apps this way. Yeah, I know you can sync back and forth with your PC, but PITA.

Video
I need substitles. I got dice player for android and that happens to handle the most common (vobsub) which I can my personal DVD collection to mkv or mp4 just fine. I tried it on Apple and no go. Maybe it handles SRT, don't know, but don't want to find those anyway, plus I know the vobsub will be "more correct".

Development:
I even tried the Apple dev program (99 bucks a year, plus you have to develop on mac os - did it on my macindell) . Lots of hoops to jump through. With TF Prime, just downloaded eclipse and android sdk and had an app on my device in a matter of minutes (not to mention that I have written lots of java in my time). No yearly subscription, just my homegrown apps for whatever I please.