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Even at $329, iPad mini will be the cheapest tablet that runs TABLET apps

L

leukotriene

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
148
0
I don't understand people saying "at $329, forget it, I can just get a tablet for $200 from Amazon/Google".

You're missing the most important part of the iPad mini: it's running tablet apps and not just blown up phone apps.

Seriously, at $330 the mini will be the cheapest "true" tablet on the market. The Nexus 7 is just a 7 inch android phone without the phone part.
 
This is the kind of garbage I'm referring to with "blown up phone apps". Here's a picture of the ESPN app on a Nexus 7:

http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/70/00/003240/original/nexus7nfl4.jpg

That, when sitting next to the ESPN for iPad app running on an iPad mini, highlights the difference between these two classes of "tablets"
 
flopticalcube said:
Most people only need a few apps. Web browser, music player, video player, camera/photo viewer. For that, my wife's $129 Playbook does the job.
Click to expand...

If you're the kind of person who wants the best tablet app experience, then an iPad mini cannot be matched by the Nexus 7, the Fire, Playbook, etc.

If you don't care, then sure there are a plethora of cheap 7 inch devices that run phone app binaries by stretching the UI. I mean, I saw an $80 "tablet" at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. It'll let you view pictures, go on the web, etc.

Apple isn't trying to target that market.

I guarantee you on Tuesday we'll see Phil Schiller showing an iPad mini side-by-side with a Nexus 7, both running a popular app like ESPN. The Nexus 7 will clearly look like its running a stretched phone app, but the iPad mini will be running a more data-rich and better designed ESPN tablet app (for example).

It'll be clear why one of them is $200 and the other is not.
 
leukotriene said:
This is the kind of garbage I'm referring to with "blown up phone apps". Here's a picture of the ESPN app on a Nexus 7:

http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/70/00/003240/original/nexus7nfl4.jpg

That, when sitting next to the ESPN for iPad app running on an iPad mini, highlights the difference between these two classes of "tablets"
Click to expand...

Yep, I had one for a week and that's what most of the apps I used did. No point in having a 7"+ screen if the real-estate isn't going to used effectively.
 
leukotriene said:
If you're the kind of person who wants the best tablet app experience, then an iPad mini cannot be matched by the Nexus 7, the Fire, Playbook, etc.

If you don't care, then sure there are a plethora of cheap 7 inch devices that run phone app binaries by stretching the UI. I mean, I saw an $80 "tablet" at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. It'll let you view pictures, go on the web, etc.

Apple isn't trying to target that market.
Click to expand...

Does that experience include Flash? I guess not. My wife could not use a tablet without it. BTW, none of the apps she uses are stretched UI phone app binaries. I do remember back in the early days of the iPad how many apps had the 2X button on the corner. Nothing special about Apple's product here.
 
leukotriene said:
If you're the kind of person who wants the best tablet app experience, then an iPad mini cannot be matched by the Nexus 7, the Fire, Playbook, etc.

If you don't care, then sure there are a plethora of cheap 7 inch devices that run phone app binaries by stretching the UI. I mean, I saw an $80 "tablet" at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. It'll let you view pictures, go on the web, etc.

Apple isn't trying to target that market.
Click to expand...

If you wanted the best tablet experience then you'd buy a one that supported flash
 
mtj111 said:
Yep, I had one for a week and that's what most of the apps I used did. No point in having a 7"+ screen if the real-estate isn't going to used effectively.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Now compare with this screenshot of the iPad version:

http://a1649.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/071/Purple/v4/77/5b/8a/775b8ac0-5e29-1f45-a845-3b632d930a39/mzl.maenwudq.480x480-75.jpg

No comparison, the iPad version is superior in every way.

I'm not sure why the above poster calls this "fanboy rubbish". I would love for the Fire and Nexus 7 to get more of these kinds of apps, but it's straight up dishonest to act like the software running on these tablets is comparable in any way to the iPad.

----------
flopticalcube said:
Does that experience include Flash? I guess not. My wife could not use a tablet without it. BTW, none of the apps she uses are stretched UI phone app binaries. I do remember back in the early days of the iPad how many apps had the 2X button on the corner. Nothing special about Apple's product here.
Click to expand...

Right, and how long was it until the App Store was flooded with proper tablet apps? Very quickly. Yet how long has Honeycomb been out and yet Android still has a paucity of true tablet apps?
 
I have an ipad but if i was to get a new one i would find it hard to justify £400 when the nexus 7 does a just as good (if not better) job at doing things and its half the price (or arround £100 less than an ipad mini)! I have tryed the nexus 7 and its the first andriod where i enjoyed using it, the ui is fluid and the screen size is perfect! Just over a year ago when i got the ipad 2 there were no good androids so the decision was easy!
 
Not true at all. Also android handles apps that don't have tablet ui's better than iphone anyways. It doesn't just pixel double them. Not to mention many apps already do have tablet versions.
 
leukotriene said:
I don't understand people saying "at $329, forget it, I can just get a tablet for $200 from Amazon/Google".

You're missing the most important part of the iPad mini: it's running tablet apps and not just blown up phone apps.

Seriously, at $330 the mini will be the cheapest "true" tablet on the market. The Nexus 7 is just a 7 inch android phone without the phone part.
Click to expand...

<cringe> maybe you should use the other tablets before you bash them...
 
I just sold my retina iPad and I'm looking to get a Nexus 7, but I totally agree about the apps being better on iOS. 3rd party apps are generally better on iOS. It's not a rule or a law, but it's close enough. A lot of the apps that work on the Android tablets are still just blown up phone apps. They won't be forever, but that's the way it is. Not all of them, but some of them.

But my needs for a tablet have changed, and I don't need one that does everything anymore. I just need an e-reader really. But when you look at the costs of Kindles, and the fact that I can read my RSS feeds and watch the odd clip on the Nexus 7, it makes perfect sense for me. I think a smaller iPad will kick ass, and it WILL have better 3rd party apps (the Google apps are actually really good now on Jelly Bean). But unless the iPad Mini is the exact same price as the Nexus 7, it makes no sense for me. I now have really portable laptop I take everywhere for productivity. Now I just want a smaller device I can use in bed, and read on sometimes.
 
No way would I invest over $350 for ipad mini & accessories solely because of more tablet friendly apps. I can count on two hands the amount of apps I use on a daily basis. I can count on one hand the amount that I look at for longer than a minute at a time.
 
leukotriene said:
Post screenshots. Tell me that theyre not just blown up phone apps. The number of actual tablet apps made for Android is in the low 100s.
Click to expand...

Mmkay. While I don't use many apps, these ones are all made for tablets. Excusing the Google Finance screenshot. In the lower right hand corner you can see the phone mode indicator. It looks like 4 arrows pointing out from each other.

http://s1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/mwah4829/AndroidTabletApps
 
Last edited:
Orange Furball said:
Mmkay. While I don't use many apps, these ones are all made for tablets. Excusing the Google Finance screenshot. In the lower right hand corner you can see the phone mode indicator. It looks like 4 arrows pointing out from each other.

http://s1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/mwah4829/AndroidTabletApps
Click to expand...

You're making my point for me! Look at the eBay app! It's a stretched out phone app.

Now look at ebay for iPad:

http://www.iclarified.com/images/news/23839/88912/88912.jpg

Night. And. Day. If you think the Android "tablet" version of eBay is good enough then you have some pretty low set expectations for apps.

Also, I'm noticing a trend here in all the people who are disagreeing with me. All of you are mentioning that you don't use third party apps that much, and that they're not a big deal. That might be true for you, but A LOT of iPad owners use the hell out of App Store apps! It is a REALLY BIG DEAL in the tablet market in case you haven't noticed. I'm a physician and a hobbyist musician. Where is something like GarageBand for the Nexus 7? What about all the anatomy and medical reference tablet apps?

You might rebut and say that I just have special requirements, but dude A LOT of people have their own special requirements for specialized, well designed tablet apps. Apps may not be important to you, but most people who buy iPads load it to the hilt with apps.

Here's the point I'm trying to make: you say "we'll look eBay runs just fine on my Nexus 7" but that's only because you have low standards for what kind of software should be running on your tablet. It is the phone version stretched out. And bringing up the fact that eBay for Nexus 7 looks better than the iPhone version of eBay pixel-doubled on the iPad is irrelevant; no one would USE the iPhone app on the iPad because a tablet version actually exists.
 
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