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Anything but the iPad

A

amazonpam

macrumors member
Original poster
For the second time this week I was told that a friend's daughter doesn't want an iPad but some other tablet. Both are 13 and one wanted an ipad as late as Thanksgiving. Neither kid had a particular tablet in mind which is how I heard about it. Their parents wanted to know what I'd recommend. I'm somewhat stunned that they don't want iPads but promised to do some quick research this weekend,

Any ideas?
 
amazonpam said:
For the second time this week I was told that a friend's daughter doesn't want an iPad but some other tablet. Both are 13 and one wanted an ipad as late as Thanksgiving. Neither kid had a particular tablet in mind which is how I heard about it. Their parents wanted to know what I'd recommend. I'm somewhat stunned that they don't want iPads but promised to do some quick research this weekend,

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I am serious when I say: nothing else compares. Especially for young children.
Take them to an Apple Store, and let them play.

Otherwise, this sounds more like parents looking for a cheaper alternative than kids opting for an Android.
 
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there are a lot of fabulous tablets out there, in various sizes, with various features. some are undoubtedly superior to the ipad in terms of hardware. so, the question is: what is it that they don't like about the ipad? if it is size, you'd better find out!

if i were into android, i'd get an asus, no doubt. but, you'll have honeycomb and a sometimes crappy app environment, depending on what they want to do.
 
Nothing touches the iPad experience. I see people purchase Android tablets every day and they always come back and exchange for an iPad. Just have them play with an iPad. It will sell itself.
 
The first rule of marketing to teenagers is that a product's kiss of death is popularity among their parents. I wouldn't be surprised to see that the overwhelming popularity of the iPad tends to undermine its appeal among some in the particular market segment cited by the OP.
 
amazonpam said:
For the second time this week I was told that a friend's daughter doesn't want an iPad but some other tablet. Both are 13 and one wanted an ipad as late as Thanksgiving. Neither kid had a particular tablet in mind which is how I heard about it. Their parents wanted to know what I'd recommend. I'm somewhat stunned that they don't want iPads but promised to do some quick research this weekend,

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Although an iPad is nice, it would be a very expensive mistake to make. If it's been clearly stated they don't want iPads as you've said, then I wouldn't waste the money.

There are less expensive alternatives that may satisfy them just fine. I'd browse Amazon, then use Google for reviews. Chances are the savings will be substantial.

Check out the new Kindle Fire. I have one as well as an iPad. The Fire is a great bargain, a good alternative, & my wife prefers it to the iPad.
 
I do have to agree with others here, the kids are likely to be disappointed in anything but the iPad.

I can see the kindle fire if it'll be used as an e-reader but if they want a full tablet experience an iPad is the way to go hands down.

Perhaps their parents can lure them to Best Buy to take a look. The one near me has a great tablet display and its a small one. Lots of different tablets to try out.
 
MisterMe said:
Name one.
Click to expand...

i already did.

the asus transformer prime is lighter, has longer battery life, has a better camera, has a better processor, and has more ram. did i miss anything? it is undoubtedly a better piece of hardware, at least on paper. if i were into android, this is what i'd get.

i think you would have to work pretty hard to delude yourself into thinking apple's specs are somehow superior. of course, the product cycles are different, and this leapfrogging was to be expected.
 
Enjoy your specs. I'll enjoy the thousands and thousands of apps I can run on my iPad that you'll never see.

I'm also fairly certain that kids don't care about RAM or the processor - they want to be able to fingerpaint and play Angry Birds.
 
Those who choose not to go the iPad route need to keep their receipts and familiarize themselves with the retailer's return policy.
 
palpatine said:
i already did.

the asus transformer prime is lighter, has longer battery life, has a better camera, has a better processor, and has more ram. did i miss anything? it is undoubtedly a better piece of hardware, at least on paper. if i were into android, this is what i'd get.

i think you would have to work pretty hard to delude yourself into thinking apple's specs are somehow superior. of course, the product cycles are different, and this leapfrogging was to be expected.
Click to expand...

Woo there pardner. Let's not get carried away on saying specs are this and that without being completely accurate. The Prime has a better battery life IF you add the optional $160 dock. It's lighter weight by 15 grams! And the only reason for that is because of a smaller battery and cheaper build material on the Prime. If you can tell the difference of 15 grams, then you should be working at NASA's jet propulsion labs testing weights.

Better processor on the Prime. Nope. It's quad core, but not better, especially using Honeycomb. In fact, it's pointless to have a quad core cpu with Honeycomb. Better gpu on the prime? Nope.

It does have twice the RAM and better camera's. It does have a good UI overlay. I do think it is one of the best, if not the best Android based tablet out there, but because it is using Android, it is not superior, regardless of the hardware. Will it get ICS? Possibly. Sometime in the future. Date: unknown. Will it help with sales? Unlikely.

----------
Alaerian said:
Enjoy your specs. I'll enjoy the thousands and thousands of apps I can run on my iPad that you'll never see.

I'm also fairly certain that kids don't care about RAM or the processor - they want to be able to fingerpaint and play Angry Birds.
Click to expand...

Yes, the iPad has something like a hundred thousand apps specific for the iPad, but it isn't the number that really matters.

What matters is that if you have a hobby, passion, medical need, professional need, etc... There is an app (and likely a very good one) specifically to fit your need. And it will work extremely well with the iPad, as it was designed for both the hardware and software.
 
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Hardware means nothing if the software is unstable and no apps.

I see Android become extremely buggy and sluggish way too fast.
 
amazonpam said:
For the second time this week I was told that a friend's daughter doesn't want an iPad but some other tablet. Both are 13 and one wanted an ipad as late as Thanksgiving. Neither kid had a particular tablet in mind which is how I heard about it. Their parents wanted to know what I'd recommend. I'm somewhat stunned that they don't want iPads but promised to do some quick research this weekend,

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

You can still do some research and conclude that the iPad is really the better choice. Seriously, it's the software that makes it so great. Even my housemate's nephew (he's 4) loves my one, it's a lot more fun because there are so many applications and the quality is fantastic - of course you know this. I've tried a few Android tablets, mainly the galaxy tab 10.1 and they don't come close, in my opinion. Maybe the Kindle Fire would suffice, and it's a fair price, but if you'll be paying iPad price then there's no point in getting anything else.
 
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LOL. To those of you responding to my posts with bizarre defenses / attacks. take off the Steve colored glasses 🙂

First of all, this is a thread for something other than the iPad. Telling the OP to get an iPad isn't terribly helpful. If possible, I'd say he ought to buy iPads or wait for the iPad 3, but that is not an option.

More importantly, the iPad (nearly a year old now!) is outdated and has been surpassed by the competition in terms of hardware. How can you even argue otherwise? I am astounded. It is inferior on nearly every spec. Sometimes, like with the camera, laughably so.

The Asus does have a better battery without the dock (12 hours). Look it up. It is lighter, even if you cannot tell. It does have a better processor. Are you really going to argue that a brand new four (actually five) core processor is inferior to the a5 from last year? Lol.

I have repeatedly said I am only talking about hardware. I am keenly aware of the app and os issues. But, if the op cannot get the kids an iPad, then iOS and the apple app store is no longer an option. The Asus is clearly superior to everything else out there today, so that would be my recommendation.

I am aware that there is more to the iPad than specs. Again, this is about something other than the iPad, and in the android world, specs matter.
 
I disagree that it is "outdated", but to keep on topic, everyone seems to love the Kindle Fire although the ugly part is this (which they don't seem to mind): and I quote,

"The bad: The budget price means no premium features (3G wireless, cameras, microphone, GPS, and location services are absent), but the biggest issues are its paltry storage (only 8GB of storage--with no expansion slot), lack of Bluetooth, and dearth of parental controls."

You should find out exactly what it is the girls want the tablet to do and then you could find the perfect one.

I agree with Palpatine, the Asus is quite nice.
 
I say get the two cheapest tablets you can get then.

They don't seem to care much for user experience, so perhaps let them be beta testers for RIM with the PlayBook or give them what can only be considered a relic by now, the HP TouchPad on a firesale. Or you can play the 'superior hardware'-game and give them Asus Transformers, which is still held back by the wonders of Android what-ever-cake-or-dessert-is-currently-passed-along.

The less is more memo people seem to pass around when talking about the Amazon Kindle Fire is, well ... I'll leave that up for interpretation.

But it is always good advice to ask them what they need it for and then base your decision on that.
 
The Asus transformer prime is probably the best non iPad tablet, but the iPad 2 is far superior! You can keep your hardware pissing contest, the iPad has a far, far better user experience and thats whats important.
 
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The tablets are for Christmas. The interest in iPad alternatives appeared after thanksgiving.

Not knowing why the kids don't want the iPad, you can't really say much. The fire is a safe bet. I like it well enough, but personally have no interest at all in the smaller form factor. You just haven't been given enough information.
 
palpatine said:
i already did.

the asus transformer prime is lighter, has longer battery life, has a better camera, has a better processor, and has more ram. did i miss anything? it is undoubtedly a better piece of hardware, at least on paper. if i were into android, this is what i'd get.

i think you would have to work pretty hard to delude yourself into thinking apple's specs are somehow superior. of course, the product cycles are different, and this leapfrogging was to be expected.
Click to expand...

Yet it's the same as most of the Android tablets. Good hardware let down by the software.
 
You are at the wrong place to ask this, haha. This is an Apple forum so you can expect answers like "hey, but wait, the iPad 2 is the best!"

I suppose I than would go for a Samsung Galaxy Tab or Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (announced in november).

I have no real experience with the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire only appears to be popular in the US, because literally no one in Europe knows what a Kindle Fire is (except for those really interested in gadgets).

A lot of people seem happy with the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the recently-announced Transformer Prime already has really positive user-experiences.
 
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