I'm genuinely curious. What hardware features are you after that the iPad doesn't offer?
I find Google+, Google Drive, and Dropbox to be much better solutions than iCloud. I don't like "syncing" and don't consider iCloud to be a true cloud - it's a mess IMO.
Google+ provides a real cloud both backup and accessibility from any device, browser, and platform. Dropbox provides file syncing better any device and platform.
i saw the nexus 7 at best buy almost a year ago and one look was enough to make me not want to buy it
what do the android tablets have the ipad doesn't?
I am not abandoning Apple by any means, I love their software 1st, their hardware (Sadly recently) 2nd. Just as my need for a PC sitting next to my PowerPC G4, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro, I sometimes need to use a different tool for a given job. I would also not be the 1st Moderator to have both iOS and Android, many of them dabble in both worlds, like many tech fans tend to do.
As far as a Tablet, The rear facing, mono, speaker on the iPad kills me. I often use my tablet to show clients finished videos, and I enjoy having a tablet for casual video / youtube browsing online, or within my library. Having to pull my iPad out of a case, to hear it properly just kills me. The front speakers on HTC, nVidia and similar products are leaps and bounds better.
I also use SD cards in many of my camera equipment, and I often need to review footage quickly, do a quick edit for Instagram / YouTube when I am covering an event for a big client. While the cameras I use do support WIFI file sharing, it is abysmally slow when working with HD files, and the transfer process sucks down valuable battery life on the cameras, and the tablets I use.
Since my GoPro, and other action cameras have had no issues with Micro SD cards for years now, I have now (call me crazy) switched to Micro SD cards in my SLR cameras too. Having a Tablet that will support this will be huge for doing quick edits, and posts while I am on the road.
I am fully aware that an adapter exists for our devices, however I also fully admit that in the heat of the moment (I often leave for a shoot at a moments notice) I am a complete Space Case! For the same reasons I forget Thunderbolt connectors for my MacBook Pro, I will also forget the lightning SD card reader for my tablet. Apple, You gave us SD readers in our Mini, and MacBook models, why not sacrifice a tiny bit of Thin for the convenience of having it in an iPad!!??
There are also a few Android Applications that I would like to try that some colleagues in the field are running. And lastly, one of the models (the nVidia Shield) is tempting me, as I can stream my PC games anyplace in my house so I can have a little more than 'casual' gaming while I am away from my gaming tower. The last thing isn't productivity related, but hey a tablet has to make a great toy too right?
In the end, I am not 100% sure what I will do, it's a tough call either way. Hopefully I can have both down the road, just need to get some other work done first and earn some more toy funds!