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Are Android tablets dead??

  • Yes!

    Votes: 36 50.0%
  • No!

    Votes: 36 50.0%

  • Total voters
    72

ShaunAFC3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 28, 2016
171
49
Obviously the iPad definitely has a very bright future ahead because due to it's Apple's ecosystem and the lots of tablet apps that is made for the iPad in the App Store and lastly the huge potential of replacing laptops and desktop in the far future!

But on the other hand it is a completely different story quite opposite actually for Android tablets because:

1. Lack of tablets apps in the Play Store so most of the apps that you run on your Android tablets are blown up phone apps and it is so much worse when it is displayed especially on a big screen Android tablet.

2. The lack of support from manufacturers(Samsung, LG, Asus, etc).

3. Manufacturers are putting more focus on making Windows hybrid/2 in 1 tablets then making Android tablets.

4. Android tablets that being used are 100 pounds sub cheap and underpowered that is only used for watching videos or a mini TV(mainly in poor countries) and are perfect for young kids.

5. Unfortunately the current trend Flagship Android tablets are usually 1 generation behind in hardware to there flagship smartphone except for Google with the Pixel C which I think it should definitely be the other way round so hopefully this trend will reverse it self for very obvious reasons.

6. There is no high end Android tablets that got announced yet so far this year 2016 unfortunately.


So which makes you think are Android tablets dead?? Do they even have a future?? Particularly a bright future??....

I know with Android N will have split screen multitasking just like IOS 9 and Windows for tablets but I really don't think it will make much of a impact for Android tablets in general unfortunately....

I think all Google need to do is to push developers to make more tablets apps for Android tablets and Apple have done it for the iPad so why can't Google do the exactly the same??

Unless Google does something about Android tablets and pushing developers to make lots more tablet apps/games for Android tablets if they don't do something about it then I'm' afraid it is bye bye Android tablets personally I think Android tablets are dead and we will see and have only the fantastic iPad and Windows hybrid/2 in 1 tablets in the tablet market which I think iPad definitely has a very bright future and the same goes for Windows hybrids/2 in 1 tablets and and we will see Android only on smartwatches, and smartphones and phablets.



So what do you think tech lovers?? Are Android tablets dead?? What is the future of Android tablets?? Should Google push developers to make lots more tablet apps in the Play store for Android tablets??

I have owned quite a few Android tablets the Nexus 7 2013, Nexus 9, Sony Xperia Z4 tablet and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 they all was great and definitely high end but not as competitive compared to the iPad and ever since I got my iPad Air 2 back in December all my Android tablets are now collecting dust in my basement, the iPad is definitely so much more better then Android tablets in every single way, I enjoy using iPad so much more then my Android tablets especially mainly due to the big buckets loads of apps/games that are designed for the iPad and other awesome things about the iPad and i definitely have no intention of getting another Android tablet again in the future, getting a iPad over a high end Android tablet or Windows hybrid/2 in 1 tablet is 100% definitely the way to go if you want the very(I mean VERY) best tablet experience!! :)
 
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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,394
5,257
Google kind of confuses me. They put out their Chrome OS on laptops, yet still release Android tablets. It just seems that they are better off consolidating and concentrating on one OS, although some rumors say they are indeed trying to do this. Android on a tablet is pretty bad though, but at least you can shoehorn it into "PC" like functionality. iOS on the other hand can't even be made like a PC in many ways, mostly due to no mouse support.

I don't know if Android tablets are dead. I hope Windows starts to eat some of that market as I prefer the functionality it offers over Android, especially once continuum gains traction.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
I think as they currently exist, Android tablets are dying a slow death. Android N could do an awful lot to improve the experience with the addition of multi-window, would make using a blown up phone app more viable simply because of the smaller display space. That being said, if I understand how it works correctly, it still requires some developer actions in their apps to make it an optimal experience, and to date, that's been the most prominent problem with the Android tablet experience.

I think we see such little investment in the Android tablet experience from Google because ultimately, I believe they're working on a unified tablet/laptop OS experience, likely a new version of Chrome OS--purely just a speculative guess on my part. One of my hang ups with using Android for my phone is because I find both the tablet and Chrome OS laptop experience lacking and I love the tight integration I have across all of my Apple gear, limited as it may be in certain areas. Having something similar from Google would be a huge step forward IMO.
 
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lparsons21

macrumors 6502
Jun 3, 2014
451
208
Southern Illinois
The unified OS at Google is a little confusing, with many mixed messages coming from them. Personally I thing they thought that developers would create more table oriented apps, but it just didn't happen. I think the problem lies in the fact that too many fingers (mfgs) are in the pie. Each with their own ideas of how to implement Android. Which then leads to the mess in the phones with varying versions of Android, even on some newer phones.

In tablets you have 3 versions of how things are done. You've got Google with their Nexus brand using a nearly pristine Android, you have Amazon with their Fire line that is running a nearly Android experience, and then you have all the others. Very unlike the Apple approach. IMO, even MS is doing better in the ecosystem possibilities than is Android.

I recently made a run with Google's Project Fi and a Nexus 5X. Project Fi is a phone plan with great possibilities, but is pretty much locked in for one of 3 models of Nexus phones but can also add other cell devices with data sims that share in the data. Great idea! While the Nexus phone was fine, I missed that tight integration that Apple brings to the table that really just isn't available with anything else. And to be fair, since Google is more open about hardware, I doubt they'll ever be able to tighten up the ecosystem.
 

ozaz

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2011
1,575
513
I think all Google need to do is to push developers to make more tablets apps for Android tablets and Apple have done it for the iPad so why can't Google do the exactly the same??

I agree it would be better if Google Play store had separete listings for tablet-optimised and phone apps. This is something I like about the iOS app store and is a reason I don't use Android tablets.
 
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lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,439
6,735
Germany
I really don't think much about tablets because I can't figure out a good use for one. I think right now the only tablet I'd buy is that new Ubuntu tablet or the Pixel C because they're mildly interesting.
 
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LovingTeddy

Suspended
Oct 12, 2015
1,848
2,153
Canada
I think tablet as whole is in slow but surely death. As our phone gets bigger and laptop become thinner, there is less need for tablet.

The declining in tablet sale really tells you that people aren't using tablet that much.

I would say that tablet like iPad Air or iPad Mino has no future, but hybrid tablet like Surface or iPad Pro would be the future of tablet. And tablet will start adopting desktop OS or adopting certain aspects of desktop OS... Pure tablet with mobile OS wold be very niche.
 

Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
Obviously the iPad definitely has a very bright future ahead because due to it's Apple's ecosystem and the lots of tablet apps that is made for the iPad in the App Store and lastly the huge potential of replacing laptops and desktop in the far future!

But on the other hand it is a completely different story quite opposite actually for Android tablets because:

Might want to read up on iPad sales before extolling their "bright future". https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/17/ipad-sales-predicted-lowest-since-2011/

As for Android tablets, there is only one tablet worth getting IMO and that is the Samsung Tab S2. Better than the iPad in every way.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
15,833
18,376
US
I think tablet as whole is in slow but surely death. As our phone gets bigger and laptop become thinner, there is less need for tablet.

The declining in tablet sale really tells you that people aren't using tablet that much.

I would say that tablet like iPad Air or iPad Mino has no future, but hybrid tablet like Surface or iPad Pro would be the future of tablet. And tablet will start adopting desktop OS or adopting certain aspects of desktop OS... Pure tablet with mobile OS wold be very niche.
yep...what he said makes sense!
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
Tablets are going to be permanent fixture in our computing experience for a long time.

My daughter has a Kindle HD. My son has Galaxy Tab. Both recent acquisitions and on Android. The platform will be with us a bit.
 
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Ulenspiegel

macrumors 68040
Nov 8, 2014
3,212
2,486
Land of Flanders and Elsewhere
I loved my Android Tabled (SGT), but as it did not get any updates, slowly but surely it became a brick.
My iPad is taken (for good) by my younger son, so another fail.
I guess, I will stick with my beloved MacBook Air for awhile.
 

Hastings101

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2010
2,339
1,460
K
I voted no, because I think they'll be around for some years to come.. just not all that popular. I honestly think they should be dead. ChromeOS could easily take the place of Android, and it'd provide a way more robust OS than what is currently offered for Tablets while still being all "mobile friendly".

Apple is making tiny bits of progress towards making a more appropriate, productive UI on tablets, but I don't see why Google needs to bother to do the same to Android when they've already got something. Weren't there rumors of Android and ChromeOS combining anyway?
 
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GadgetSN

macrumors 6502
Sep 7, 2014
376
121
There are no metal Android tablet. All cheap plastic. That is my biggest gripe with Android tablets and the sole reason I haven't bought that many. They all feel cheap.

Even new laptops are now only metal.

However, there is nothing wrong with the OS. Perfectly fine. I have a Z4 tablet and did also own a Samsung S2 Tab for the Amoled screen but gave it away as the plastic and design bugged me too much. Samsung claimed the S2 was the thinnest tablet on the market. I didn't bother to measure but on feel alone it felt twice as thick as the Z4 tablet. Couldn't work out why but probably due to the cheap feeling plastic Samsung uses. Samsung needs to adopt the S6/S7 design approach to their tablets.
 
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Klyster

macrumors 68020
Dec 7, 2013
2,231
2,641
My Tab s 10.5 screen makes every other tablet I've considered look terrible.
I only really use it for watching video so the plastic doesn't bother me as I don't hold it. But name a better screen on a tablet.
 

MadeTheSwitch

macrumors 65816
Apr 20, 2009
1,193
15,781
Before Google could get others to support tablets more, they would have to support them more themselves! They drag their feet a lot on apps optimized for a tablet's display. I don't know why either. Just build all apps that way from the start.

Google really is a perplexing and very disjointed company sometime.
 

Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
There are no metal Android tablet. All cheap plastic. That is my biggest gripe with Android tablets and the sole reason I haven't bought that many. They all feel cheap.

Even new laptops are now only metal.

However, there is nothing wrong with the OS. Perfectly fine. I have a Z4 tablet and did also own a Samsung S2 Tab for the Amoled screen but gave it away as the plastic and design bugged me too much. Samsung claimed the S2 was the thinnest tablet on the market. I didn't bother to measure but on feel alone it felt twice as thick as the Z4 tablet. Couldn't work out why but probably due to the cheap feeling plastic Samsung uses. Samsung needs to adopt the S6/S7 design approach to their tablets.
The irony of this post is, I bet you put a "cheap" plastic case on your phones and tablets like the majority of people do.
 
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sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,287
13,020
where hip is spoken
In my opinion and experience, Android tablets are dying a faster death than iPads are.

There are variety of contributing factors but I think that the bulk of the blame rests on Google and Samsung.
 
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admob71

Suspended
Feb 13, 2014
903
538
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.
In my opinion and experience, Android tablets are dying a faster death than iPads are.

There are variety of contributing factors but I think that the bulk of the blame rests on Google and Samsung.
Why would.that be when the best tablet you can get is made by Samsung, and is on a par.with an ipad at the same price point.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,287
13,020
where hip is spoken
Why would.that be when the best tablet you can get is made by Samsung, and is on a par.with an ipad at the same price point.
"best" is in the eye of the beholder. I've owned enough Android tablets, and Samsung tablets in particular, to base my opinion on.

For some people "hardware specs" are the primary indicator of "best". I can understand that. I'm not one of those people.

Samsung has done more damage to Android tablets than they've done good. Two words: TouchWiz. Bloatware.
 

admob71

Suspended
Feb 13, 2014
903
538
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.
"best" is in the eye of the beholder. I've owned enough Android tablets, and Samsung tablets in particular, to base my opinion on.

For some people "hardware specs" are the primary indicator of "best". I can understand that. I'm not one of those people.

Samsung has done more damage to Android tablets than they've done good. Two words: TouchWiz. Bloatware.
Don't give me the nexus is pure rubbish, my 7 became a coaster once I put MM on it. And I'm Guessing you haven't had a Sammy tab for a while , the tab S and S2 are chalk and cheese to the earlier tab 4 etc. Same as the s6 and S7 are miles better than the s5. TW is incredibly light and fluid these days. If anyone says differently they are just plain wrong and have some hidden agenda.
 
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GadgetSN

macrumors 6502
Sep 7, 2014
376
121
The irony of this post is, I bet you put a "cheap" plastic case on your phones and tablets like the majority of people do.

No I detest cases. If I drop my phone and scratch it badly I will buy a new phone. I also don't use screen protectors.
[doublepost=1460756370][/doublepost]
Why would.that be when the best tablet you can get is made by Samsung, and is on a par.with an ipad at the same price point.

Dont make me laugh. Samsung are the worst producers of tablets by a margin. Their Tab S2 is the only one in their history that is passable. Everything else has been utter garbage.
[doublepost=1460756546][/doublepost]
Don't give me the nexus is pure rubbish, my 7 became a coaster once I put MM on it. And I'm Guessing you haven't had a Sammy tab for a while , the tab S and S2 are chalk and cheese to the earlier tab 4 etc. Same as the s6 and S7 are miles better than the s5. TW is incredibly light and fluid these days. If anyone says differently they are just plain wrong and have some hidden agenda.
Don't give me the nexus is pure rubbish, my 7 became a coaster once I put MM on it. And I'm Guessing you haven't had a Sammy tab for a while , the tab S and S2 are chalk and cheese to the earlier tab 4 etc. Same as the s6 and S7 are miles better than the s5. TW is incredibly light and fluid these days. If anyone says differently they are just plain wrong and have some hidden agenda.

The Tab S was a laggy mess with terrible battery life and the cheapest plastic design seen in an apparent flagship tablet. Yesit has a nice screen but has no power to process it without lagging.
 
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