Are iPads the best experience?

[akimoriRyuuji]

No, serious question. I have never owned an Apple product before just a year ago when I purchased a Macbook. I have a Microsoft Surface RT, but not only were the apps pitiful, the hardware was rather bad too :/

I have decided I want to purchase an iPad, and I am planning on purchasing the iPad Mini 2.
But as the time approaches, I am starting to have some doubts because I never really even considered the competition: Android!

I have started taking a second look at the numerous Android tablets I simply disregarded before. I am not particularly attached to a platform, though I'm sure the best experience would come from the integration my iPad and Macbook would have.

Beyond that, I have to wonder, is it really that great to own an iPad? Who here has owned an Android-powered device and switched to Apple, or perhaps has an Android-device they preferred OVER their iPad?

 

[silverblack]

Please google "android vs iOS", and you could literately find hours-worth of information out there.

 

[akimoriRyuuji]

Please google "android vs iOS", and you could literately find hours-worth of information out there.

Lol ok, will do. I was more interested in the experience of switching platforms, not just fanboys talking about their favorite OS.
EDIT: Oh, and I'm also interested in the hardware part. Is it worth it to pay for an Apple tablet which is potentially $100's of dollars more than a competitor.

 

[cynics]

I've owned and used both. And both have their pros and cons. But in my experience I feel the iPad still remains the best tablet.

I much prefer the aspect ratio when it comes to everything other then video. Really 16:9/10 only works well with a large screen (larger then an iPad) or if all you really plan on doing is watching videos.

Android has made leaps and bounds with more tablet apps but in my opinion iOS iPad apps still have a higher level of polish and of course there is still more of them.

In my experience I feel web devs spend a little extra time make a website better compatible for the iPad user agent.

An iPad compliments an Apple ecosystem. Even more so when you have an iPhone. I plug my iPhone into my iMac in my office when I get home from work then use my iPad at night to text (sms and iMessage), take phone calls, go through my pics, continue browsing websites etc etc. You can also use an iPad for a second display for your Macbook with 3rd party apps (Duet Display works pretty well).

There are plenty of reason someone would prefer an Android tablet as well. Just doesn't work as well for me anymore.

 

[sparksd]

I recently bought an Air 2 after years of using Android devices - I currently have a 2012 & 2013 Nexus 7, an Asus TF700T, a Galaxy Note 4 phone, and even an old Motorola Xoom. Both sides have their pros and cons - Android has an open file system that is easy to work with, the displays are readily modifiable with a variety of launchers available, the adventurous can root and work with a myriad of custom ROMs (I do), many have expandable memory with SD cards, and the Google app store can closely rival the Apple App Store. My 128GB is rock solid - no stability issues that I see on occasion with Android, performance is outstanding, truer multi-tasking (available on Android) is coming with iOS 9, battery life is excellent, and the Apple app store is still better (to a degree) than Android's. We gave my 95 year-old Mom an iPad to use and she didn't have a problem; I don't think I would have given her an Android device as they can get finicky. Can't say that I like the sandbox file system yet, though; got so used to Android's flexibility. I don't think you can go wrong with either but for dependability I would lean to Apple. I really like my Air 2 but I still use my Note 4 daily and pick up the Nexus 7 at times.

 

[David58117]

I think many of us have come from Android - I certainly have.

If you're looking for a tablet experience, the form factor and App Store of the iPad wins (at least for me it did). I think the Air 2 is one of the best tablets I've owned.

But - I really love my Surface Pro 3 as well. I sold my MacBooks after they gathered dust once I bought it. The RT you have is the gimped version that should never have been released.

True there are less apps - but the surface doesn't rely on apps like the iPad/android does (only your RT version does).

Maybe look at the Surface 3 (non pro version, if you want a tablet experience). Especially if you're a student or musician or need to take notes for any reason.

 

[Tsepz]

No, serious question. I have never owned an Apple product before just a year ago when I purchased a Macbook. I have a Microsoft Surface RT, but not only were the apps pitiful, the hardware was rather bad too :/

I have decided I want to purchase an iPad, and I am planning on purchasing the iPad Mini 2.
But as the time approaches, I am starting to have some doubts because I never really even considered the competition: Android!

I have started taking a second look at the numerous Android tablets I simply disregarded before. I am not particularly attached to a platform, though I'm sure the best experience would come from the integration my iPad and Macbook would have.

Beyond that, I have to wonder, is it really that great to own an iPad? Who here has owned an Android-powered device and switched to Apple, or perhaps has an Android-device they preferred OVER their iPad?

I have owned both iPad and a Galaxy Tab.

In my overall experience Apple still make what is the best tablet around. I have had my iPad 4 since late 2012 just after launch and to this day it is getting updates, can pretty much any iOS app and game I throw at it and developers seem to favour iOS greatly when it comes to tablets.

 

[mrex]

what are you going to do with the tablet?

i have air2 and old Note (2012) nowadays and i still prefer my Note just because i can do much more with it than i can do with my air2. mostly im just browsing, reading forums with air2. sketching, drawing and note taking is a pain in an ass with air2. bt keyboard, mouse, stylus and multiwindows in Note are must have features for me. Paper and pencil53 are great on air2 however, i like the p53 and the app alot.

ios9 brings multitasking to ios (finally!). it was something i already used on 2012 when making notes from articles or writing some code and testing it in the other window in Note. but unfortunately multitasking (windows) is only working with air2, so if you buy ipad mini or air, you wont get them.

what comes to apps, i wouldnt praise ios apps. i have same apps on my android and ios devices, basicly they are like two berries. but there are some differences though: 1. apps in ios tends to crash more often than their android version. 2. devs bill your more in ios than they do in android. for example: i have both ios and android versions of swype. in android i paid once and got them all, in ios i paid for the app but all themes are sold separately or bundled. 3. in android you have more options to share files. 4. 3rd party keyboards are not (yet) working perfectly in ios. 5. no mouse in ios.

ipad isnt a bad device thought. it lacks many features but some of them you maybe dont even use. it is all about what you are going to do with your tablet.

only mistake you can do it is to buy a cheap android tablet.

Edit. As i said, apps crashes often. (thank god the post was autosaved.)

 

[bufffilm]

i've had an iPad user since 2011 and I recently got a tab pro 8.4 to see how the other half lives.

I'm not too impressed with android from a tablet POV. I do a lot of comic reading on my tablet and though it is much easier to load comics on android, that's about the only plus I've found. I'm using ComiCat which is one of the best comic readers on android and right off the bat, there's a problem where for some reason the program is creating two folders instead of one every time it scans for new books.

I'm working with the tech support to figure out what's wrong but like I said, I'm not too wowed at the moment with Android. In contrast, I've always had a really good experience with iOS with very few crashing apps.

 

[Badrottie]

Lemme see...I have a LG G Pad tablet with Kit Kat 4.4.2 and I am still waiting for Lilopop 5.0 which came out last year or so... Is it worth to wait forever?
iPad Air I have right now got iOS 7 when I bought it and upgraded to 8.4 and will plan to 9.0 next Fall I plan to sell it. Is it worth it? Yes.
Android Kit Kat 4.4.2 is good but apps are awful! They crush lot I don't know why.
iOS 8.4 is not very bad and apps are AWESOME!

It is like 1980 Kia Sephia has so many problems
and 1980 AMC Gremlin is perfect!

 

[nj-morris]

what comes to apps, i wouldnt praise ios apps. i have same apps on my android and ios devices, basicly they are like two berries. but there are some differences though: 1. apps in ios tends to crash more often than their android version. 2. devs bill your more in ios than they do in android. for example: i have both ios and android versions of swype. in android i paid once and got them all, in ios i paid for the app but all themes are sold separately or bundled. 3. in android you have more options to share files. 4. 3rd party keyboards are not (yet) working perfectly in ios. 5. no mouse in ios.View attachment 567884

You really think that apps on Android tablets are better? I think I'll be one to argue. So let me see. Android has got a few more apps optimised for the tablet interface, but overall, it's seriously lacking. Some apps look pretty much the same on all Android devices. With the iPad I get a much better experience than the iPhone counterpart. 1, fair enough. 2, another example? Because in swype do you really need themes? And I agree, it is annoying when you get an app for free and there are limitations, but I highly doubt that doesn't happen on Android. 3, I have enough options, and is that really an app drawback? 4, I don't really know what you mean by that, but iOS 9 has made 3rd party keyboards more useful. 5, Mouse support on Android is crippled. Currently there is nothing you can do with a mouse that you can't do without it. It doesn't even make anything easier, except maybe when typing, but iOS 9 does have a good solution for that.

 

[RobAus]

iOS just works very well, always seems to be something wrong with the android. If you wanted some well priced tablets for a specific purpose the. I think they'd be a good option, but if you want to use it all the time, easily, then go for an iPad

 

[crjackson2134]

I have several of both. I personally find the iPad to have a better user experience (a pleasure to use). The Androids are less polished and kind of fiddley by comparison. Try the each out and buy what fits your taste. It's hard to go wrong with an iPad Air 2 though.

 

[mrex]

You really think that apps on Android tablets are better? I think I'll be one to argue. So let me see. Android has got a few more apps optimised for the tablet interface, but overall, it's seriously lacking.

did i say they are better on android? did i say they are better on ios? all i said that basicly they are like two berries. when you use apps in both platforms you hardly see any differences between them. but it is true that some apps (like dropbox?) are more optimize to use space better in ipad than android tablets.

sharing and downloading?
i think sharing is much easier in android. without a real file manager downloding files in ios is a pain in a ass. think about zip-files. there are, however, apps that you can download from appstore to make it easier and even possible (e.g. Documents (by readdle)). it is not app related, it is something that lacks in ios.

, I don't really know what you mean by that, but iOS 9 has made 3rd party keyboards more useful.

limitations, not working well.. and i dont know about ios9 because the current version is ios8.4. hopefully 3rd party keyboards are working much better in ios9, but now they arent.

Mouse support on Android is crippled. Currently there is nothing you can do with a mouse that you can't do without it.

what are you thinking about doing with a mouse then? crippled on which way?

I use 'ms wedge mouse' which works perfectly and it has also the touch sensitive part that makes it even easier to navigate. generally in android: i have no touch screen on my tv (using android apps on tv/android tvbox), but a tv is not a tablet. i said that just for showing that i can do more with a mouse in android than without it.(*)

It doesn't even make anything easier, except maybe when typing, but iOS 9 does have a good solution for that.

Does ios9 keyboard gestures work with other keyboards or is it only build inside apples own keyboard and not in the whole system level? if yes, it is useless then for people using 3rd party keyboards. Does it work in 3rd party apps or does it need developers to add support for it? Make those gestures easier to select / draw shapes (photoediting/text processing)?

i type much faster with a real keyboard (not only faster but it is also much ergonomic) and when using a real keyboard, my tablet is usually in a position when touching the screen is awkard. think about tapping a screen of a laptop. a mouse in an answer for that. how about making a selection, e.g. in photoediting, or making shapes (in text processing apps or powerpoint)? i preciate it that i can see what im selecting instead of my fingertip is hiding everything behind. using a fingertip is not very accurate. i cant see from where it start or to where it ends. it is "about there". a mouse is an answer again. (*)

but this is the way I use tablets. that is also the reason why i asked "what are you going to do with the tablet?"

in a real life, most of people use a tablet as a consumption device and they dont miss none of the above things i mentioned.

 

[mazz0]

what are you going to do with the tablet?

i have air2 and old Note (2012) nowadays and i still prefer my Note just because i can do much more with it than i can do with my air2. mostly im just browsing, reading forums with air2. sketching, drawing and note taking is a pain in an ass with air2. bt keyboard, mouse, stylus and multiwindows in Note are must have features for me. Paper and pencil53 are great on air2 however, i like the p53 and the app alot.

ios9 brings multitasking to ios (finally!). it was something i already used on 2012 when making notes from articles or writing some code and testing it in the other window in Note. but unfortunately multitasking (windows) is only working with air2, so if you buy ipad mini or air, you wont get them.

what comes to apps, i wouldnt praise ios apps. i have same apps on my android and ios devices, basicly they are like two berries. but there are some differences though: 1. apps in ios tends to crash more often than their android version. 2. devs bill your more in ios than they do in android. for example: i have both ios and android versions of swype. in android i paid once and got them all, in ios i paid for the app but all themes are sold separately or bundled. 3. in android you have more options to share files. 4. 3rd party keyboards are not (yet) working perfectly in ios. 5. no mouse in ios.

ipad isnt a bad device thought. it lacks many features but some of them you maybe dont even use. it is all about what you are going to do with your tablet.

only mistake you can do it is to buy a cheap android tablet.

Edit. As i said, apps crashes often. (thank god the post was autosaved.)
View attachment 567884

Blimey, what apps are you using? Crashes on my iPad and iPhone are practically non-existent except when I'm running OS betas.

 

[mrex]

well, i think most of the time people wont even relize that the app crashed in ios because it only goes back to the homescreen. some apps like tapatalk gives you a message when it crashed (not always though) when you launch it again. which apps? well, i can only tell which apps have crashed in couple of last few days:

 

[mazz0]

well, i think most of the time people wont even relize that the app crashed in ios because it only goes back to the homescreen. some apps like tapatalk gives you a message when it crashed (not always though) when you launch it again. which apps? well, i can only tell which apps have crashed in couple of last few days:
View attachment 568314

Nah, I was including crashes to the desktop (that's what I expect a crash in iOS to look like). Weird though, that's nothing like my experience. And you're on a stable release of iOS? And the hardware's not faulty?

Edit: Heh, homescreen, not desktop!

 

[throAU]

depends entirely what you plan to do with it.

 

[mrex]

Nah, I was including crashes to the desktop (that's what I expect a crash in iOS to look like). Weird though, that's nothing like my experience. And you're on a stable release of iOS? And the hardware's not faulty?

Edit: Heh, homescreen, not desktop!

yes stable as the latest official release is. i dont think there are any problems in hw either.

 

[David58117]

did i say they are better on android? did i say they are better on ios? all i said that basicly they are like two berries. when you use apps in both platforms you hardly see any differences between them. but it is true that some apps (like dropbox?) are more optimize to use space better in ipad than android tablets.

sharing and downloading?
i think sharing is much easier in android. without a real file manager downloding files in ios is a pain in a ass. think about zip-files. there are, however, apps that you can download from appstore to make it easier and even possible (e.g. Documents (by readdle)). it is not app related, it is something that lacks in ios.



limitations, not working well.. and i dont know about ios9 because the current version is ios8.4. hopefully 3rd party keyboards are working much better in ios9, but now they arent.



what are you thinking about doing with a mouse then? crippled on which way?

I use 'ms wedge mouse' which works perfectly and it has also the touch sensitive part that makes it even easier to navigate. generally in android: i have no touch screen on my tv (using android apps on tv/android tvbox), but a tv is not a tablet. i said that just for showing that i can do more with a mouse in android than without it.(*)



Does ios9 keyboard gestures work with other keyboards or is it only build inside apples own keyboard and not in the whole system level? if yes, it is useless then for people using 3rd party keyboards. Does it work in 3rd party apps or does it need developers to add support for it? Make those gestures easier to select / draw shapes (photoediting/text processing)?

i type much faster with a real keyboard (not only faster but it is also much ergonomic) and when using a real keyboard, my tablet is usually in a position when touching the screen is awkard. think about tapping a screen of a laptop. a mouse in an answer for that. how about making a selection, e.g. in photoediting, or making shapes (in text processing apps or powerpoint)? i preciate it that i can see what im selecting instead of my fingertip is hiding everything behind. using a fingertip is not very accurate. i cant see from where it start or to where it ends. it is "about there". a mouse is an answer again. (*)

but this is the way I use tablets. that is also the reason why i asked "what are you going to do with the tablet?"

in a real life, most of people use a tablet as a consumption device and they dont miss none of the above things i mentioned.

Your comment about 3rd party keyboards is funny, as the only time I needed to change keyboards was with my old Android tablet.

I strongly suspect the reason 3rd party keyboards aren't taking off like they are on Android, is because the stock iOS one is much, much better than stock android keyboards.

 

[mrex]

unfortunately stock ios keyboard has no swype function, no lower/upper case indicator, no symbols or numbers when pressing long... i have been swyping in android for years and it is much convient and faster way to write especially when you hold your device with the other hand. and especially when using a phone and its small keyboard.

They are almost identical, but the other has all basic characters and real lower/upper case indicator.

I strongly suspect the reason 3rd party keyboards aren't taking off like they are on Android, is because the stock iOS one is much, much better than stock android keyboards.

When 3rd party keyboards came for ios, they were catastrophe. They all had the same problem, they didnt work almost all. With the latest ios version they are much better but not perfect still. And it wasnt the app or devs fault, it was (is) restrictions made by apple.

 

[Closingracer]

Your comment about 3rd party keyboards is funny, as the only time I needed to change keyboards was with my old Android tablet.

I strongly suspect the reason 3rd party keyboards aren't taking off like they are on Android, is because the stock iOS one is much, much better than stock android keyboards.

Stock Android stock keyboard is at the very least on par with ios 9 keyboard.

 

[Closingracer]

No, serious question. I have never owned an Apple product before just a year ago when I purchased a Macbook. I have a Microsoft Surface RT, but not only were the apps pitiful, the hardware was rather bad too :/

I have decided I want to purchase an iPad, and I am planning on purchasing the iPad Mini 2.
But as the time approaches, I am starting to have some doubts because I never really even considered the competition: Android!

I have started taking a second look at the numerous Android tablets I simply disregarded before. I am not particularly attached to a platform, though I'm sure the best experience would come from the integration my iPad and Macbook would have.

Beyond that, I have to wonder, is it really that great to own an iPad? Who here has owned an Android-powered device and switched to Apple, or perhaps has an Android-device they preferred OVER their iPad?

I myself loved my Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 but the pitfalls was with Samsung's cpu and battery life. For me some apps wouldn't work well on the exynos cpu and battery life was poor. The screen I consider vastly superior on the Samsung Galaxy tab s tablet with its 2k res Super AMOLED screen but Apple retina display isn't a slouch and is really good as well. This is also a matter of preference so don't put huge stock in my opinion on which screen is better. Also what you're going to use the tablet for is also going to depend which is going to offer the best experience for you. If you're solely using it to watch videos and Web browse I would go with Android since the major ones are mostly 16:9/16:10 aspect ratio. The nexus 9 and supposedly the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is or going to be 4:3. The iPad still is 4:3 and that's great for productivity and book/magazine reading.



I would suggest going to a Bestbuy since they should have a display for both an iPad and probably the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 I'm stores. The 10.5 is the same general experience as with its smaller cousin the 8.0 one.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Your comment about 3rd party keyboards is funny, as the only time I needed to change keyboards was with my old Android tablet.

I strongly suspect the reason 3rd party keyboards aren't taking off like they are on Android, is because the stock iOS one is much, much better than stock android keyboards.

I would agree with this assessment. I find the stock keyboard on iOS to be good enough. The reason why I used third party keyboards when using android devices is because the stock keyboard sucked. I still prefer the iOS stock keyboard to swiftkey on android (keyboard I used). The third party keyboards on iOS are awful though, they do work much better on android, however I don't need to use them on iOS so it's not an issue.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Switching platforms on a whim is not an option for people who make a living on their computer. There is just some software that demands you have Windows.