Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Confused...

bigcletus123

bigcletus123

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 12, 2009
71
2
I'm in the market for a tablet. I have 2 Apple products now, a Mac and an iPhone 4. However, I keep hearing/reading that Samsung Galaxy 2 is a better value. Then again someone wrote that Asus T700 is better than both iPad and Samsung due to the quad processor. I only want to do this once lol. Can anyone provide pros/cons to each platform ?? (or if this has already been addressed perhaps a link to the thread)

Thanks
 
You really won't notice much difference with the speed. And what the technical specs are shouldn't matter to a normal user.
 
They are both good tablets.

IMO, when you buy Apple products, you buy into Apple's life style, the simplicity, the UI, iTunes, App Store, iCloud, AirPlay. If you don't care any of that, get something else, it would be cheaper, Apple is never about value for money.
 
Last edited:
I'm far from an expert, but as I have an iPhone 4, macbook and an iPad, the sycing makes it all worth it IMO to get the iPad tablet. Its seamless, super easy, all the products have the same type of UI and it just makes it all incredibly easy to switch back and forth.
 
I guess I've found a couple negatives on both platforms:

iPad - non expandability (memory), "closed system", i.e. iTunes

Samsung galaxy 2 (10) - camera is supposedly inferior, and Skype is flaky on it.

I guess I'll buy them both, one after the other and take them each for a test drive. Thanks for the great info..
 
bigcletus123 said:
iPad - non expandability (memory), "closed system", i.e. iTunes
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what people mean when they say iTunes is "closed." I mean, the only thing that is closed is the apps. Everything else, you can buy from other sources and drag them into iTunes. Books, music, videos... I almost never buy any of them from iTunes, but I have more than I can fit into my iPad and iPhone combined. Sure, if you don't want to go outside iTunes, it's super easy to just stay inside the system, but if you are willing to do a little extra work, it's also not that hard to tweak the system to your convenience.
 
iPad has the best display of any tablet right now, and the best app ecosystem by far.

Android devices are getting left behind on updates long before iOS devices are discontinued.

While Android devices are improving, I cannot recommend them.
 
Beta Particle said:
iPad has the best display of any tablet right now, and the best app ecosystem by far.

Android devices are getting left behind on updates long before iOS devices are discontinued.

While Android devices are improving, I cannot recommend them.
Click to expand...

Not even the Nexus 7?!
 
kokhean said:
Not even the Nexus 7?!
Click to expand...
Whether the hardware is good or not (people are reporting issues with the touch screen being unresponsive) it doesn't change the fact that the app ecosystem is limited on Android compared to iOS. Many top-tier developers are avoiding Android due to rampant piracy.

Sure, it's "open" and you don't need a license to publish on it, but that doesn't change the fact that there are a very limited number of good apps compared to iOS.
 
If you have the money and time, and want to feel like Woz for some days then go a try the other stuff.
Any of those have a "Retina" Display? How long their battery lasts?
Can you run all the iOS stuff that you already have?
Can you sync your data seamlessly?

You can expand the iPad's storage, cloud services and external hard drives do the trick.
http://bit.ly/QwH1p4

The true value that I see in my iOS devices is: I can do almost anything that I need with them, including things not sold by Apple, like Kindle Books, Amazon MP3 music, and videos out of my personal DVDs, all are handled pretty well.
If needed there are some Apps that play Flash videos also.
Remote connection to my Mac is something that I know can be done, but have not yet really needed.
 
At this point, I'd recommend an iPad over any other tablet for three reasons:

  1. Quality of apps that are designed specifically for a tablet
  2. iCloud integration for people who use Macs or other iOS devices
  3. Overall hardware quality

The Nexus 7 is an impressive Android tablet, but it's still behind in most areas.
 
CPD_1 said:
[*]iCloud integration for people who use Macs or other iOS devices
Click to expand...

iCloud can be used on Windows too. There is a iCloud control panel app for Windows. Once you get hooked, Apple are hoping you will upgrade to a Mac in the future.
 
I suggest you decide what operating system you want to us first. Personally I think iOS is a better OS on the tablet market. Then you can decide what tablet you want with your preferred OS. Only the hardware really matters on Android. iOS is a lot better with its hardware requirements so you dont need top o the line specs for iOS. Go in store and play with them. I do that even if I'm not even goin to think of buying it. I sit there for hours playing with them.
 
bigcletus123 said:
I guess I've found a couple negatives on both platforms:

iPad - non expandability (memory), "closed system", i.e. iTunes

Samsung galaxy 2 (10) - camera is supposedly inferior, and Skype is flaky on it.

I guess I'll buy them both, one after the other and take them each for a test drive. Thanks for the great info..
Click to expand...

It's only as closed as you make it feel like. I have yet to run out of memory to the point where I miss not having expandablitiy.

I agree that having to connect to the iTunes to sync can be a pain at times. But I find that I only connect to my computer for 2 things: Transfering music that I have from CDs (Yea I still buy them at concerts..xD); and for backing up (Which you can just do with iCloud, yea). For anything else, I simply drop it on Dropbox or mail it to myself. Be it documents or pictures or whatever else I do with this thing.

A lot of apps take advantage of the retina display. Also, things look billion times better than anywhere else. To the point where I don't like watching/reading things on my computer anymore.

I would suggest going for the iPad if you can.
 
BluePhoenixRa said:
It's only as closed as you make it feel like. I have yet to run out of memory to the point where I miss not having expandablitiy.

I agree that having to connect to the iTunes to sync can be a pain at times. But I find that I only connect to my computer for 2 things: Transfering music that I have from CDs (Yea I still buy them at concerts..xD); and for backing up (Which you can just do with iCloud, yea). For anything else, I simply drop it on Dropbox or mail it to myself. Be it documents or pictures or whatever else I do with this thing.

A lot of apps take advantage of the retina display. Also, things look billion times better than anywhere else. To the point where I don't like watching/reading things on my computer anymore.

I would suggest going for the iPad if you can.
Click to expand...

The whole notion of iOS being closed is some of the biggest BS floating around the net these days. Yes, apps do need to be coded specifically for iOS. But the same applies for just about everything, including Android and Windows Phone, except for web apps. Open/closed is largely an irrelevant concept now because of how huge the app ecosystem is in either iOS or Android. In fact, most popular apps now have cross-platform support, so it doesn't even matter if you're on Android or iOS.

That said, I've used both and my own personal observation is that there is a higher percentage of quality apps on iOS. And that makes all the difference in the world. Then of course there's the tight integration you get between iOS devices. I've looked at getting the Galaxy S3, but then I'd lose iMessage capabilities. I'd also have to find some third party support to sync all my photos in iPhoto and all my music/movies/tv shows in iTunes. And then even though most of my apps are available on Android as well, I'd have to repurchase them. And for the apps that are iOS-only, I'd have to find a similar replacement or I'm just SOL.

It'd be one thing if the Mac and iOS devices weren't so tightly integrated (especially now after Mountain Lion) ... but they are. And that makes it tough to bring in an Android device into my daily workflow.
 
Fattytail said:
The whole notion of iOS being closed is some of the biggest BS floating around the net these days. Yes, apps do need to be coded specifically for iOS. But the same applies for just about everything, including Android and Windows Phone, except for web apps.

It'd be one thing if the Mac and iOS devices weren't so tightly integrated (especially now after Mountain Lion) ... but they are. And that makes it tough to bring in an Android device into my daily workflow.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
I don't get why it's the first thing people say, "It's a closed environment" as an argument against iOS > Androids.

Apps need to be coded specifically for everything anyway. It's worse for Androids with their fragmentations. It makes no sense at all.

I get that some people might not want to spend the extra dollars on getting mo space, but that doesn't mean it's "closed".

And the itengrations in ML just makes it even better.
 
When people are saying that iOS devices are "closed" it's because you need a Mac for iOS development in XCode, you need to pay $99/year to become a registered developer, your apps need to be approved by Apple, and Apple takes a cut on every sale you make.

It absolutely is a closed platform compared to Android.


The reason this comes up a lot when people are asking which they should choose, is because Android attracts the hacker/coder crowd that want complete control over their device and what apps they can put on it.


From an end-user experience, it doesn't really make a difference in practice. The iOS App store is considerably larger than Android, apps are more polished, and because they have to go through a certification process, there's almost no risk of malware on the platform. There's also significantly less piracy, and better developer support as a result.
 
Beta Particle said:
There's also significantly less piracy, and better developer support as a result.
Click to expand...

That's the key, too.

Leading class apps can't make near enough to support a developer on Android because apps are so easy to pirate. I've tried to explain to friends why it is that iOS gets great apps weeks, months, or even years before Android, but they dont seem to understand that it comes down to two things:

  1. Simplicity of the development process
  2. Ability to make money

If Android were first in either of those areas, at least a handful of high quality apps would debut there.
 
Another Example of Apple is a closed environment:

iCloud vs Dropbox.

Dropbox uses file system. iCloud use proprietary API.

And Apple want everyone to use iCloud, including PC users too.
 
dchao said:
Another Example of Apple is a closed environment:

iCloud vs Dropbox.

Dropbox uses file system. iCloud use proprietary API.

And Apple want everyone to use iCloud, including PC users too.
Click to expand...

Not a fair comparison. iCloud actually syncs data between devices. That is, you add an appointment to your calendar on your iPhone, and the appointment turns up on your iPad and on your Mac. Dropbox syncs files and folders. There is a bit of overlap between the two services, but overall, they are not trying to do different things.
 
Night Spring said:
Not a fair comparison. iCloud actually syncs data between devices. That is, you add an appointment to your calendar on your iPhone, and the appointment turns up on your iPad and on your Mac. Dropbox syncs files and folders. There is a bit of overlap between the two services, but overall, they are not trying to do different things.
Click to expand...

What are files? Files are just data. The two services are actually trying to achieve the same goal.

iCloud can do everything Dropbox can do but more, only difference is that Apple are defining the iCloud API at a much higher application layer (where as Dropbox uses the standard file system). And, with iCloud, the data are sandboxed so users don't have to worry what type of data is being sync'ed (it could be a document - Pages, bookmark - Safari, photo - iPhoto, appointment, contact....), and app will manage the syncing for the users.
 
dchao said:
Another Example of Apple is a closed environment:

iCloud vs Dropbox.

Dropbox uses file system. iCloud use proprietary API.

And Apple want everyone to use iCloud, including PC users too.
Click to expand...

If you don't want to use iCloud, don't. They are not forcing you to do it. It's up to you. It would be closed environment if Apple forced you to use iCloud and not even allow Dropbox. If you're not a developer, and just an end-user, you can just use Dropbox. Which as you said, is better.

And do tell me how Android file sharing is better?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back