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If the iPad didn't exist, which other tablet would you go for?

orfeas0 said:
I can't talk about surface/winRT because I haven't tested it, but from my experience, I'm nYever buying an android tablet (and probably smartphone) again.
They are bad iPad replicas. Really bad.
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To those who fail to understand that Android is a different Operating System than iOS, this is a common assumption.

I really enjoy the two distinctly different platforms. Each having it's own Pro's & Con's it's an interesting contrast.

Plus it provides a wonderful learning opportunity to keep me current with the latest in tech. I have a full appreciation why some like one over the other. Each with a very strong following, the competition is good for the industry.
 
kevingaffney said:
But Apple were first to launch a proper tablet, the others are all mimics. As usual, why didn't Microsoft come up with something
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Part of Microsoft did come up with something: the Courier tablet.

Unfortunately, top management didn't want to support the Courier, as it didn't use baseline Windows.

Night Spring said:
And if that Microsoft employee hadn't annoyed Jobs, we might still be saddled with those "tablet" notebooks with fold-away keyboards
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The professional world (doctors, pilots, enterprises, field workers, military) used those tablets for a decade before Apple finally saw fit to enter the market. For many apps, they were just as useful as the iPad later was.

and rudimentary touch-screen support that needs a stylus to operate. *shudder*
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They didn't need a stylus to operate. Fingernails worked fine. And pens are making a comeback... they're just too darned useful.

God bless the annoying Microsoft employee! I wish I knew his name and address so I could send him flowers! :D
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I agree. Apple brought lower prices, battery longevity, and included a finger-friendly UI as stock. Note that this had been attempted before, but never by a company as well known.
 
Nexus 7 is quite nice. It does lag quite a bit more than I anticipated given all the Project Butter talk though. One area it destroys the iPad in is gaming. The form factor dramatically improves the playability of first person shooters I find. And the device does fit in my pockets surprisingly enough, which actually is kind of a big deal. I would definitely be more inclined to take it with me places. I like the power afforded to the user by Android for sure, but I still think Apple has a significant edge on software and especially ecosystem. One thing I really miss is a nice camera. I think a 7" is small enough that taking some photos with it really wouldn't be all that awkward, definitely not even close to the ridiculous experience of using an iPad as a camera. If the iPad Mini does come to light, the Nexus 7 becomes much less attractive, but for now it's a damn respectable competitor to the iPad.
 
The product I want more than anything is an iPad Mini with superior specs (hi-res screen). I'm not sure that's going to happen, so I've been thinking about what else would fit the bill for me.

I would never touch the surface of a Microsoft product, I can't stand that company, so it's (yet to be released) product is out. Same with Google's Nexus 7, can't stand that company, so would never consider their product.

I've got a basic Kindle and it's one of my favourite devices of all time. I'm eager to check out the Kindle Fire HD, so that product is definitely in.

The Nook (as a basic e-reader) is something I considered a few years ago, and given it's excellent screen resolution of the latest model, I'd put that at the top of the list. Someone on here also mentioned you can root the Nook, which just adds more to the pro column.
 
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If I am allowed to pick an apple product it would probably be an iPod touch. If not, I'd likely still be rocking my HP ipaq pocket pc.
 
irDigital0l said:
Nexus 7...maybe. Surface also looks pretty good...bet its gonna be expensive though.

I probably wouldn't even own a tablet. lol
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Surface RT is the same price as the iPad (499)

Surface Pro is the same price as every other x86 touchscreen based device (799)
 
Nexus 7 as I have an iPad 2 and 3 and those are claimed by my kids so I got a nexus 7 and I love it maybe iPad mini when that comes out who knows.
 
I was looking at purchasing a netbook when the iPad was announced. I had considered an iPod Touch and already determined that it was too small to suit my needs.

So, probably would have been whatever netbook that had the fewest issues as a hackintosh.
 
Considering this post was made in jest, I'd say the MS surface rt. It looks like a pretty nifty tablet PC honestly. However I've owned all 3 of the iPads, and will most likely be sticking with my third gen iPad for another year.
 
kdarling said:
.....
I agree. Apple brought lower prices, battery longevity, and included a finger-friendly UI as stock. Note that this had been attempted before, but never by a company as well known.
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And the primary reason Apple was able to produce a reasonably priced tablet back in 2010, was that Apple had shut down manufacturing in the US and moved it to China.


Here is a very interesting and depressing (from a US perspective) article about Apple's move to China.

http://americawhatwentwrong.org/story/as-apple-grew-american-workers-left-behind/


A couple paragraphs from the article:

"That’s because Congress and Wall Street had other plans. The jobs that provided a good living for Stamp and thousands of production workers in Fountain, Elk Grove and Fremont are now in China. Every Apple product — Macs, iPods, iPhones and now the iPad — is made in China. Unlike companies in the past that manufactured in the U.S. for decades, Apple shipped its jobs offshore in less than a generation. For a point of comparison, the last plant in the United States still making light bulbs, a General Electric factory in Winchester, Va., turned out the lights and closed its doors in September – more than 100 years after Edison introduced his invention.

The move to China came about quietly and was little noticed at the time because of the way Apple went about creating its offshore presence. Rather than build plants that proudly displayed the Apple name, as it did in California and Colorado, the company turned to outsourcing firms that partnered with the Chinese to establish plants where the products are made. Apple’s plants in mainland China bear the name of their Chinese contractor, but inside they are making Apple products. The arrangement is a convenient buffer, insulating Apple from oversight of its offshore workplaces."
 
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