That was when CR posted something bad about Apple product. Now they tell the truth again, because they post good stuff about Apple product. It makes sense...
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iPad 2 Tops Consumer Reports' Tablet Ratings
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That was when CR posted something bad about Apple product. Now they tell the truth again, because they post good stuff about Apple product. It makes sense...
Maybe because that's the only competitor there is right now? No WebOS tablet released. No BlackBerryOS tablet released. I guess technically they could've put some Windows 7 devices on there, but that would've been embarrassing
WebOS, BBOS... all vaporware right now (i.e. non-shiping product) and no matter what, you can't compare vendor hype to reality of a product you can touch and hold in it's shipping form.
The Xoom is a great example of this. Sounded killer on paper and in the demo's looked awesome. But go use one. It's a mess. The one I worked with crashed, had screen lag and choppy animations of icons. Games were a joke. Half of the ones on the demo unit were phone size apps that looked like junk on a tablet.
Not saying the Xoom is not a good tablet. It is. But it's far from the same fit and finish as the iPad or iPad2. It just felt like a beta device that was rushed to market to get out there. I had the same impressions with the first Samsung Tab.
These competitors have got to take quality and overall user experience a lot more serious if they are going to lure the non-techie consumer into their camp. This is where Apple is killing them right now.
You would have to be an absolute Apple-hater to go to Best Buy, play with both the iPad 2 and the Xoom (both currently on display for play) and come away thinking the Xoom was a better product. Go compare them yourselves side-by-side (well, they are about 15 feet apart at my Best Buy) and decide for yourself. For me, the iPad is still the clear leader in both fit & finish, screen (off-angle viewing) and simplicity-user friendliness of OS. And the Apps availability really seals the deal if you want to consider what you will actually do with the hardware once you get it home.
Ever since Android was released on phones I have been hearing that it "is just a release or two away from being a great OS". The reality is that most Android devices are extremely lucky if they get one upgrade ported to them by their carrier. I'll stick with an iPad2 rather than buying something and hoping that it improves with time.I'm a *total* Apple fan. I love everything from my MBP, iPhones, iPads....but the Xoom is a *damn* good device. I mean, seriously good.
It's not ready for the masses yet, but if you know even the slightest about tech (in its use, not in more technical aspects), it *really* is a superior device at the moment.
There are a few software quirks, but a sw upgrade or two and those are gone. Besides, the list of "quirks" in iOS/iPhone OS is still large
I own all of them and by business develops & deploys our services for the iOS platform, but the Xoom was given to me to convince me to port at least a UI of our backend service to the Android by a partner - and I'm *VERY* impressed by where the Android 3 platform and the Xoom is going. Enough to consider putting dev resources towards building an Android port.
Apple better watch out, they're flying high and iPad 2 is good, but Consumer Reports is right, the Xoom is good, and it won't take much more to make a good competitor. iPad 3 and iOS 5 better be a *huge* leap forward (and shed some of this Jobsian hubris he has from his ego, I love the guy and what he's accomplished, but his ego gets in the way sometimes, and I see it becoming more and more troublesome for AAPL).
Don't be so offensive. You certainly don't know me well enough to make a determination of ignorance, making your personal attack, well . . . ignorant. My opinion is valid, and, as compared to ignorance, formed by the use of both products (in the same fashion CR used to make their similar determination). So then tell me, after direct comparison of the two, what attributes of the Xoom did you find superior?
Because the signal attenuation due to the design was abnormally high. 20-25dB attenuation that can be accomplished by simply touching the tip of your pinky finger on the gap or in the normal position when making calls. That is a design problem and something that should not have made it out of QC.
Overall it is a fantastic device, albeit with an antenna issue. People who only use the phone in very strong signal areas won't notice or be bothered by it. For a majority of people who live in those areas and only use the phone in those areas it isn't problematic. But you either accept what reality is or continue to delude yourself into thinking that there is no design problem with the antenna. It's a simple black and white issue.
If I was using an IOS device for my phone I'd have no problem buying an Iphone 4 because I understand its limitations going in. I wouldn't be insane enough to claim that because I had no signal issues in my daily use that it was evidence there was no attenuation problem.
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Several models from Apple?
I thought there were only two...at least in the tablet market segment.
I thought there were only two...at least in the tablet market segment.
I am not saying CR has no understanding of technology, however, Their fourth choice was Centrum.
Yeah, they need those page views for the ads they don't carry?
The fact is that a bunch of hypersensitive fanbabies couldn't stand *any* criticism of the iPhone 4.
I hear ya. People would definitely say Fanboy James is talking Apple again, but looking around my world, I see Sanyo, Sony, Vizio, MS XBox, Pioneer, Toshiba and other logos. I like tech. I have more Apple stuff, but Apple simply makes more stuff that I like in certain ways than others do.
Those shouting Fanboy, take notice!
1. its obvious you have never used android
2. the xoom is an excellent device. those stating they think that having a dedicated tablet OS is silly is kidding themselves. How can you consider yourself a "power user" and be tripped up by honeycomb? Seriously, can you only operate touch screens' with grids? I would would submit facebook has a tougher learning curve than honeycomb, but stop with the comments already, 2.2/2.3/3.0 are very well done OS's
- Off angle viewing - Who really cares how good it looks? Who wants to watch an ipad and not have it in front of you?
- finish
- idiot proof (soft of)
- simple read: limited
2. the xoom is an excellent device. those stating they think that having a dedicated tablet OS is silly is kidding themselves. How can you consider yourself a "power user" and be tripped up by honeycomb? Seriously, can you only operate touch screens' with grids? I would would submit facebook has a tougher learning curve than honeycomb, but stop with the comments already, 2.2/2.3/3.0 are very well done OS's
i love all the dig's at honeycomb tablets and how apple is superior haha
- Off angle viewing - Who really cares how good it looks? Who wants to watch an ipad and not have it in front of you?
- finish
- idiot proof (soft of)
- simple read: limited
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then how do you explain CR giving the nod to another smartphone that *also* demonstrates a deathgrip loss of signal? they all do. yet, there was no hoopla about the others. only iphone.
thats what yanks the rug of credibility out from under them.
They have gone back and forth over the years on how to test electronics. So many things are subjective, including picture quality, audio quality, gui usage quality....and they generally try to use "regular" people as the point. So they rate pretty much all HDTVs as having high points for video quality, even though there are clearly standouts to videophiles. And don't even get me started on speakers.
You really can't use CR as anything more than a single data point. You must find other data points to do research. But that doesn't mean CR is worthless, just shouldn't be your only tool.
Yes yes yes, they're all just awesome OS's and the buying public really seems to be dedicated to all the sweet flavors of these many sugary-named, fragmented platforms. Anyway...
knock-knock
WHO'S THERE?
"a true tablet OS blah, blah, blah."
A TRUE TABLET OS, HOW CAN YOU TELL?
"there are not enough applications made for me to even arrange in a grid!"
No surprise here.
Consumer Reports released their tablet ratings today, and found the iPad 2 to be the best tablet they tested. The Motorola Xoom was the closest competitor, but fared worse on ease of use and portability as compared to the iPad 2. Consumer Reports warns against the lower-priced options as those costing under $300 and under were "at best medicore."
Consumer Reports made headlines last July when it declined to recommend the iPhone to consumers due to antenna issues that could result in loss of signal.
Article Link: iPad 2 Tops Consumer Reports' Tablet Ratings
CR's iPhone 4 report: AT&T vs. Verizon
The problem with CR's iPhone 4 report was not that they didn't recommend the iPhone 4 when it originally came out on AT&T but that they then reiterated their "Not recommend" labeling for the Verizon iPhone 4 for having the same 'death grip' issue. They did this despite that the Verizon version had a different antenna design. Anandtech, who were amongst the first to quantify the 'death grip' issue for the AT&T version, showed that in fact the VZ iPhone 4 fared no worse than other smartphones. For the original iPhone 4, CR felt while it was great in many categories, it's antenna issue was too great a problem in their eyes. One could argue that they overstated the problem given that most users didn't seem to mind, but their position of "Not recommended" is not unjustifiable for the AT&T iPhone 4. However, CR clearly screwed up on the VZ iPhone 4.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/03/technology/verizon_iphone/index.htm
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4163/verizon-iphone-4-review/
The problem with CR's iPhone 4 report was not that they didn't recommend the iPhone 4 when it originally came out on AT&T but that they then reiterated their "Not recommend" labeling for the Verizon iPhone 4 for having the same 'death grip' issue. They did this despite that the Verizon version had a different antenna design. Anandtech, who were amongst the first to quantify the 'death grip' issue for the AT&T version, showed that in fact the VZ iPhone 4 fared no worse than other smartphones. For the original iPhone 4, CR felt while it was great in many categories, it's antenna issue was too great a problem in their eyes. One could argue that they overstated the problem given that most users didn't seem to mind, but their position of "Not recommended" is not unjustifiable for the AT&T iPhone 4. However, CR clearly screwed up on the VZ iPhone 4.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/03/technology/verizon_iphone/index.htm
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4163/verizon-iphone-4-review/
iPad2 Sold Out In Afterlife
The iPad2 is so popular it is even sold out in the afterlife!!
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/05/paper-ipad-2-sells-out-in-china-for-use-in-afterlife-rituals/
The iPad2 is so popular it is even sold out in the afterlife!!
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/05/paper-ipad-2-sells-out-in-china-for-use-in-afterlife-rituals/
I think you're misinterpreting my language - I mean "for the user that knows even the most basic amount about technology" the user experience is superior in my estimation.
Not the interpretation you seem to be reading into it that reads more like "anyone who doesn't agree with me is an idiot".
Not the interpretation you seem to be reading into it that reads more like "anyone who doesn't agree with me is an idiot".