iPad Long-time android user, new Ipad Air 2 owner.

[slopokdave]

I've always owned an Android phone and android tablets. I am Currently using the LG G3 on Tmo and our family shares a Nexus 7 (2013 edition) tablet. I owned an ipad (3 I think?) for a short time, I ended up returning it to Target back whenever that was. I also briefly had an iPhone 5S (like literally a couple days).

I returned the iPad back then because it was too simple for me, a little boring, and just not integrated into my Google services. I was living in 2 totally different ecosystems and there was no cohesion (more on this in a minute). I think I owned it about 30 days before taking it back to Target.

I only used the 5S for a couple days, I was out of my phone (Sony Z1S at the time) because it got smashed and took Tmo up on their "try our best phone" for current customers. Couldn't stand it. Too small. Battery was awful. Oh and too small.

I had a 10" galaxy tab I at one point it was okay... nothing to write home about. Their screens are great, yes (my wife has the Note 4, sure is nice). I wanted another larger tablet because we all share the Nexus 7 (2013) between me an the 2 kids. And I do semi-pro photography on the side, wanted something to do light editing without lugging my mac pro around (it sits docked at home on 27" monitor 90% of the time).

So this is what got me looking at the ipad again given lightroom is ios only (for now) and there are other great imaged editing apps on ipad that just don't exist on android. I purchased a 64GB iPad Air 2 and put it on Tmo 2 days ago and so far I think it may be a keeper for me. Some cliffs, as someone who uses both ecosystems:

- ipad is smoother/as smooth than almost any android out there, with the exception of motorola devices and stock lollipop (nexus, etc). I have lollipop (stock) on my LG G3 and it is a pleasure. My battery is even better than with LG's stock skin on kit kat. I absolutely love my phone.

- ipad continues to have solid battery life with excellent standby time

- I still prefer android OS, I like multitasking better, I like to be able to customize (and share to) anything I want, I like CHOICE. However, using ios 8 shows me Apple has come a long way. But more importantly, GOOGLE has come a long way. I've got almost all of the great looking apps on my ipad air 2 that I use on my phone and they are all cloud based and almost just as good; except Inbox, its not ipad formatted yet. I've got Chrome, Hangouts, Google Search, etc sitting in my ipad dock and they all work excellent. I couldn't say the same several years ago; hence the lack of cohesion between devices. Even if you are 100% ios, you HAVE to give Google credit for working well on both operating systems. You just can't say the same thing for ios switching to android.

- Other app makers like dropbox, to do apps, etc have made this cohesion work too, so not just Google deserves credit IMO. it's nice that great apps, cloud based, work great on both main operating systems now. We've come a long way!!

- When I search for an app on ios in the app store, I may find it, but I get TONS of other crapware apps. I feel like I can't find good, relevant similar apps in the main search results like I can with Google Play store.

- When I use a custom keyboard on ios, it switches to the stock keyboard for passwords; annoys me. I need the custom keyboard the most for passwords given I use number/letter combinations.

- I wish apple had not went so slim and made the battery more efficient on the air 2 vs the air. It's thin enough, don't go any more....

- I still long for a screen like the Tab S. Personal preference, I like AMOLED... but, the accuracy of the ipad is better for my photography.

- We have 3 chromecasts in the house and so far so good using the ipad + chromecast.

- The $10/per month for 5GB data tablet plan on Tmo is CRAZY good given the competition. I don't think I will ever get another tablet without a cell radio, it changes the dynamic and how you use it so much.

- I have no plans to switch from an Android phone to an iPhone. Given the cohesion between the two devices now, I can stick with my preferred os for my phone and have my tablet for iOS and be happy!

That's all for now, long post sorry.... Thanks for reading. I am Best Buy Elite Plus so I've got 45 days. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Lloydbm41]

I've always owned an Android phone and android tablets. I am Currently using the LG G3 on Tmo and our family shares a Nexus 7 (2013 edition) tablet. I owned an ipad (3 I think?) for a short time, I ended up returning it to Target back whenever that was. I also briefly had an iPhone 5S (like literally a couple days).

I returned the iPad back then because it was too simple for me, a little boring, and just not integrated into my Google services. I was living in 2 totally different ecosystems and there was no cohesion (more on this in a minute). I think I owned it about 30 days before taking it back to Target.

I only used the 5S for a couple days, I was out of my phone (Sony Z1S at the time) because it got smashed and took Tmo up on their "try our best phone" for current customers. Couldn't stand it. Too small. Battery was awful. Oh and too small.

I had a 10" galaxy tab I at one point it was okay... nothing to write home about. Their screens are great, yes (my wife has the Note 4, sure is nice). I wanted another larger tablet because we all share the Nexus 7 (2013) between me an the 2 kids. And I do semi-pro photography on the side, wanted something to do light editing without lugging my mac pro around (it sits docked at home on 27" monitor 90% of the time).

So this is what got me looking at the ipad again given lightroom is ios only (for now) and there are other great imaged editing apps on ipad that just don't exist on android. I purchased a 64GB iPad Air 2 and put it on Tmo 2 days ago and so far I think it may be a keeper for me. Some cliffs, as someone who uses both ecosystems:

- ipad is smoother/as smooth than almost any android out there, with the exception of motorola devices and stock lollipop (nexus, etc). I have lollipop (stock) on my LG G3 and it is a pleasure. My battery is even better than with LG's stock skin on kit kat. I absolutely love my phone.

- ipad continues to have solid battery life with excellent standby time

- I still prefer android OS, I like multitasking better, I like to be able to customize (and share to) anything I want, I like CHOICE. However, using ios 8 shows me Apple has come a long way. But more importantly, GOOGLE has come a long way. I've got almost all of the great looking apps on my ipad air 2 that I use on my phone and they are all cloud based and almost just as good; except Inbox, its not ipad formatted yet. I've got Chrome, Hangouts, Google Search, etc sitting in my ipad dock and they all work excellent. I couldn't say the same several years ago; hence the lack of cohesion between devices. Even if you are 100% ios, you HAVE to give Google credit for working well on both operating systems. You just can't say the same thing for ios switching to android.

- Other app makers like dropbox, to do apps, etc have made this cohesion work too, so not just Google deserves credit IMO. it's nice that great apps, cloud based, work great on both main operating systems now. We've come a long way!!

- When I search for an app on ios in the app store, I may find it, but I get TONS of other crapware apps. I feel like I can't find good, relevant similar apps in the main search results like I can with Google Play store.

- When I use a custom keyboard on ios, it switches to the stock keyboard for passwords; annoys me. I need the custom keyboard the most for passwords given I use number/letter combinations.

- I wish apple had not went so slim and made the battery more efficient on the air 2 vs the air. It's thin enough, don't go any more....

- I still long for a screen like the Tab S. Personal preference, I like AMOLED... but, the accuracy of the ipad is better for my photography.

- We have 3 chromecasts in the house and so far so good using the ipad + chromecast.

- The $10/per month for 5GB data tablet plan on Tmo is CRAZY good given the competition. I don't think I will ever get another tablet without a cell radio, it changes the dynamic and how you use it so much.

- I have no plans to switch from an Android phone to an iPhone. Given the cohesion between the two devices now, I can stick with my preferred os for my phone and have my tablet for iOS and be happy!

That's all for now, long post sorry.... Thanks for reading. I am Best Buy Elite Plus so I've got 45 days. We'll see how it goes.

Interesting note. I have T-Mobile as well, but the unlimited plan for 2 lines at $100 per month, but you get 5gb of streaming free. So I stream to my iPad Air 2 from my iPhone 6, when I need it.

 

[slopokdave]

Interesting note. I have T-Mobile as well, but the unlimited plan for 2 lines at $100 per month, but you get 5gb of streaming free. So I stream to my iPad Air 2 from my iPhone 6, when I need it.

I have the same..... but tethering to my phone means enabling it, using my battery up, and worrying about the heat it produces in the Florida sun. At $10 extra a month its hard to beat IMO.

 

[double329]

I too was a long timer Android user. I do like both Android and iOS. Both have its pros and cons. I decided to stick with Apple ecosystem mainly it is well integrated. Hand-off is good, it makes my life much easier.

I have ATT family share plan. With this plan all phones have hot-spot enabled. That is really nice. I like this route better then getting iPad with LTE. That will lock you down to just iPad. With tethering, I can use my iPad, laptop or whatever... the nice thing about Apple echo-system when it comes time to tether. It just works!

 

[slopokdave]

I too was a long timer Android user. I do like both Android and iOS. Both have its pros and cons. I decided to stick with Apple ecosystem mainly it is well integrated. Hand-off is good, it makes my life much easier.

I have ATT family share plan. With this plan all phones have hot-spot enabled. That is really nice. I like this route better then getting iPad with LTE. That will lock you down to just iPad. With tethering, I can use my iPad, laptop or whatever... the nice thing about Apple echo-system when it comes time to tether. It just works!

Yeah that makes sense on ATT. With TMo, hotspot is included and no extra fee. I have unlimited data (no throttle) and that gives me 5GB of hotspot to use on anything, including the ipad if my tablet data should run out.

 

[Night Spring]

- When I use a custom keyboard on ios, it switches to the stock keyboard for passwords; annoys me. I need the custom keyboard the most for passwords given I use number/letter combinations

I understand this is annoying, but it's that way for security purposes. Key strokes in third-party keyboard apps aren't secure. An app could potentially snoop your keystrokes and send them off somewhere. Of course, app review process looks for such snooping, but it isn't 100% sure that such things will be caught.

 

[slopokdave]

I understand this is annoying, but it's that way for security purposes. Key strokes in third-party keyboard apps aren't secure. An app could potentially snoop your keystrokes and send them off somewhere. Of course, app review process looks for such snooping, but it isn't 100% sure that such things will be caught.

I figured as much. It seems like the replacement keyboards for iOS in general are still buggy though. I like the stock keyboard, but wish I could just have a number row added to the top, and I'd be set.

 

[klo6]

My family used to be all Android...but we had tons of problems!! At one point my husband and I bought new Samsungs the day they came out...and went through 6 phones in under a year before Verizon agreed that model was a lemon. They changed us to the next "great thing" at the time which was Motorola, we went through 3 more in 6 months. In the meantime, I got my first iPad (1st generation). While I missed being able to customize EVERYTHING like on Android, I couldn't help but notice that I had ZERO issues with it. It actually became a joke between my husband and I, we would come home from work and compare how many times we had to restart our phones each day (usually 2-3 each) and then he'd ask, "Geez when was the last time you restarted your iPad?" (Usually around once a month!!) So 2 years later (why did I wait so long?!?!), I got an iPhone 5 when they came out. Sure enough, ZERO problems. So when my husband was able to upgrade we got him a 5 also. Since then, all 4 of us in my house have iPhones and iPads.

We have many family members who still swear by Android and yet are always complaining about various things. They'll go to do something and say, "Gosh this stupid thing never does what I want it to" or "Hold on, I have to wait for it to load." Then I'll say something about how much I love my iPhone and they get defensive and say they'll never switch. I just don't get it!! Everyone that I've converted to iPhones/iPads have loved the change and have no complaints other than the lack of customizations (In my mom's words, "Where did all of my cute little pink icons go?").

Really it boils down to what you find more important. At least in my experience, Apple devices tend to last longer and be more reliable, Android gets more customizations and control. Some would consider me to be an Apple fangirl...but I have no problem saying that if you've found the perfect mix of Apple/Droid that works best for you, then that's great because it's truly all that matters!

 

[crjackson2134]

My family used to be all Android...but we had tons of problems!! At one point my husband and I bought new Samsungs the day they came out...and went through 6 phones in under a year before Verizon agreed that model was a lemon. They changed us to the next "great thing" at the time which was Motorola, we went through 3 more in 6 months. In the meantime, I got my first iPad (1st generation). While I missed being able to customize EVERYTHING like on Android, I couldn't help but notice that I had ZERO issues with it. It actually became a joke between my husband and I, we would come home from work and compare how many times we had to restart our phones each day (usually 2-3 each) and then he'd ask, "Geez when was the last time you restarted your iPad?" (Usually around once a month!!) So 2 years later (why did I wait so long?!?!), I got an iPhone 5 when they came out. Sure enough, ZERO problems. So when my husband was able to upgrade we got him a 5 also. Since then, all 4 of us in my house have iPhones and iPads.

We have many family members who still swear by Android and yet are always complaining about various things. They'll go to do something and say, "Gosh this stupid thing never does what I want it to" or "Hold on, I have to wait for it to load." Then I'll say something about how much I love my iPhone and they get defensive and say they'll never switch. I just don't get it!! Everyone that I've converted to iPhones/iPads have loved the change and have no complaints other than the lack of customizations (In my mom's words, "Where did all of my cute little pink icons go?").

Really it boils down to what you find more important. At least in my experience, Apple devices tend to last longer and be more reliable, Android gets more customizations and control. Some would consider me to be an Apple fangirl...but I have no problem saying that if you've found the perfect mix of Apple/Droid that works best for you, then that's great because it's truly all that matters!

I won't write an essay on the subject, but suffice it to say it's been the same experience in my household too. I've got six kids at home and EVERYONE has ditched Android for Apple and glad for it.

 

[EasyRider]

I used to roll with a Note 2 (and a HTC One M7 after that) and iPad 3. Seemed like I had the best of both worlds.

But when Apple came out with continuity I had to go back to iPhone. Love sending sms texts when on my Macbook/iPad.

Air Droid has something similar, but it was not consistent and buggy (it may be better now?). Apples integration into the os is really great and makes it a joy to use.

Still have a Nexus 7 2013 and Lollipop is really nice. Finally Android is taking design more seriously and it's paying off.

 

[mrex]

Long-time android user, new Ipad Air 2 owner.

And just a question: what android phones and tablets you had when compairing them with iphone5(or later) and ipad? Just wondering... Lot of people seems to complain how bad android is and how much better the newest ipad is. And when asking "what android device?", you get the idea why they prefer newest ipad...

3rd party keyboards wont work well in ios until apple does something to it.

If you use your tablet for a photography, you should have bought Note serie instead of tab serie... Im still using my two year old note for a photography and the pen input is must have feature... (If im doing something to photos with a tablet.)

 

[slopokdave]

Driving me nuts..... Why can't I watch at least 1080p on YouTube??

 

[crjackson2134]

Is your wireless connecting at wireless AC speeds?

Mine can't do 1080p either but I thinks it's because an AC connection isn't available. I even have that problem on my media player. Plugging in an Ethernet cable solved the issue for the media player. I'm guessing/hoping that an upgraded AE base station will cure that, but not sure.

Also, remember that iPads/iPhones don't use flash to play videos.

 

[slopokdave]

Is your wireless connecting at wireless AC speeds?

Mine can't do 1080p either but I thinks it's because an AC connection isn't available. I even have that problem on my media player. Plugging in an Ethernet cable solved the issue for the media player. I'm guessing/hoping that an upgraded AE base station will cure that, but not sure.

Also, remember that iPads/iPhones don't use flash to play videos.

Should have nothing to do with wireless AC (but yes my router is wireless AC).

 

[crjackson2134]

Should have nothing to do with wireless AC (but yes my router is wireless AC).

Well, some video sites check delivery speed to the device and won't give top resolution unless there is adequate bandwidth to the device. Like I said, my media player works that way, so I was exploring the possibility that you may have a constrained bandwidth/connection speed situation, I never watch YouTube so I'm not familiar with how their streaming service works.

Edit:

Okay, so after investigating the issue a little, I found that I can play YouTube videos at 1080p using the YouTube App. The highest quality available through the mobile browser is 720p HD.

So, try the App. if you're not already using that. I got a few stalls from buffering (inadequate bandwidth for that quality).

 

[slopokdave]

Well, some video sites check delivery speed to the device and won't give top resolution unless there is adequate bandwidth to the device. Like I said, my media player works that way, so I was exploring the possibility that you may have a constrained bandwidth/connection speed situation, I never watch YouTube so I'm not familiar with how their streaming service works.

Edit:

Okay, so after investigating the issue a little, I found that I can play YouTube videos at 1080p using the YouTube App. The highest quality available through the mobile browser is 720p HD.

So, try the App. if you're not already using that. I got a few stalls from buffering (inadequate bandwidth for that quality).

I've tried the app, safari, chrome, and even a 3rd party app in the store. The 3rd party app lets me select up to 720P, but still no 1080p.

Edit: And bam for some reason I can now do 1080........... I dont know what changed! Although I still can't change quality on mobile networks. Google and Apple need to get with the program!