All iPads Which iPad or Other Tablet

[Newmacer2]

I started this thread earlier today, but for some reason my post isn't showing up. So, I'll post again.

Finally I have enough money saved to purchase an iPad or other tablet and I'd like some guidance from those who have been down this road.

I'm not rich by any means, but I do want to buy what's best for my needs, so money isn't an object. I would use a tablet for e-mail, texts, surfing the Net, shopping, watching videos on YouTube and some that friends send me, etc. I do not play computer games at all. I'm not interested in a mini anything for I will be using it at home and won't need something smaller. I have an iMac and an iPhone.

I was disappointed to find out that iPads don't have "Flash", so buying a tablet from one of Apple's competitors isn't out of the picture, but I'd prefer to stay with Apple. My eyes have seen better days, so good sharp clarity is important.

Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[carjakester]

... ipad air

 

[Rodster]

If retina is not important to you, you can do all of what you want with an iPad 2 or iPad 4 and can save a lot of money. If you buy a refurb from Apple it will look like new. It comes with a new outer case and battery along with a 1 year warranty.

If you want Android, there is a huge selection. Check out the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note 3. In fact Amazon had a sale on those to clear out their stock for the Note 4

 

[kristalsoldier]

Effectively, you have three choices - (1) iPad Air (no flash though); (2) Microsoft's Surface 2 (the RT version - though you won't find as many apps on this platform as you would for the iPad); and (3) an Android Tablet (in this category, you could opt for the Nexus 10 (though I suspect this is either being phased out or is going to be replaced by a newer model) or a Samsung 10" tablet (one benefit being that you would get some pen capabilities).

Of these three, I think the iPad Air provides the most slick experience. The Surface 2 has the advantage of a very nice keyboard (backlit, no less, which doubles as a cover) and MS Office free and preinstalled. The android tablets - the Nexus 10 and the Samsung - are not bad. I personally own (in addition to the first two) the Nexus 10. It has an excellent screen, but I only use it for watching movies.

The key question for you to consider is this: How important is Flash to you? If it is something that you can live without, then I would recommend the iPad Air. If you can't, I would recommend the Surface 2.

 

[AppleRobert]

I'd stick with Apple. Go for the Air and see what you think about it after 10 days or so and try to do everything you feel you want to with it.

If it doesn't work out, return it and try the Surface. I'd start with the Air first though, not the Surface first.

 

[The Doctor11]

You seem to be in apples ecosystem a lot already I would get an iPad. You need to decide witch one. I would say to go with the air because it's much faster and better and stuff but it will mostly it will last much longer. I am 100% sure that the iPad 2 won't get an os past iOS 8 the air will last much much longer. Or you could see if you can get a refurbished 4 or 3.

 

[Newmacer2]

Thank you all very much!

 

[carjakester]

If retina is not important to you, you can do all of what you want with an iPad 2 or iPad 4 and can save a lot of money. If you buy a refurb from Apple it will look like new. It comes with a new outer case and battery along with a 1 year warranty.

If you want Android, there is a huge selection. Check out the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note 3. In fact Amazon had a sale on those to clear out their stock for the Note 4

ipad 4 has retina...

 

[Ladybug]

Air of course, why buy old tech if you can afford better? My husband bought me an iPad 1 the same day the 2 was released. And because it was a present I felt I had to keep it. However I had iPad 2 envy the whole year I used it. The Air is lighter, thinner, and faster wifi too.

 

[kathyricks]

Macbook Air, 11 inch for $849 http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...nch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

Same size as iPad Air, just 1 pound more in weight and it's a real computer that's vastly easier to use, vastly more capable and vastly faster than any Apple tablet. And no need to buy a camera connection kit or a portable flash drive to move photos and other files on and off the Macbook.

 

[s2mikey]

Macbook Air, 11 inch for $849 http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...nch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

Same size as iPad Air, just 1 pound more in weight and it's a real computer that's vastly easier to use, vastly more capable and vastly faster than any Apple tablet. And no need to buy a camera connection kit or a portable flash drive to move photos and other files on and off the Macbook.

That's great and all but it sounds like the OP wanted a tablet and probably didn't want to spend $850 bucks either.

To the OP: as others have pointed out, you could easily get by with a refurbed iPad 4 like I got for the wifey. She's smitten with it and I saved a good buck getting that over a new Air. Otherwise, just get an Air. It's a great tablet. For other brands, the Nexus seems to be very popular and the reviews are usually good for them.

 

[David58117]

I started this thread earlier today, but for some reason my post isn't showing up. So, I'll post again.

Finally I have enough money saved to purchase an iPad or other tablet and I'd like some guidance from those who have been down this road.

I'm not rich by any means, but I do want to buy what's best for my needs, so money isn't an object. I would use a tablet for e-mail, texts, surfing the Net, shopping, watching videos on YouTube and some that friends send me, etc. I do not play computer games at all. I'm not interested in a mini anything for I will be using it at home and won't need something smaller. I have an iMac and an iPhone.

I was disappointed to find out that iPads don't have "Flash", so buying a tablet from one of Apple's competitors isn't out of the picture, but I'd prefer to stay with Apple. My eyes have seen better days, so good sharp clarity is important.

Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated. Thanks.

Wasn't flash taken out of android?

Last I remember, they took it out of the play store, and unless you had it preinstalled, you were out of luck.

Anyway, flash seems to be mostly out, and more efficient tech has emerged.

Besides, there are flash enabled browsers readily available in the App Store, if needed.

 

[eneisch]

Wasn't flash taken out of android?

Last I remember, they took it out of the play store, and unless you had it preinstalled, you were out of luck.

Anyway, flash seems to be mostly out, and more efficient tech has emerged.

Besides, there are flash enabled browsers readily available in the App Store, if needed.

You are correct...Adobe stopped developing Flash for Android in 2012. The latest versions of Android (Jellybean and KitKat) do not support Flash anymore. To be honest the Flash implementation on the Android tablets I've used pre-Android 4.0 were not that great to begin with.

If you have an iPhone already I would go with an iPad. You will already have a library of apps as I'm sure a lot of your apps will be universal, which means they will work on both devices.

 

[rui no onna]

To be honest the Flash implementation on the Android tablets I've used pre-Android 4.0 were not that great to begin with.

I agree. Flash on practically all the tablets I've used is a joke. HP TouchPad (both webOS and Android), Nexus 7, etc. Loading Flash content has been, from experience, a surefire way to crash the browser on mobile devices. Heck, even on powerful hardware, Flash is a mess. Most of the crashing I experience with Firefox and Chrome is related to Flash. If there's one thing I really liked that came with the advent of the iPad, it was the push for HTML5.

 

[Altis]

One question to ask may be, would you be happy with a 10" iPhone? Because that's effectively what the iPad is.

The Surface 2 has a lot of advantages over the iPad Air, such as Flash (in a proper desktop class browser), the ability to multitask/split screen, most USB devices can be used (mouse, keyboard, external drives, cameras,...), monitor output, etc... It's easy to put on a table as it has a built in stand, and can be equipped with a hard-keycap, backlit keyboard cover. It is widescreen, though, which can be less useful for websites such as news or forums, but better for videos.

The main advantage of iOS is the abundance of apps, which may or may not interest you (based on what you intend to do with it, it might not affect you). The Air is also quite light and easy to hold, and portrait orientation works well for things like forums and news.

I'd at least give those two a fair try.

 

[Rodster]

One question to ask may be, would you be happy with a 10" iPhone?

 

[Altis]

Image

Uhm.. What?

OP already has an iPhone, so they are familiar with iOS. The layout, limitations, design, way it's used, etc, are all extremely similar to the iPad.

So if the OP has any major gripes with iOS on their phone, it might be useful to include in the decision of getting an iPad.

 

[oldhifi]

you really don't need flash, most videos/websites work with the IPad..I have not found one that didn't.

 

[s2mikey]

you really don't need flash, most videos/websites work with the IPad..I have not found one that didn't.

I agree. The lack of flash support has become the most trivial, NON problem in the history of computing. Why would windows or android based products even bother bringing this up as an advantage?

 

[cammyg123]

I know you said you didn't want a mini anything. But I still think the iPad mini with retina display is your best option.

Other than that, I'd get the most up to date, new product, and go with the air.

 

[CoMoMacUser]

A Moose Once Bit My Sister

I got an iPad 1 shortly after it came out. This past fall, I bought a Lenovo Lynx, and for the most part, I like it. For example, the 10.6" wide screen is wonderful, and Windows 8.1's split-screen feature is handy for a lot of tasks. Windows has a tiny selection of apps, but that wasn't a factor when I was comparing tablets because most of my time on the iPad was spent with Mail and Safari.

Like the iPad, Windows tablets are better for consuming content than creating it. Typing even a short email or post such as this one is a chore, even with the bigger keyboard that the 10.6" wide screen enables. Even at almost 4 years, the iPad's battery lasts at least three times as long as the Lynx's.

My laptop and desktop are Macs, but I haven't found the lack of iCloud services to be a major drawback with the Lynx. My phone is an Android, and services such as Evernote, Dropbox and Google Calendar work fine across all three platforms.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Altis]

Other than that, I'd stay up god ate with a new product and go with the air.

I'm trying to figure out what it is you're saying here.

 

[cammyg123]

I'm trying to figure out what it is you're saying here.

Auto-correct thanks for pointing that out. I'll be sure to edit it.

 

[Shift Option K]

The only experiences I've had with tablets were using different kinds of tablets (iPads at work, Samsungs and other Droids, Surfaces and other Windows tablets including a 13 inch Samsung) in stores (the Surfaces, though, were at the actual Microsoft HQ), trying to root and breaking some Chinese Android thing (should've installed Ubuntu), so I don't have much advice, but however, I plan on buying an iPad 1, yes, 1, just for the built-in YouTube which is ad-free.

 

[kaielement]

Don't listen to any one who says get an iPad 2. You will thank yourself latter for getting the iPad air. And the longevity will be better. No clue how much longer the iPad 2 will be supported. And if ios 7 is any clue I hope it doesn't get ios 8. I loved my iPad 2 for what it was and love my iPad air for what it is. If money is no objection go with the iPad air for sure.

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Air of course, why buy old tech if you can afford better? My husband bought me an iPad 1 the same day the 2 was released. And because it was a present I felt I had to keep it. However I had iPad 2 envy the whole year I used it. The Air is lighter, thinner, and faster wifi too.

Plus if he had gotten you the iPad 2 you could use ios 7 and all your apps would work. So longevity is something to think about as I said before why buy old tech when new tech is here.