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Would you stick with Ipad if a decent Android was released?

G

gadget123

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 17, 2011
2,388
340
United Kingdom
So they say Apple's market share will be strong with Ipad 2. Can you see a day when Android will take over like on phones? Would you ditch the Ipad for android on spec even if OS wise it was a slug? I'm sure many here would but I use to hate touch screen phones and using any other model feels like I'm using a touch screen phone where as Iphone I can text without effort like a keypad.

Flash might be good but if the device was a slug no thanks. For quality I don't think I'd look anywhere else but Apple Ipad now and in the future (unless they add a horrible 3D screen).

What's everybody else's thoughts? I'm sure there's many anti Apple people waiting to ditch Ipad for a "decent" android? Personally I hate android on mobile phones anyway prefer Samsung's own OS on the 'Wave' phone. :D The support for apps and IOS speed should keep Ipad miles ahead of anything for years to come.
 
I love android however picked up a acer iconia tablet and was very disappointed with it,I am sticking with my iPad for now.
 
The tablet wars are a hard one to figure. With Phones we know there is a significant demand. Tablets are a luxury toy for most. I have sample of both iOS (iPad2) and android tablets now, and they provide the same amount of distraction. I can check my mail or the web or the weather or my stocks on either. I can play games on either. I can even arrange the icons on both so they are in the same places on the same pages.

What does make a difference is unique apps that can only be found on one. I'm a fan of FlipBoard, which isn't available on Android right now. My Archos tablet is a much better video player than my iPad is, supporting far more codecs as well as streaming from my home network. I'd still love to be able to print content I create or receive (via email) on a tablet, so the first OS to add print driver support will be where I settle. Looks like a tie right now though.
 
4DThinker said:
The tablet wars are a hard one to figure. With Phones we know there is a significant demand. Tablets are a luxury toy for most. I have sample of both iOS (iPad2) and android tablets now, and they provide the same amount of distraction. I can check my mail or the web or the weather or my stocks on either. I can play games on either. I can even arrange the icons on both so they are in the same places on the same pages.
Click to expand...

I think if Apple phones had removable battery, memory card support, standard sim, no need for Itunes then they would wipe everything out like the Nokia 3310 did. However they have a decent market share so don't need to do this.

The fact the next Iphone might get 8mp camera means it might be a serious camera phone which could not be said about Apple phones before the Iphone 4.
 
4DThinker said:
The tablet wars are a hard one to figure. With Phones we know there is a significant demand. Tablets are a luxury toy for most. I have sample of both iOS (iPad2) and android tablets now, and they provide the same amount of distraction. I can check my mail or the web or the weather or my stocks on either. I can play games on either. I can even arrange the icons on both so they are in the same places on the same pages.

What does make a difference is unique apps that can only be found on one. I'm a fan of FlipBoard, which isn't available on Android right now. My Archos tablet is a much better video player than my iPad is, supporting far more codecs as well as streaming from my home network. I'd still love to be able to print content I create or receive (via email) on a tablet, so the first OS to add print driver support will be where I settle. Looks like a tie right now though.
Click to expand...

+1

hardwarewise I'm happy with the performance of my iPad1. So there is no doubt that very soon there will be many tablets out there that have enough hardware performance for me.

On the software side it's a race between good apps available on the iPad and more useful features on the Android tablets.

I think it's more likely that Android tablets have general printing first, uploading and maintaining pictures from any source, supporting many codecs and file formats, allowing to upload via USB and share files between Apps in a file system and all that useful stuff.

If there will be a secure, simple and stable Android system with the above mentioned features then I think I would switch because the iPad is simply too locked in for my taste.
 
4DThinker said:
The tablet wars are a hard one to figure. With Phones we know there is a significant demand. Tablets are a luxury toy for most. I have sample of both iOS (iPad2) and android tablets now, and they provide the same amount of distraction. I can check my mail or the web or the weather or my stocks on either. I can play games on either. I can even arrange the icons on both so they are in the same places on the same pages.

What does make a difference is unique apps that can only be found on one. I'm a fan of FlipBoard, which isn't available on Android right now. My Archos tablet is a much better video player than my iPad is, supporting far more codecs as well as streaming from my home network. I'd still love to be able to print content I create or receive (via email) on a tablet, so the first OS to add print driver support will be where I settle. Looks like a tie right now though.
Click to expand...

I can play avi, mkv, mov, mp4, m4v and a slew of others on my iPad via AVPlayer and streaming back and forth from Mac to iPad to ATV, is an Apple trademark. I upload video content directly to the iPad with AVPlayer should I wish. Not to mention I can print my emails via gmail. Sounds to me like you haven't used your iPad to it's potential.
 
Right now I would stick to iPad as I like to exchange very transparent my applications and data between iPhone and iPad. Did I forgot my iPod Touch ?

Adding a tablet with Android 3.0 would just adding a non-compatible gadget to play with and wasting money (I would of course; my wife on the other side would send me direct into a mental hospital).

Once I get sick of iP* eco system I might would switch to Android but I can't see that in near future. The combo iPhone and iPad just gives all I want right now; I don't miss Flash, I don't miss a memory card.

A bit OT: The only thing I would really like to see is that our Telecon-Companies can keep the same speed of evolution as Apple propose. And that they get rid of all those data caps and limitations (like theathering and port-blocking); again: thats OT and also valid for Android Eco-System.
 
If I can seamlessly use all of the carefully-crafted data I've setup in iTunes (song/video meta-data tags, ratings, playlists, etc) on an Android device, I might consider switching.

If I have to manually drag-and-drop my stuff on the device? Forget it, that is a huge pain. How do you manage the space if you have 500GB worth of content but only a 32GB device? In iTunes I can sync specific playlists (including Smart Playlists that can change over time and can be limited to certain size restrictions), how would I do that with an Android device?

I don't have an Android device currently so I am truly curious how this would work.
 
gadget123 said:
So they say Apple's market share will be strong with Ipad 2. Can you see a day when Android will take over like on phones?
Click to expand...

Android got a jump on smart phones because the iPhone was only available on AT&T, and Droid phones released on all carriers. Many people myself included purchased an Android phone because we wanted a smart phone and our carrier of choice did not have the iPhone. I did not purchase the Droid phone because I thought it was superior, I purchased it because my dislike of AT&T was greater than my desire for an iPhone. Had Verizon formally announced 1 month earlier I would have jumped to them. Now that the iPhone is on two of the major carriers they are taking back market share. Plus people are learning about the problems and inconsistencies of the Droid market.

When you look at the iPad there is a Wifi only model, no need to make a phone carrier choice. Totally different market plan. Now people are truly free to buy the device that best meets their needs without getting shoehorned into a two year contract with a third party business. The iPad market will more closely follow the iPod market where Apple totally rules. Both devices are luxury, both do many of the same things, and use the same apps. I have not seen any serious competitor to the iPod Touch yet, it has been 4 years.

The other thing that Apple has built into there model that Android has yet to do, is Brand loyalty. Apple makes the user experience so delightful and trouble free that the customer associates quality with the brand. The customer will automatically think of Apple first with the purchase of the next Smart touch screen device.

Android on the other hand does not do this, there are many cell phone makers, and now many tablet makers some are the same some are not. As I said I have a droid phone. It has serious issues. Because of my lack luster experience I will not consider another droid device. All in the Droid market are associated with all others in the droid market. One bad apple (Pun intended), can ruin the batch.

When the droid market realizes it is about customer experience and not volume sold, they will become a serious competitor to the iOS devices, until then they are simply an interesting distraction.
 
Frankly, I think that the most comparable non-iOS tablets to the iPad is the Eee Pad Transformer running Android and maybe the Blackberry Playbook.
Their software is starting to get more user-friendly like iOS but has more customisation options.
Not to mention, their performance at doing tasks are rather exceptional, especially the Playbook's multitasking.
Their hardware is way above the iPad's and is getting more compatible with thier own software with each passing day.
The only weakness of Android and BB is probably because of the apps available.
Apple beats them hands down in that particular field.
And the people want apps for entertainment, apps for all sorts of things, apps which Android and BB are not able to offer as much.
If they expand their number of apps, I think that the competition would get much more intensive.
 
I definitely would. Ecosystem baby. Its all about the ecosystem. Its the most supported of any other OS for mobile devices. So u are garanteed to get the bang for your buck.
 
I dont care about Android and i doubt i ever will. The creators of Android and manufacturers of the devices simply dont put "love" in their work. And that shows. They are generic copycats of Apple products, invented simply becouse Apple had success and not becouse they believe that is how tech should be.


There.

(Inb4 haters.)
 
Steve Jobs, whip out your checkbook!

Wife decided to switch to family data/phone plan, but wanted to stick with US Cellular. (We both have iPads, but I live in a mammocracy...:rolleyes:)

So, I've got that company's version of the galaxy s, the samsung mesmerize.

Eh, not bad....but definitely like the iOS better.

HOWEVER, couldn't help but notice that android 2.2 froyo appears to have voice to text support built in, courtesy of dragon dictation. I think the dragon app works better on my iPad than on my android phone. I'm really starting to like voice apps like Dragon Dictation, and the google voice and bing apps, which also use Dragon. But it seems that almost every android app on my phone has a microphone button on the virtual keyboard where text is expected.

I really, really hope this capability is built into iOS5. If not, Steve Jobs needs to pull out his checkbook and buy a license (or hell, buy Dragon itself, they've got the money) and make this happen.
 
I have no intention of replacing my iPad 2 until it no longer meets my needs/wants, regardless of what else is on the market.

When I do replace it, we'll see what best fits my needs. However, part of that decision will involve all the software I've invested in, and how much of that I'd have to rebuy - or even that I could rebuy, if it's available on other platforms. So how well the others catch up in terms if software is going to be vital for me.
 
Probably, but one of my main deciding factors isn't actually OS, it's hardware. Seems like Android devices are just catching up with the physical form factor of the ipad 1, and I've grown far too accustomed to the incredible thinness of the ipad2.

But the ipad2's glaring shortcomings are wearing me down more every day and I do look hopefully at every new Android tablet released to see if that's my replacement. Nothing has come out yet that has made me put up my ipad2 on craigslist just yet,but I have feeling that one day I'll be doing just that.
 
iOS 5 will probably strengthen a lot of peoples' faith in their iPads if they are on the fence. Apple needs to do something big with iOS 5 at least in the way of notifications, updates, and maybe just some minor customization tweaks. I have a feeling they are going to hit a home run with iOS 5--if they just fix notifications that will be enough for me.

I have used Android tablets--the Galaxy Tab seems to be the most solid one in my eyes. But I still just don't like Android in general. It doesn't seem like the way to go for tablets right now.
 
The hardware doesn't matter at all. I have 0 faith in any Android device maker in updating and supporting their device like Apple supports theirs. Android makers seem to mostly treat their wares as throw-away. You buy it; they may update it once or twice (after a long delay with the phones), and then you throw it away and get another one when they stop caring about the old product maybe a year later.

I much prefer a company that cares supporting what they sell. Yes, Apple eventually stops updating for older hardware, too, because it is inevitable. But, you know that for at least 2 years they're going to take care of you with updates.

The ecosystem with Apple has already been mentioned, but it is also why I don't foresee going to Android. There's just no support structure for it like Apple has. Even Google is realizing this and starting to lock down more on the hardware. Amazon decided to build their own app market because Google's is so terrible. I'd be afraid to install anything from the standard Android market for fear of it being malware in disguise because there's no one checking it beforehand.

I personally consider Android just as closed, if not more closed, than Apple. On the phones, the carriers force extra software on you that Apple does not with the iPhone. Yes, I know you can root and uninstall or put on a custom ROM, but the average person never does that. And since you can jailbreak an iPhone, that ability is meaningless in comparison. I did try jailbreaking and Cydia once, and it was so exceptionally bad that I quickly reverted to the stock OS.

Yes, I actually care about quality, and Apple delivers it. Why pay for less, especially when the price is effectively the same or better (iPad pricing) with Apple?
 
I'd get an Android device if they made one better than the iPad.

Decent isn't good enough. It's not like Android itself is a plus. I just want to use the better device.
 
Hardware is irrelevant in this area just as it was with iPods. Competitors don't realize this, so they think like computer makers and fill out their tech specs and then wonder why no one wants what they are building.

It's the OS that is the key.

It was the OS that won the PC wars (not because Windows is better, but because Microsoft made it almost impossible not to buy it).

It was the OS that won the music player wars. iPods just had a better overall system to work with.

It was the OS that made the iPhone the #1 smart phone model on Earth. You can only think Android is bigger if you lump all Android models together against just the iPhone.

It was the OS that is making the iPad the dominant force in tablets and making all other competitors look tired.

So as this decade moves along, and as the post-PC era picks up speed, and by 2020 the average consumer will think of a tablet as their primary computing device, you bet there will be lots of competitors. Apple cannot service the entire world at once, after all.

But until competitors can create an overall system that works as well as iOS with Mobile me and OS X, there's no reason to get anything Android unless you are a hacker, a person who buys based on ideology, or you cannot get (or afford) Apple stuff. For the average consumer, Apple makes a product, a service, and an infrastructure that just makes them more satsified. That's why we are approaching the halfway point of 2011 and iPads still make up more than 80% of the tablet market despite Super Bowl ads that hinted it would quickly be a museum piece.
 
4DThinker said:
What does make a difference is unique apps that can only be found on one. I'm a fan of FlipBoard, which isn't available on Android right now. My Archos tablet is a much better video player than my iPad is, supporting far more codecs as well as streaming from my home network.
Click to expand...

Check out BUZZ player. It should do nicely, although it still isn't going to do high-bitrate video (like 1080p or maybe even 720p) that well. It does stream from network sources.

If you want 720p, and have a fast computer, check out StreamToMe, which is a pure streaming application that really works well for sending video content to the iOS devices.
 
Skika said:
I dont care about Android and i doubt i ever will. The creators of Android and manufacturers of the devices simply dont put "love" in their work. And that shows. They are generic copycats of Apple products, invented simply becouse Apple had success and not becouse they believe that is how tech should be.


There.

(Inb4 haters.)
Click to expand...

what exactly did they copy? apple didn't create an app store, they didn't create a tablet and they sure as hell didn't create iPhones shape. so what exactly did they copy from Apple??

not a hate post, but just want to see the response. Its been said before that xoom has by far a more superior quality than the ipad. And we all know who makes the highest quality phones. here is a hint, not apple.
 
erzhik said:
what exactly did they copy? apple didn't create an app store, they didn't create a tablet and they sure as hell didn't create a rectangular shaped phone. so what exactly did they copy from Apple??

not a hate post, but just want to see the response. Its been said before that xoom has by far a more superior quality than the ipad. And we all know who makes the highest quality phones. here is a hint, not apple.
Click to expand...

Apple copies too--but when they copy they tend to get it right and come up with a variation that most people love. MP3s didn't truly become mainstream until the iPod. Nobody gave a crap about tablets until the iPad. Smartphones were restricted mostly to business users until the iPhone came out.

And I actually disagree--I think Apple DOES make the highest quality phones. As Android phones become more and more dime-a-dozen, they seem to become more and more indistinguishable. A year ago, I would have been able to say, "Hey--that guy has the new Droid Incredible!" Now they all look the same. If you see someone walking down the street with a hunk of black plastic with a huge camera lens on the back, it's probably an Android phone or a Blackberry--almost hard to tell between THOSE now too.
 
If?

When the iPad 2 was coming out there were a lot of posts saying how Xoom was better and <insert competing tablet here> was or would be better. So it is funny to see the question now posed as IF a decent Android was released. As in, I thought decent Androids had been released. It appears that the bar has moved again. That said, I will answer Yes. If you have been using an iPad it seems like something would have to make you pretty unhappy to drop the money on a different OS tablet and start acquiring apps again.
I don't think it is blinders on thinking I think it is just the practicality of it. It was a big decision for me to move to Apple after many years and Windows boxes. I could not afford to have then moved back to Windows because finally a decent windows OS - ME, er, XP, er, Vista, No Windows 7, that's the ticket! was released. The disturbing thing about marketing is that each new device or OS comes freshly wrapped with the old promises. You make a decision and you stick with it as long as you can get your work or media consumption or whatever done satisfactorily.
 
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