How do you see Apple killing Android forever ?

[AQ_OC]

I still enjoy messing with my droid phones and like many of the features. Android is not going anywhere. However, they have a long way to go in the race to catch up in the tablet business. I had always wanted a droid tablet to play with but did not want to pay for one so I ended up trading one of my RC helis for a Transformer and while it had the features of android I liked the tablet as a whole felt cheap and was just junk. I sold the Transformer in hopes of upgrading it to the Transformer Prime when it came out but the Prime turned out to be the biggest tablet flop to date. Never could get my hands on one due to very poor product launch and when they were finally available they had so many problems that Asus basically scrapped them for the TF700 which is due out this summer. So ended up using that money to upgrade to the New iPad. Money much better spent.

No kidding. I had the prime on pre-order. I was so disappointed when it hit the streets and Asus had screwed up the design and all the antennas were compromised. Dang. And every time Asus releases a tablet you can't find it anywhere, which worked out to my advantage this time because we got to learn of all the issues and thus had time to cancel the order. Then they announced the HD version (before almost anyone had the prime -- talk about killing you own product). I mean --- talk about a sad screen......its no wonder apple is making all the money on tablets --- the google-led android market is simply a mess!

 

[andrzejls]

No kidding. I had the prime on pre-order. I was so disappointed when it hit the streets and Asus had screwed up the design and all the antennas were compromised. Dang. And every time Asus releases a tablet you can't find it anywhere, which worked out to my advantage this time because we got to learn of all the issues and thus had time to cancel the order. Then they announced the HD version (before almost anyone had the prime -- talk about killing you own product). I mean --- talk about a sad screen......its no wonder apple is making all the money on tablets --- the google-led android market is simply a mess!

AQ_OC. and seneca18
I own Transformer Prime as well as original Transformer and some others. Both Asus tablets work wonderfully. Prime has weaker GPS and WiFi in comparison to TF101, bu still pulls 59MBS from 40 feet away. Asus is NOT killing Prime (please spend some time on Android Tablets forums), it is introducing new device. Apple has only 1 (one) tablet, and the iPad (latest version) is not that hot specs vise in comparison to others (cameras, CPU, GPU just to mention few). It is very stable and has a lot of good features. Just the fact that another manufacturer is introducing new device does not mean that is killing the other. Look on Asus lineup of their tablets. All of them are active products. As I said above, iPad is very good product depending how you intend to used it and how much control over your own device you want to have. IMHO it is personal choice. On the other hand I do agree with statement, that we need Android and even Windows8 in order to have healthy competition. Competition create progress and advance in technology.

 

[AQ_OC]

AQ_OC. and seneca18
I own Transformer Prime as well as original Transformer and some others. Both Asus tablets work wonderfully. Prime has weaker GPS and WiFi in comparison to TF101, bu still pulls 59MBS from 40 feet away. Asus is NOT killing Prime (please spend some time on Android Tablets forums), it is introducing new device. Apple has only 1 (one) tablet, and the iPad (latest version) is not that hot specs vise in comparison to others (cameras, CPU, GPU just to mention few). It is very stable and has a lot of good features. Just the fact that another manufacturer is introducing new device does not mean that is killing the other. Look on Asus lineup of their tablets. All of them are active products. As I said above, iPad is very good product depending how you intend to used it and how much control over your own device you want to have. IMHO it is personal choice. On the other hand I do agree with statement, that we need Android and even Windows8 in order to have healthy competition. Competition create progress and advance in technology.

I do spend a lot of time on Android forums...and on the hardware forum and a LOT of owners have complained bitterly about the problems with the prime (many have reported about the poor performance of wifi, and gps, and even bluetooth on the prime -- so much so that Asus is releasing a add-on device to address the gps issue). And what I meant about killing the prime is when you release a product in January and then announce that a revised model is coming out 6 months later, that effectively kills a product because many people will do just as I did, cancel their prime order and wait for the newer model.

Spec-wise, I don't see any real advantages in the prime over the iPad 2 or iPad 3, my reason for getting an Android is because I like tablets and I have a LOT of Android purchased software. It only makes sense for me to have both platforms. Otherwise, I lose my investment in apps. And I do like that I can dig in further with Android (though I am not convince this nets me much, as I can find ways to do all the same things in iOS). I'm a old ms-dos/vms/unix guy, so I have no issues with getting my hands dirty.

I don't know...I'm kinda disappointed in Asus over the last prime release. I bought my Acer Iconia A500 because I could not get my hands on the first Transformer....it was not in stock any where for a long time....and then I pre-ordered the Prime and it too was hard get...then the problems were discovered, so I canceled that order. I own an Asus motherboard...and will probably buy another one in a couple of years, but I'm not sure I want to trust Asus on their tablets. Just too many issues. We'll see. Maybe they will do better with the TF701 this summer. But I definitely won't be the first to get one. Too risky. I'm also not a fan of the form factor used on Android tablets. Movie watching should not be a reason to use a 16:9 form factor.

 

[Lunar]

I think Apple may have reached their peak, and as they now have far more credible opposition in the market place, we will see their market share reduce over the next few years.

Unless they come out with something totally amazing, which I suspect is unlikely to happen. I suspect it will continue with more muchness, while the Android market will continue to take a bigger slice. I certainly think Samsungs super Oled technology will be the future direction, both for small hand held devices and large TV's. Once perfected it will enhance our TV's tremendiously, and will be nice to get rid of backlights once and for all... and can look forward to some nice contrasty panels with true blacks.. so that's a exciting possibility. I use a iPhone4s but I still think the wifes Galaxy S2's slightly lower resolution Super oled screen looks better, and certainly clearer and more visible in bright sunlight. JMO

The more expensive Android tablets are pretty good, weve had a couple ourselves, (though 1 was crap) I certainly miss their back button options on my iPads, so for much less money and with better screens on the horizon they are attractive and probably better value to people who are not bothered because it doesn't have Apple name printed on it. For value for money they are far likely the better buy... value for money wise.
I have a Apple Air laptop, and its so sleek and thin it really is amazing, but like the iPads you pay a big price for that, because you no longer have connections and ports we take for granted on a standard laptop, therefore for that reason we would never get rid of our normal laptop or my desktop for that reason.

 

[skallal]

I also own both the new iPad and the Asus Transformer TF101. If my Transformer was more stable and had better apps and had the retina display, I'd jettison the iPad in a heart beat. Conversely, if the iPad adopted some Android features like the Swype keyboard (or alternate keyboards in general) and had better interop between apps and a true keyboard dock, I'd give the Transformer the boot. My allegiances are practical!

Right now Android ICS doesn't hold a candle to the iPad in terms of tablet apps. A case in point is mind mapping apps and diagraming. So for now the iPad wins for me.

I am also watching Microsoft to see how they handle the upcoming Windows 8 release. It is too early to tell...

 

[AQ_OC]

A case in point is mind mapping apps and diagraming. So for now the iPad wins for me.

I have been very curious about mind mapping apps. Is there any way I could entice you into starting a thread on this and just commenting a bit about what you do with yours and how useful you find these tools? I feel as those the mind mapping would be beneficial to me, but I just don't want to jump into cold water and then die due to extreme cold (i.e., I don't want to waste money on something I don't need or I won't use).

 

[Skull One]

I think Apple may have reached their peak, and as they now have far more credible opposition in the market place, we will see their market share reduce over the next few years.

HUH? Apple peaked? Really? I can only assume you are looking at raw percentage of in use tablets to make such a wild claim. And I hate to break the bad news, that percentage doesn't mean a thing. Lets put this into perspective.

Apple sells 3 iPads and Android sells 1. That means 75% of the market is controlled by Apple and 25% of the market is controlled by Android.

Apple can and does sells 75 Million iPads a year and Android is struggling just to sell 25 million units a year. And to even get to that number they have to drop the price of units after 3 to 6 months. Apple doesn't drop the price. Ever. Hmmm.....

BTW iOS is GAINING ground on Android in the phone arena. Something that people said wouldn't happen with 170+ different Android phones on the market. Yet it just picked up 10% points since the launch of the 4S. Android's number actually aren't as good anymore as people think.

When Apple launches a new iPad, they have to have 4 to 6 million units on hand to meet the first few days of demand. When Android launches a new tablet, they only need 500K to 1 million on hand for the first few days. That is a sign of fragmentation inside Android.

So tell me again how Apple has peaked? And please explain how Android is unifying its users base considering the amount of fragmentation that is currently happening.

 

[Kaykaykay]

Tablet buyers fall into two basic categories: people who just want stuff to work and people who are willing to mess around to get things done. Most Android tabs haven't reached performance levels to meet the needs of people who just want stuff to work. At this point, Samsung and Amazon are the only Android manufacturers that have come close to serving that group, and that's the demographic where the money is, as Apple shows. And even Samsung and Amazon have a good number shortcomings.

I can judge by checking out Android forums over the years. (I wanted a tablet long before iPad existed, so I started reading up.) It's easy to tell from most device forums who the user base is, what the probs are. If you're a nontech user like me and don't do your homework and unknowingly buy an Acer or Asus, you're probably in for a bad experience. That's why I didn't buy any tablet before iPad, even though money wasn't an issue; I didn't see need to buy myself a headache, lol. I bought iPad on launch day because I knew it would work, because I had iPhone.

It's easy for even newbies to tell: If you check out iPad Forum, you'll see nontechs talk about enjoying their devices as well as how to do things. Unless you see likewise on an Android device forum, that device probably isn't ready for the masses. With the Samsung Galaxy Note phablet, for instance, you'll see such enjoyment posts, even though Android (sub)forums are splintered by manufacturers and devices, so there isn't the type of turnout as on iPad forum.

Basically, if you're a consumer, it's up to you to do some easy homework, so you don't get suckered into a device that's a bad fit.

I waited till Android devices met my needs before buying, and I'm happy with my Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Note. I knew what I was getting before I laid out my money. With Android maturing, I expect more devices to meet the needs of nontech users.

More options in the pipeline -- great!

 

[AQ_OC]

I think Apple may have reached their peak, and as they now have far more credible opposition in the market place, we will see their market share reduce over the next few years.

Unless they come out with something totally amazing, which I suspect is unlikely to happen. I suspect it will continue with more muchness, while the Android market will continue to take a bigger slice. I certainly think Samsungs super Oled technology will be the future direction, both for small hand held devices and large TV's. Once perfected it will enhance our TV's tremendiously, and will be nice to get rid of backlights once and for all... and can look forward to some nice contrasty panels with true blacks.. so that's a exciting possibility. I use a iPhone4s but I still think the wifes Galaxy S2's slightly lower resolution Super oled screen looks better, and certainly clearer and more visible in bright sunlight. JMO

The more expensive Android tablets are pretty good, weve had a couple ourselves, (though 1 was crap) I certainly miss their back button options on my iPads, so for much less money and with better screens on the horizon they are attractive and probably better value to people who are not bothered because it doesn't have Apple name printed on it. For value for money they are far likely the better buy... value for money wise.
I have a Apple Air laptop, and its so sleek and thin it really is amazing, but like the iPads you pay a big price for that, because you no longer have connections and ports we take for granted on a standard laptop, therefore for that reason we would never get rid of our normal laptop or my desktop for that reason.

I don't see the value side as you do. Sure, you can get what may seem like a better deal spec-wise, but the Apple has a rich universe of third-party add-ons that simply cannot be matched in the Android world. Just look at how many different types and styles of cases where are for the iPad. Because there are just 3 models, and they have sold so well, their are hoards of options. In the Android world, because there are hoards of different tablets, each with different sets of ports and locations, the options are minor. That in my mind does not equate to value.

And when you speak of value, what about resale value. I was able to get 60% of my money back on my iPad 2, whereas my Iconia was fetching around 15%. The Iconia has a lot of ports on it, though, so you can certainly move movies on/off easier, but it was very picky in terms of playing movies. That could be blamed on the Tegra 2 and things are supposely better now with tegra 3, but it doesn't speak well for Android when a whole generation of them suffered from playback issues. Did it really matter that you can plug in a usb drive to transfer a movie if you could make one work (BTW, I finally learned how to make movies work reliably using Handbrake, but a lot of people never could).

No, I don't the value equation is a simple as how many ports you have on a device as a lot of other factors impact value.

 

[AQ_OC]

K3, did you root your Kindle yet? If not, is that really an Android experience or something else? The Note surely is, but I think the Kindle is a walled garden just like the iPad. It's just built up on top of Android.

 

[Kaykaykay]

K3, did you root your Kindle yet? If not, is that really an Android experience or something else? The Note surely is, but I think the Kindle is a walled garden just like the iPad. It's just built up on top of Android.

I think you're missing my point: People who buy gadgets and just want them to work aren't interested in an "Android experience" (whatever that's supposed to be). If stuff just works, they'll be happy with it, regardless of platform.

And, yes, Kindle Fire is definitely a walled garden, as advertised. I bought it specifically because I wanted a smaller tab that I could read books on, watch movies on, and listen to audiobooks on. I use barely any apps on mine, so no need to root.

 

[seneca18]

I also own both the new iPad and the Asus Transformer TF101. If my Transformer was more stable and had better apps and had the retina display, I'd jettison the iPad in a heart beat. Conversely, if the iPad adopted some Android features like the Swype keyboard (or alternate keyboards in general) and had better interop between apps and a true keyboard dock, I'd give the Transformer the boot. My allegiances are practical!

Right now Android ICS doesn't hold a candle to the iPad in terms of tablet apps. A case in point is mind mapping apps and diagraming. So for now the iPad wins for me.

I am also watching Microsoft to see how they handle the upcoming Windows 8 release. It is too early to tell...

I'm also wanting to see the new Windows 8 in action on tablets. Hopefully they will be on the right track with it. They have done some good things lately with the new Nokia Lumina 900. It is actually a pretty neat phone for the price.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I'm also wanting to see the new Windows 8 in action on tablets. Hopefully they will be on the right track with it. They have done some good things lately with the new Nokia Lumina 900. It is actually a pretty neat phone for the price.

Yes, I want to see tablets on Windows 8, too. The Lumia 900 seems like a decent phone, but they bombed its launch:

Nokia Worth $6.50 Scrambles To Fix Lumia Data Bug With Turnaround At Stake - Forbes

 

[Lunar]

HUH? Apple peaked? Really? So tell me again how Apple has peaked? And please explain how Android is unifying its users base considering the amount of fragmentation that is currently happening.

Okay.. Apple has not peaked.. is that better.. they will never do any wrong and their pile of cash will continue to grow, simply due to the fact they have the golden midas touch... ;-)

seriously.. I hope they do, at least for the bit of time I have left..lol, but I suspect they will not re-invent the wheel, but continue to improve on what they have got, if they have not peaked now, I think their best days are likely behind them..JMO. but that may be still be a few years away... it happens to all companies, but I won't lose any sleep over it, I suggest you don't either. I like Apple equipment.. should do, I have an aweful lot of it, but things change in cycles, Apple will need to bring out something new and exciting again to hold their position in the future, and I suspect that's unlikely to happen...but you never know.. I suggest you do not take members comments so litterally, at the end of the day.. were both Apple fans are we not.

 

[seneca18]

Yes, I want to see tablets on Windows 8, too. The Lumia 900 seems like a decent phone, but they bombed its launch:

Nokia Worth $6.50 Scrambles To Fix Lumia Data Bug With Turnaround At Stake - Forbes

Lol, like my post earlier about the Transformer Prime all these companies need to get better at product launches.

Okay.. Apple has not peaked.. is that better.. they will never do any wrong and their pile of cash will continue to grow, simply due to the fact they have the golden midas touch... ;-)

seriously.. I hope they do, at least for the bit of time I have left..lol, but I suspect they will not re-invent the wheel, but continue to improve on what they have got, if they have not peaked now, I think their best days are likely behind them..JMO. but that may be still be a few years away... it happens to all companies, but I won't lose any sleep over it, I suggest you don't either. I like Apple equipment.. should do, I have an aweful lot of it, but things change in cycles, Apple will need to bring out something new and exciting again to hold their position in the future, and I suspect that's unlikely to happen...but you never know.. I suggest you do not take members comments so litterally, at the end of the day.. were both Apple fans are we not.

Everyone has their own opinion about what makes a great revolutionary product, but I think the iPhone 5 will be just that and create a new standard for phones once again. Also, if the rumors are true Apple plans to launch an actual TV (not Apple TV) but a full television. And just guessing but most people who are already integrated into the IOS ecosystem will get one either when it launches or when they need to upgrade their tv set as long as the thing does not cost too much more than other brand tv's. It is exciting for me since I recently bought Apple stock (better late than never).