iPad 2 or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? help me make my decision please! :)

[samion]

Hi Mark, and also diamond.s.ranch and others.

I don't know if I am out of order resurrecting and hijacking this thread or if I'd be more out of order cluttering up the forum with a new thread so mods please feel free to advise me if I made the wrong decision. [EDIT in the end I obviously decided to start my own thread but again if this is the wrong decision then please mods append it to the "talk me into keeping the ipad 2" thread.

I am kind of in a similar position to DSR except I don't have the privilege of trying both to give one back. And unlike you Mark I don't have the money to keep both.

I'm interested in the ipad 2 but my experience with Apple (vs my mother's samsung android s2) is that an unjailbroken Apple device is a horridly suffocating device. Yet when its jailbroken it's worth almost any money to own. The trouble is I'm not sure if the iPad 2 will ever be jailbroken with iOS 5 so I have to look at the Tab.

The Tab looks incredible. Hardware specs destroy the iPad and the OS *looks* infinitely better than iOS and the customisation and openness of the whole thing just makes it seem SOOO much better than iPad.

BUT I remember having the same dilemma when looking at iPhone 3g vs samsung Omnia back in the day. The omnia had much better specs and was open etc but in the end I risked the iPhone (weird move for me given I don't like Apple and will never buy a Mac over a PC) and it is the best decision I ever made. I always kept an eye on new phones coming out though and each time a phone would be hailed as an "iPhone killer" but within weeks the hype would be over and it was clear nothign could beat the iPhone. The same with 3GS - when I bought that there were other techinically more superior phones available, all touted as being iPhone killers, but to date none of them has had a hope in hell of killing the iPhone.

I still have the 3GS but my mum has a Samsung Galaxy S phone, which is awesome. Better screen, better everything and on Android... but even though it should be better than the 3GS (more comparable to the iPhone 4) it doesn't even come close to beating even the 3GS. Why? Useability, slickness, sexiness. No matter how technically superior something is, if it's even a tiny bit laggy trying to swipe pages I'm less likely to even bother using it so the features become redundant. The iPhone is VERY useable. (swift moving pages, smoothness, etc). In fact the whole Android experienc on my mums allegely superior phone is vomit inducing. Laggy, choppy, horrid icons, amateur looking. Then there's the question of apps... Android has a bunch sure, but I looked on their Appstore for a good to-do app for her and by God the appstore is a *complete mess*. I didn't find what I wanted for her - nothing really good enough. Apple app store is infinitely better. Then I checked plants vs Zombies for my GF's new android and guess what - a ported version which apparently has problems and a couple of fake (yes... fake!!!) versions. I couldn't believe it.

Why am I going on about phones? Well I fear the same may be true for iPad vs Android tablets. I've been there before and I've seen it before. The Android OS looks better, it's open and customisable, the machines beat the pants of the Apple machines and they are being touted as iPad killers already - certainly the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is!. And even Apple are throwing their toys out of the pram it seems believing the hype and trying to ban it. BUT I fear that actually as before and as with phones actually nothin will beat the slickness and useabliity of the iPad and certainly nothing ill come close to the quality and availability of the apps.

So why am I not going with the iPad? Well... two things 1) I adore the look of the Tab (just like at every point in the past I always preferred the looks of iPhone competitors) and 2) my fear that the iPad 2 IOS5 may never get a jailbreak - because everything I write above is with me using a JAILBROKEN iPhone. The few times I've had the misfortune of being stranded in an unjailbroken state I almost threw the piece of junk in the bin and went out and bought an Android.

So if my JB fear is true I may want to jump ship to Tab, but then I don't want to go out of the frying pan and into the fire with a tablet that looks awesome but just doesn't deliver anything like an iPad experience.

I'm stuck!

Anyone who has both or has at least tried both and is genuinely unbiased, please can you advise me....

(ps I'll be using it mainly for web browsing/ calender/ to-do lists/ games/ any other fun apps etc)

Thanks in advance for any input and apologies for the longwinded post!

Sam

 

[SweetPoison]

Okay. You did make your own thread, and who is Mark?

Also ~ there are plenty of threads here, just recently too, about both of devices you are interested in.

Did you research? Use the search button?

 

[samion]

Sorry mate, always keen to do the right thing and no to offend. It is "mountainbikermark" on the original "help me to keep my iPad 2" (I'm paraphrasing) thread.

(Other threads are good but not specific enough to my concerns)

Shall I just do what I originally wanted and pop it into that thread? (worried about being a hijacker of a thread that's all - some forums prefer new threads - but I don't mind either way)

 

[SweetPoison]

Oh that Mark! So that other thread wasn't yours? Better keep this one.

 

[GoPackGo]

To each their own... While the specs might be better on the Galaxy, I like iOS better on the iPad than Android looks on tablets. Shrug. I bought the iPad on Tuesday and it exceeds my expectations.

 

[Wookiee2cu]

Just a few notes. Just because something looks better on paper doesn't mean it is in real life. If the Android tablets were so superior over the iPads then they would have a much larger market share. It seems like every time a new product is about to be launched it gets labeled as the iPhone/iPad killer and they all fail to live up to the hype. That being said, what is it that you are wanting to do on the iPad that specifically requires that it be jailbroken? You stated you would be using it for web browsing/ calender/ to-do lists/ games/ any other fun apps etc, I don't really see any of those requiring a jailbreak. Mine is jailbroken so I am aware of the benefits of the tweaks and customization but as far as being productive for work and so on I don't see where a jailbreak is a necessity.

For me I chose the iPad because of the larger app store, the great user experience, previous product reputations/reviews and the reputation of the company. I will admit that there are a few things that annoy me about the iPad such as no USB ports, only plays Apple's video format (although there are plenty of apps to get around this), closed source (although I don't have to worry about malware), low quality camera's (not a huge deal but if you're going to put them in there go with the higher quality ones), having to go through iTunes (supposedly this will end with iOS 5) and that's about it. So for all of my issues there is a work around for most of them. The question is, is there a work around for the issues you see with the iPad? If not, do you think you will be able to get over them?

 

[Pinkpoison]

I found your post a bit confusing,I have had an asus transformer and it went back as it gave me problems that has put me off having another android tablet,I now have ipad2 and love it,it's fast,slick and smooth,no problems,I don't find it "horridly suffocating",I too have galaxy s and while it's a great phone I may change to iPhone in the future,android is a bit too hit and miss for me after experiencing apples apps that always work,so I would say iPad,definitely.

 

[jsh1120]

Don't have a Galaxy but I've used one for a couple of hours. Here's my take. BTW, other than a now ancient iPod, the iPad is the only Apple product I own. Windows, Linux, Android are all software platforms I own and respect. Hardware from Dell, Lenovo, Motorola, HP, etc. In other words, not an Apple fanboy by any stretch.

() If you buy on the basis of specs, you'll almost never purchase any product from Apple. Apple usually stays a half step behind in terms of cutting edge hardware and they don't engage in mine is bigger than yours contests. Their focus is assuring compatibility and reliability. In this specific product area the difference in specs makes virtually no difference in overall performance.

() If you want to customize the user interface, go with Android. Apple is getting better and faster at plugging holes that enable "jailbreaking." By the same token, manufacturers using Android are improving their game, too. It is becoming more and more difficult to "root" Android devices. If you're buying a device and want to customize it, consider the options available in the standard devices. Don't count on being able to jailbreak/root the device. Not to say you won't be able to, but it's too much of an unknown to be a major point of differentiation.

() Pay less attention to the sheer number of apps available for each device than the availability of apps you care about. I bought an iPad because of the number of educational apps specifically aimed at kids. On the other hand, if I were using an onscreen virtual keyboard and the choices available were important to me, I'd probably have gone with an Android tablet. Many more distinct choices available compared to the iPad.

() Personally, I don't put much stock in the "Everyone buys iPads; they must be better" notion. If technological superiority were reflected in market share, betamax would have sunk VHS. On the other hand, if resale is important to you, the fact that you'll find more buyers for an iPad than a Galaxy tablet is something to keep in mind. (I'm not one to ask about this stuff; I drive a Saab.)

() The Galaxy appears to be a good product (from what I've seen.) Personally, I don't see that it's "good enough" to command a price comparable to the iPad. But that's partly because I don't want to spend my time customizing the interface and I do want to share my iPad with my seven year old. If I were buying a tablet solely for myself, I might well opt for a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet where design focuses more on the needs of business users and less on those of consumers trying to decide between an iPod and a tablet.

 

[RTomStudios]

Pretty much a no-brainer as you already own an iPhone go with the iPad to compliment the ability to use universal apps that works on both.

Specs really don't mean anything in todays world when you don't have the apps that takes advantage of them. Where-as in the Apple world, most apps will maximize out the potential of the hardware simply for the reason that the programmers knows that they are writing for a particular device rather then trying to accommodate a fragmented android system.

If you still are on the fence, by all means get the samsung as it is a very device, but once you go down that pathway, I would suggest getting the samsung phone too just to match.

In my case, I got the iPad first followed by the purchase of the iPhone, the Mac Mini and the Apple TV. The ability to stream movies, music across all my device is a blessing. They sync together, they work together and they share apps.

One of my best experience with the iPad was when I first bought it. It was just the cheap 16GB model. After a week of usage and loading it up with music, photos and apps, I decided to upgrade to the 64GB 3G version. After trading the iPad at the store, I came home and plugged in my new 64GB iPad into my Mac and within fifteen minutes all my apps, photos and music were reloaded on my iPad as though I never traded.

Also all my IOS updates have been hassle free and immediate after Apple announces it. With Android, you have to wait until Samsung test it out on your device before releasing it.

Just saying....

 

[treker]

My two cents: I am not an Apple fanboy. My first Apple purchase was iPod Touch in Jan after seeing my friend's in action. Then, I bought an iPad2 the day they were released. I really liked the iPad2. But the wife 'liked' it more...and I gave it to her. She loves the simplicity. Showing off pictures. Surfing in the airport. Watching several movies on the plane with battery to spare. I am content with small iPod.

Aug rolls around and I am itching for one of those new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 inchers after reading reviews and touching one at BestBuy. I bring it home for a week to really put it through my testing, knowing how well the iPad2 works. I like the Tab! It feels lighter and skinnier and just better to hold. No case is needed to protect the back. The hardware is really superior to iPad2. I enjoy setting it up exactly the way I like; not Steve's way. Jailbreaking isn't in my vocabulary. Now comes real world use...there just aren't many Android apps for a 10in tablet. Sure, lots for the tiny screens. They didn't even have Netflix the week I tried it. (availabel now). Skype wasn't available for the Tab. I had to use some other video chat app. No player available would play my 1080p 60fps AVCHD movies from Panasonic Camcorder. None. All these are available right now as well as many many thousands for the iPad2. They work. The iPad2 is just THERE. The Galaxy Tab might be there in six months with the right apps. But the battery did not last quite as long as the iPad2 from my experience. Close...and maybe good enough for some.

I returned the Galaxy and promptly bought another iPad2. I sold my netbook and laptops. I can travel without them now. The wife's pictures can be loaded with the Camera Kit. I put iTunes on her desktop and the occasional syncing I need to do for my iPad2. My desktop is iTunes free. Steve's way just grates on me...but for the simplicity and ease of use of a travelling tablet that does what I need...you can't beat the iPad2 for now.

 

[gineew]

You are in the iPad forums... I guess we will say iPad 2

 

[info]

Of couse iPad 2. Solid, stable, and beautiful, you can count on it now, and it has tremendous energy behind it pushing it forwards. I don't think you can go wrong. Good Luck!

 

[dissidentme]

Its all about the apps

What is a computer w/out software?a nice pqperweight! Get the ipad2, all the apps at your disposal make it where you never hqve to look back. As far as flash goes, dont beleive he hype! Not only is there an app for that, flash is overrated. Besides any site worth a damn will code the page so ios can view. But dont take my word for it. Get the android. But youll be sorry

 

[advsahir]

I think one of the major reasons why none of the honeycomb tabs succeeded is that honeycokb is a stopgap os. There are hardly any honeycomb specific apps. I think that is because google announced ice cream sandwich which will be a universal os for all devices. Now, if i were a developer, i wont waste my time developing apps for an os which will become history within a year of launching. I would rather develop for ice cream sandwich which will give me a much wider customer base.

So in the end, i think ipad is what you should buy. Android tabs will catch up eventually but nothing can beat the ipad right now



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- Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[sjleworthy]

If you're younger, into I.T., a bit techie, like to fiddle or hang onto your device all day then Android might be for you. Or, if you're an 'average' user, looking for a device which really honestly 'just works', something you can't crash and mess up, something you can master within an hour, something with 1000's of apps at your fingers, something that doesn't boast about specs, and something that looks damn sexy, then IPad for you.

My old mum could pick up an iPad and start to embrace and enjoy it within an hour or two. Absolutely ZERO change of that on an Android device.