Ipad v Android

[davew]

Hope someone can help here. I have a real dilemma on whether to buy an Ipad or Android - such as a Galaxy etc for my wife for Christmas.

She has had a cheapy 10" Android tablet for several months, it was bought to see if she liked it and would use it. She does like it and uses it all the time - that said it has serious limitations so we/she is thinking of upgrading.

Clarly the most popular thing at the mo is the Ipad but I would like some critical observations and advice (ie, not - I bought a *** therefore its the best).

The one she's got she uses for games, a bit of net browsing, photos and music. It does nothing easily - other than download and execute apps OK. It's not easy to get photos on (has to take SD card out of camera, insert into tablet, copy and paste). Music is much the same, a real pain to load up to the point she probably only has a dozen songs on it. It doesn't seem to be able to tether to a laptop or PC. Its wifi is hopeless - needs to be within about 3m of the router to connect.

She needs something that does all these things only better: wifi when out and about (within range at say MacDonalds or similar), easy to load data onto (songs, pics). I know the new Ipad can also take a SIM card for mobile browsing. I'm thinking that no-one else does this and this could be a feature she would like (we travel quite a bit)

Money isn't the main issue but wasting money is! What does she need? Thanks

[ph678]

i have the new ipad and though its good for what i want it for i find it very limited to where you can get apps and so on for it. In my honest opinion id go for the
new galaxy 10.1 android tab as you get a seperate slot for expanding memory unlike the ipad you pay extortionate amounts for not alot of memory!
the skys the limit for what you can do on it and where you get your apps and so on for it. if the galaxy tab is anything like its little brother phone the s3
you will absolutely love it!

[highlightshadow]

All media to and from iPad (mostly) is managed through iTunes.... it works much better on a mac though as it integrates nicely with things like iPhoto .... but on Windows you basically point it at a directory of photos and click which folders to sync.... music simlarly, you really do it all in iTunes.

iPad 4th gen (current) is nice, typically a little more expensive than a similarly sized Android tab and can do 3G optionally ...
Expansion isn't possible on iPad, SD/USB reader is a £20ish dongle add-on

I think the app state-of-play is slightly better on Apple side than Android but they're very different look & feel.... i'm an Apple fan but even i'm getting a bit bored of iOS's look and feel and now have an android phone for work

Android is much much more customisable in terms of look and feel ... with live wallpapers, widgets and a much more interactive home-screen setup .... Apple is more app centric and task focused but games are there and performs well

Obviously both eco systems are non-interchangable so once you start investing in apps on one you're kinda getting tied in ... i know i am very heavily invested in Apple apps having had iPhone and iPads for 3 years now.

[mark_w]

I can't comment on the android tablet so not sure if what I am about to say will help but...

I have and Ipad and it works great (including wifi range). I recently also bought a laptop to replace a old PC so I we could have word etc. Since getting the laptop all it has been used for is my flight sim, the ipad does everything else we need, and it gets used all evening every evening.

I thought I would keep bumping into the limitations of the ipad when I first got one (I was a little sceptical) but I have to say it just works with no hassle imo.

[Varelco]

Hi Dave,

I have an ipad 3 and its great, i could go into how pretty it is but i will cut to chase. I have an android phone to compare this to, the apple app store has a better choice of games than the android, there are thousands of games on both but I find Apples selection slightly better. The Wifi is pretty good on the Ipad although my phone is better (either way its much better than what she already has) this is more likely down to hardware rather than software. Connecting to wifi hotspots has been good, with the exception of a couple of hotels (could be their wifi though?)

You can transfer photos and music with iTunes on a PC/Laptop. The music part is excellent, very organised and easy to use, creating playlists, transfering and organising is a breeze. She can also buy music off itunes from the ipad without the need for a PC. The speaker on the ipad isnt too bad either.

The photo side is pants, transferring images is a pain. It lacks basic functionality. For example if I want to transfer some photos from a folder on my PC to my ipad, I cant select and sync individual photos, it will transfer the whole folder of photos unless I create a new one with the images I want transfered in it, also I cant delete these downloaded photos without plugging the ipad back into the PC. Ive also had issues where existing photo albums are overwritten but i think this is just my lack of knowledge. You also cant create albums easily. You can use iCloud to stream photos onto your PC which is great but there are some simple things which are missing.

Net browsing is great on the ipad, all the functions are very good on Safari (apples browser) i have no issues with that at all. 99% of my browsing is done on my ipad as sometimes its easier than using a PC. In comparison my android phone is nowhere near as good.

One thing that i do much prefer on android is the versatility, and the widgets. Apples IOS doesnt seem to be as flexible as the android system and you do sometimes feel limited in what you can do, but it does work extremely well, its very fluid but a bit boring in comparison.

hope this helps!

[danch]

If you just want it to work & sync nicely then buy iPad, nothing really comes close to ease of use, bought the wife one & she loves it even got her to try the Galaxy Tab but she found it clunky & not as slick (this is her opinion)

I have the Galaxy S3 LTE & got it as wanted to have a change from iPhones & although it has a great screen & is customisable to the nth degree & still find myself wanting my iPhone back, it is not as slick & the keyboard when texting/emailing gets me annoyed to the verge of throwing it at the wall (I think it has something to do with the different screen type compared to iPhones)

Honestly, having played with both I would choose the iPad hands down

Dan

[Mark_T]

For various reasons which I won't go into, I have one of pretty much everything available here, it is the iPads that get the use though rather than the Android tablets.

If you have the knowledge and willingness to tinker than Android may be a better choice, if you just want to use it then iPad every time.

If portability is important take a good look at the iPad Mini, it is likely to replace my full size iPad as my travel companion very soon now.

[del19_82]

Ipad v Android

I have an iPad2 and an android tab. The android is never out of the box and the iPad is never out if my hands. Best investment I've made. My laptop was completely defunct so I sold it and put iTunes on my old dears laptop just incase.

[davew]

OK chaps, have got the message! Many, many thanks for clearing the fog for me - Ipad it is.

I now need just a little more guidance - there are variables to overcome as well!

You have a flavour of what it will be used for - how big a memory do we need. I'm told this is less critical today as you can store excess stuff on ICloud (or something similar).

Secondly - is it worth the extra £100 for the SIM card capability?

[Gecko501]

Ipad v Android

[QUOTE=davew;936635]OK chaps, have got the message! Many, many thanks for clearing the fog for me - Ipad it is.

I now need just a little more guidance - there are variables to overcome as well!

You have a flavour of what it will be used for - how big a memory do we need. I'm told this is less critical today as you can store excess stuff on ICloud (or something similar).

Secondly - is it worth the extra £100 for the SIM card capability?[/QUOTE]

I would say no as you need to get a data sim contract on top on the £100. I turn the personal hotspot on my iPhone on and connect to the net that way when traveling... (Unless you aboard and get a pay as you go sim for that country)

[Varelco]

As Gecko said its not worth it, if your phone has the ability to do it, you can use your phones network connection as a wifi hotspot and connect the iPad to that.