Although the smartphone race is close, Apple is clearly top dog in the tablet world, holding 81 percent of the market, four times the sum of all the other tablets combined even before the newest iPad release. With a number-one
satisfaction rating since its conception, the iPad outperforms competitors in nearly every category, and just to show you, we’ll compare using distant runners-up – the Nexus 10 and Kindle Fire – up against the latest iPad.
With the big reveal of Apple’s iPad Air, all the cards are on the table, and so far they’re looking slimmer, shinier and sexier than ever. See if you can find a reason not to choose iPad in this tech showdown, because as far as we can tell, there’s the iPad and then there’s other tablets; just like there’s The Beatles and then there’s other bands.
Components
The iPad Air is a paradox in its ability to be less and more at the same time, smaller and lighter than ever yet stronger, faster and just as durable at the same time. Like picking up your firstborn for the first time, mesmerized by how something so tiny can produce so much shit, the same goes for the Air. Like an anorexic Australian model, it’s 20 percent thinner than its predecessor, weighing only a single pound, making it the lightest full-size tablet on the planet. Both the Kindle Fire and Nexus 10 are a couple of fatties, weighing in at 1.25 pounds and more, meaning you get more processing power in a lighter package with Apple. And the same goes when putting the Mini up against smaller Androids.
Forget that despite iPads being made from shiny metals that make you cream yourself and Android using a rubber-coated plastic, Apple still comes out lighter somehow. OK, don’t forget that, because we’re comparing apples to rubber-coated plastic oranges here. Thanks to its smaller bezel borders, helping it shake off an extra quarter pound since last year, Apple wins here.
Clarity and Consistency
The 9.7-inch iPad retina screen and its 2,048 x 1,536 resolution beats out most competitors who, at best, run 1920 x 1200 resolution, but finally Apple surprisingly is surpassed by the Nexus 10’s 2,560 x 1600 resolution in its 10.1-inch package. That’s 264 pixels per inch for Apple compared to Nexus’s 300 ppi, giving Android its first noteworthy edge over iPads. Android wins here.
The iPad Air houses an A7 chip with 64-bit technology and dual-core processor, the same high-power ass-kicking chip as the iPhone 5S with twice the speed in both processing and graphics. With Nexus 10’s A15 chip and 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, Android rarely totes their processing power because it’s right down the middle for casual consumption, nothing mind-blowing like Apple. Part of the reason Android can charge less for their tablets – other than a cheap, rubbery build – is its so-so chip technology. So, for now, until the announcement of the new Nexus 10, Apple wins here.
Connectivity
When it comes to tablets, Android is best for leisurely scrolling and one-handed Internet browsing, but Apple comes to the table with tablets that help people get shit done, improving the quality of both personal and work life the best they know how.
Promising as much innovation on the inside as its outside, the iPad Air – in addition to its new chip and coprocessor – has a new MIMO-based, multiple antenna ultra fast Wi-Fi technology provides twice the performance of past Wi-Fi in both processing and graphics, 72 times faster than the original iPad. The Nexus 10 also runs a MIMO-based Wi-Fi but Apple’s new iPad is expected to get the best streaming after casting a few extra lines into the water with expanded LTE support adding more Wi-Fi carriers to its network. Apple wins here.
Camera
The cameras of all tablets are pretty comparable, like it matters because taking photos with a tablet is awkward besides embarrassing. The 5-megapixel camera with 1080p video quality seems standard for all, even though the Nexus 10 has a slight edge in front facing camera with 1.9 megapixels over Apple’s 1.2, making bedtime selfies that much more extravagant.
But seriously, Facetime and Hangouts for the tablets have become huge phone plan loophole tactics, making phone calls and texting so ’00s, and with a better camera resolution, you can see the crow’s feet and stretch-marks of your once close friends better than ever on these handy devices. Android wins here.
Contents
Android tablets are catching up with looks in terms of their screen and camera quality, but when it comes to applications, Android can’t come close to knocking off Apple’s incredible programs, many of which are about to become free and more heavily used with the Air’s high-powered operating system.
Applications like iPhoto and iMovie provide the workability of a laptop or desktop but still clearly a tablet ready, giving creative folks endless possibilities compared to any previous tablet. It’s all the things you want to do on your phone or on the go away from your desktop, only now it’s on a handheld, high-resolution screen with the processing speed needed to accomplish such tumultuous tasks. Apple wins.
Constraints
One thing Android does have going on is multi-user support, meaning signing in and out of your tablet, being able to share yours with your spouse, kids or hobo neighbor on the fringe. Apple makes each device the possession of a sole person, making consumers feel like they have to get their own. Although Apple has upped their privacy settings, there’s still something to be desired in making a device work for more than just a single person, as a tablet should sustain a small Mexican family of 14 under one roof. Android wins.
Cost
Money isn’t everything, which is why we save it for last, but it’s significant when you’re talking about expensive equipment. Most people make decisions on money alone; like when purchasing a new TV, people often look for the biggest screen at the cheapest price. So if you’re looking for the best resolution at the cheapest price, you could go with the 16-gigabyte Nexus 10 for $399 – keeping in mind this price will go down with the announcement of the new Nexus 10 – or even save some money and get a full-size 8.9-inch Kindle Fire for only $269.
But in all honesty, if Android devices had the quality of Apple, they would charge just as much, if not more. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 was sold at the same price as the iPad ($499) but with vastly lower screen quality and processing speed, yet Apple is willing to give its fastest, lightest, prettiest and smartest device to date away at a fair price. And what is a hundred bucks when you’re thinking long-term, as the iPad is built to outlast Android.
With 170 million iPads sold and nearly half a million apps in its App Store, with Apple’s iPad, you get what a lot more than what you pay, which may be a touch more than what you’re willing to spend. But I say if you’re fixed on money, looking for high resolution and not looking to purchase another in two years, go for the Mini. People like cool things in smaller, cuter packages anyway. Apple wins again, bitch.
