I am a tablet fanatic, I've been fascinated with them from a young age and always wondered why they never gained the popularity and fame that they deserved. Well 10 years and simplified OSs (operating system) later tablets are set to take over the world.
The average consumer has a few basic needs when it comes to computing: checking emails, social networking applications, entertainment, directions, and the occasional video chat. Tablets, now stronger than ever, can meet all of those needs with their eyes closed. Let me just give you a small break-down of the hot tablets.
First, The iPad 2 (Apple iOS) and all of its commercial glory
User friendly, the cool factor, great customer support, and accessories ad nauseam ; possibly the strongest of the advantages that Apple has to offer. Apple's hold of the technology gadget market cannot be denied. Apple has some great range in the pricing of their devices with the least expensive model starting at $499. The new iPad 2 is slimmer than the original iPad (surprise!), has dual-cameras (front standard VGA and the rear capable of a 720p capture),a dual-core processor, but still no HD screen or expandable storage. A new refined OS is said to be available with the new iPads, but widgets will still not be supported. Apple definitely has the best branding of any company out right now, but they are really good at fooling the average consumer. First, this tablet is 3G capable NOT 4G. Personally, I'm not a need for speed kind of person and 3G is just fine for me, but it's really going to be irritating to see the next generation, next year with 4G speeds. It's a great tablet for the average person: there's an app for practically everything and you can rest assured that you can go accessory crazy at a lower price, because there's always going to be a high supply of companies making Apple accessories.
Android Honeycomb (Android OS 3.0) tablet: The Motorola XOOM
Perhaps the sexiest thing to me when I first heard about it. This tablet features Android Honeycomb OS, which is not the Android you're used to seeing on smartphones. Honeycomb has been refined to give you more of a computer feel. The Honeycomb operating system is experiencing some glitches and I wouldn't advise anyone really jump into it until the first update has been released. Also, the market needs a little more time to get some Honeycomb optimized applications out there. This tablet sports a dual-core processor faster than the iPad 2 and also both of its cameras are better than its Apple competitor. The Xoom has a HD screen, and also its widescreen display makes it the ideal tablet for typing and watching movies. A lack of ports is a little disappointing with this tablet, because there are so many Android Tablets available the accessories are usually for universal use (get ready to cough up some serious dough for Moto-specific accessories).
Speaking of money, this tablet hits an extreme sour note on its pricing; a whopping $800 for a 3G/4G+Wifi tablet without a contract ($600 for a 2yr contract option through the beloved Verizon Wireless). As of now, the tablets are only 3G capable and the microSD card port is not active. Motorola will, hopefully soon, be launching their free upgrade program. You will ship your $800 pride-and-joy away, all expenses paid by Motorola, for about a week to have it return 4G and microSD card ready. Personally I love this tablet, but I feel as if Motorola rushed to release it and sacrificed customer satisfaction. The owners of Xooms have laid out the big bucks and wait for Motorola to give them what they paid for. Also, Motorola rolled the die on the high prices and due to their piss poor sales their stocks are down by 20%. I pray that they come to their senses on the pricing of the tablets, but until then their revenue and thrifty geeks will suffer in silence.
In terms of a winner, I'd say for the average consumer you should be sticking with Apple. Motorola took some big gambles and lost miserably at most of them. The iPad 2 is more new user friendly and rather intuitive. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. The only problem lies with someone that does not use iTunes or have an Apple store account. The setup may take all of ten minutes, but once you're set up you're good to go. Allow Motorola to mature on its tablet sales and build, because this is their first shot and well it's only human to stumble through it. For my avid androphiles out there that can wait a month or two there's a tablet will blow the XOOM out of the water, until then iPads will dominate.
'Til Later
B. C.
No comments:
Post a Comment