Monday, April 18, 2011

Apple iPad

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If you have had a serious thought about buying a tablet, you probably already know all about the iPad. But has the tablet that started this mad-rush still got it enough to fend off smaller, faster challengers? We laid our hands on the iPad after we had thoroughly gone through the Galaxy Tab, Dell streak etc. We couldn’t help but compare, compare, compare.

They don’t build them as fine as the unibody construction of the iPad. All aluminium back and a 10-inch screen covering the entire front. The iPad is solidly built; too solidly maybe. The aluminium that provides this devices majestic touch also makes it heavy.

With newer hardware and more RAM, and the new pace injected in Android 2.2, Galaxy Tab clearly outperforms the iPad. By no means is iOS sluggish, but team Android has cut down loading times to negligible.

The lack of camera and video calling might also put off some of the buyers.

But we have to admit that the experience of using a 10-inch tablet is completely different. Yes, you might be robbed of little pleasures like holding the tablet and reading a long book without developing joint problems (ok, a little exaggerated, but it’s not easy holding the iPad).But, the screen estate helps many aspects, typing not the least. The large screen and a very well laid-out multi-touch keyboard make typing on the iPad much more pleasing. Even the copy/paste of iOS is much more usable than on Android. And we love the little magnifier that helps in positioning the cursor while editing text, something we have to do with a blind eye on Android.

Another factor that works for the iPad is the excellent apps from Apple’s ‘App Store’. Apple’s is a closed system, where every app is scrutinized in a way that not everyone appreciates. But you cannot hide the fact that almost every ‘App Store’ app is more functional and refined than its counterpart on Android or other platforms. And you are way less likely to encounter problems due to compatibility issues.

The iPod based music app is one of the best in the category. The iPad now has our favorite VLC Player ported to it, playing almost all formats.

But the open-source Android still has some pluses over the closed iOS. Android’s notification bar is the envy of many Apple users. And not everyone can put up with the nonsense of having to use iTunes to transfer everything to the device. Overall, we recommend Android to the slightly adventurous people, and iOS to those who like stability.

Weight and size are major issues with the iPad. Consider this: Even Apple fanboys are eagerly waiting for expected 7-inch iPad. Since Apple don’t officially sell it in India, the price at which you land one could vary greatly. We got it directly from the US for about 34,000 bucks, but you might have to shell out as much as 50,000 to pick up one from the grey market. We strongly recommend against the device if you are at the wrong end of the pricing: It is not worth anything above 40,000.

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