Could anyone give me their insight into these 2 tablets, and which one they would get this christmas?
Taking into factor; price, quality, bang for buck
thanks
iPad Air vs Google Nexus 7 (2013)?
frenchfries on 19/12/2013 - 10:15
Comments
On the whole, you'll find pro Android and Pro Apple fans not the best to ask, they'll give you skewed opinions so ultimately you'll have to look at the features and decide yourself, go in store and try them both out.
Having said that, I'm pro Apple - iPad works for me, love the design and feel, and does everything I need. Easy to read eBooks, quick, responsive and smooth transitions between applications. App Store is populated, most software is either written for Apple devices first or dual release on App Store and Google play. I haven't been impressed by an Android tablet to date.
iPad's are expensive, but I'm happy to pay for what I believe to be the better product.
I think they are two very different tablets and probably not meant to be compared. A closer comparison would be nexus 7/iPad mini. Nexus 10/iPad air
I had an iPad 3rd gen. I sold it and bought a nexus 7 a couple of months ago and love it. I found I didn't use any apps on the iPad anymore and just wanted it for web browsing and such.
I am loving the nexus 7 size/performance/price and now find an iPad to be way to big and I hate going back to the iPad screen ratio almost being a square
But if you are after a device to play heaps of games I'd go iPad air just because of the bigger screen/better selection
I'm not pro either camp, have a nexus 7, iPod touch 5, windows 8 pc, old imac, Ubuntu laptop
I have both Android and iPad tablets. I find if you are more of a techie either ones is find, but you would probably prefer the nexus 7.
If you want ease of use, go for the ipadPrice : Nexus 7
Quality : Either is high quality, maybe a nicer box on the air
Bang for Buck : Nexus 7Basically, if you have no particular reason to go for the ipad (eg you need a particular app, compatibility, or screen size) then go for the Nexus 7 - you have less stake in a bad decision. Nexus 7 32GB have been going for ~$290, whereas an ipad air 32GB is $650.
Oh, and beware, the wifi versions have no GPS on the ipad (they all do on the N7) - you have to cough up $770 for an equivalent with 3G and the GPS. Weird.
I'm really after a tablet for school. But my main concern is that the google nexus won't be able to view pdfs, are transferring of pdfs to the google nexus from comp a relatively easy job?
I haven't transferred any but when I download a pdf they open in a program that's already installed, very easy and simple :)
Super easy, I use a nexus 7 for uni with all my lectures (which are pdfs). It is easy as connecting the tablet to your pc and dragging and dropping any file you want into the tablet.
This goes for not just pdfs, but movies and music etc.
Ipads I find to be far more confusing due to iTunes and etc, so you can't just drag and drop.iTunes is the worst for trying to quickly sync stuff over! So slow and generally have to wait for it to do a whole backup cycle first
.pdfs are fine on the Nexus. You can transfer by dragging and dropping into the internal storage (though the file system looks a bit cluttered), or simply by using Dropbox or Google Drive. I opt for the latter, because it's so much easier. You can use any number of productivity apps to view the .pdfs, like Adobe Reader or Google's own Quickoffice
To help get a better insight into giving you an answer why did you change your mind…
i changed my idea because i thought i might wait until christmas time (of which rumour was speculating as to whether a new google nexus 10 would be released), then again, the iPad air seemed like a viable option. But I'm lost :( don't know what to get, some people say the drag and drop doesn't work though
iPad is not drag and drop friendly at all. Android is much easier, but iOS is much more organized
maybe a better question is whether the 7" or 10" form factor would suit you better.
if you're viewing documents and browsing, a bigger screen is generally quite a good thing. Try them out in store and see what you think.
Both are good ease of use imo. From an android you can drag and drop, download straight from the device and use dropbox/other cloud things. Not too familiar about file transferring on Apple, but you can definitely easily use Dropbox for instant access (i.e. put into dropbox, access it through dropbox app/web on your iPad).
They're both really good devices, good high res and build quality.
Even as an android fan I would honestly go for the iPad in your situation, a bigger screen is gonna be a lot easiar for reading through notes, power points and there is a lot of support out there for the education area on iOS. (even if you use it for other things which I assume you will :P you can't go wrong with an iPad).
Having owned both I'd never go back to Apple.
iTunes bites for me, I know some people love it but I had to scour Google for a week to get it to stop crashing. In the end it was simply adding a string on to an environment variable but the fact the installation did not put it there initially I find to be unforgivable. PLUS I find iTunes slow and cumbersome just to get things on and off a tablet. And DO NOT get me started what happens to the iDevice and iTunes when you don't have any room left and there are things in the transfer queue. Nightmare.
Android lets me delete songs I don't want on the device itself. I find it stupid to have to take it out of iTunes and then sync if I quickly find I want something off. Add to this the fact I can completely customize the desktop of Android as opposed to simple rows of icons and folders on iOS. Widgets on Android give you live info as soon as you turn the device on. No need to start/stop apps all the time. Add to that easy multitasking.
The list goes on.
Android does what I want when I want it. I find it AS easy to learn as iOS, although some say iOS is easier. Even if that is true, I still think Android features leave iOS in the dust, and would take time to learn it a little. And with the app store having caught up with iOS there's basically no other choice for people like me any more. iOS devices are also overpriced for what you get. Seems to be more "Oh look it's shiny" with iOS devices rather than what it actually does functionality wise.
My kids still have a couple of used iPods because of apps they use at school we wanted and they ARE quite durable little entertainment devices, but both daughter and son have already put Android devices on their Christmas lists after using mine and my wife's.
So, here's another opinion. I'm not saying iDevices suck, but my sometimes skewed logic just can't understand why anyone would :)
wow thanks for all that, so much insight. The question now is the price, though they are both similar, i would defiantly go for the 10' any day, but price is more then double.
No probs. I grabbed the 10" Nexus 32Gb from Kogan for my son. It's wrapped up and waiting for him under the Christmas tree.
Figured it was priced good, excellent screen, and Android 4.4 and beyond compatible. I know some tablets now surpass it in raw speed, and it's a shame the rumored 2014 edition (Nexus 10 2?) never came about this Christmas and holiday season, but it is still ample power with a gorgeous screen that will certainly last him a very long time.
But the good thing with Android is - so much choice - YOU hold the power.
The only thing I say is DO NOT get one of these $99 jobbies with resolutions less than 720p. It's just not a nice Android experience and will leave you wanting.
i agree as well. Cheap androids won't last you long. Like i said to rockraccoon below, the quality of the iPad is much more superior, but with that being said, android isn't that bad, but i prefer the apple customer service anyway.
regards
The problem with listening to everyone and taking what they say as gospel, rather than just getting some ideas and checking them out carefully, is that they can have the wrong idea, and outdated info.
eg Ramrunner says
Android lets me delete songs I don't want on the device itself
This has been on the iPad since IOS5.
For Ramrunners information.
- Launch the Music app
- Tap through to any song, and slide sideways on the track name to bring up a red “Delete” button, tap that to delete the song
To delete another song just repeat the process. That’s really all there is to it.
It's like someone trying a brand of any tech product of a few years ago and not realising that like their own favourite brand, things do change and improve.
While I cant dispute that ramrunner had constant crashes, and I would assume that they are being honest with their experience, this has never happened to me, and I daresay many other users.
While its generally accepted that Android gives you more freedom, that does come at a price. The range of apps that are tablet only rather than phone apps "stretched" is far less than the iPad. Now do you want or need all those apps, well only time will tell.
Also someones 2 year old experience with a Tablet isnt the same as the one you buy now. I have the ipad1 which is slower than my iPad3 I prefer the iPad3, but I use the iPad1 for traveling OS and also my wife uses it for some card games and book reading. It also doubles as the music player for parties. but its not as fast or a slick as the newer unit. While I'd like the latest the reality is that costs money and I am a bargain hunter who watches my money.
What I do agree with is to get a better quality android if that's your choice, you gets what you pays for, a cheap one, will tend to turn you off a tablet.
Finally and this would be one of the key criteria in what you choice will be.
If you are not technically minded, then the support you can get from friends is going to be paramount. If they have Android devices, go that way. If they have iPads, that will make more sense. Even now I sometimes ask my sons for help on something I have missed. Also they show me (and me them) apps they use, and its a lot better than buying ones then finding they dont do what you want.
thats very true. I guess it does also come to down to quality, people say that the nexus 7 2013 model has really good quality, but i find it hard to believe at a $300 price tag? however, iPad on the other hand, is about 600 or so, but it comes with a guilt free apple refund (they are very generous in exchanging, refunding etc)
I'm more tilted towards the iPad now, but the price tag is deterring me, only if it was about $70-$100 cheaper i would have got it in a heartbeat. The question really is, portability vs size and functions.
"Tap through to any song, and slide sideways on the track name to bring up a red “Delete” button, tap that to delete the song"
I stand corrected. I just tried that on my son's Ipod and that does indeed work. Interesting that when I discuss what I thought was a glaring omission with my iPhone owning friends, nobody disputed my comment, and nobody actually knew you could now do this. For a few years I've lamented a feature which has obviously been adjusted, but not one of my friends knew how to delete a song off the iPhone. Well, I know now, and I can stop complaining!
Constant crashes isn't quite right - It happened whenever you start iTunes and it tried to access the store, which unfortunately is always tries to do first. See this discussion thread:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5252101?tstart=0
Over 21,000 views certainly means to me not an isolated incident. Fair enough? The first few comments are people guessing different solutions but further down the answer is given - there's a system variable that does not get set when iTunes installs on some versions of Windows for an unknown reason. Further down it's all just people giving thanks to the poster for the answer. It IS a real problem, and even though I had Apple support in a chat windows before I solved this myself with the aid of a forum, after un-installing, re-installing, and different versions I got advised to re-load Windows, so obviously my views of Apple support are not as wonderful as yours unfortunately. They did not even know about a problem with their own installer, and with the reload suggestion basically wanted the ball in my court as if it was my PC which had the problem. I have had good experiences with Apple when it came to refunding in-app micro payments in a kids game and warranty on my son's iPod (even when second hand) so I agree their hardware and support are good, but their software support (and in my opinion iTunes itself) are quite lackluster in my experience.
Everything else, I'm 100% with your comments. I don't know whether you've used an Android tablet in a while, but HD Tablet Apps are now in abundance. Possibly less than iPad as you say, but I think it's more a case of the Play store and Android tablets simply being a bit younger and less established. By this time next year I'm sure everything will have a tablet version.
HHmm. Having an aluminium shell makes it LOOK good to be sure, but just because it's shiny in my opinion does not necessarily mean better quality.
How do you define quality?
My kids iPod's backs are full of scratches and it appears to be a common theme. My Samsung phones have never developed these scratches. Yes, it's plastic. Is it therefore an inferior product? In your mind, maybe.
Look, go and spend double on something with less or same specs if you like, each to their own.
But please don't be blinded by the Apple fanaticism. Always keep an open mind. There's a reason GLOBAL (NOT US OR AUSTRALIA) sales of Android HANDSETS has surpassed iPhone. It really is a fantastic operating system.
Fair comments, only one real issue with what you say
But please don't be blinded by the Apple fanaticism.
Just like all systems there are fanatics. Like the Apple fanboy statement. Yes there are those, but really there are Android fanatics as well, but fail to realise their hatred of anything Apple is just as off putting as those from the opposite side.
The truth is in what you then say.
Always keep an open mind
As for quoting Android phone sales as a reason to buy is just as fanatical comment as those you detest.
This is a Tablet not a phone, you actually argue my point through this, and that Android apps are mainly Phone apps.
And really you cant take sales of Android which covers products which are sold at $39 at Coles or Woolies as cheap graphical handsets, as being comparable and indicative of acceptance of an OS on a tablet or even a high end smartphone.
Again I stress without pushing any platform, as I dont know frenchfries circle of friends. Hence my reluctance to make FAN like statements on what they should buy.
Start with seriously considering at what your friends have,
I make this as a separate observation.
You originally said you had trouble with itunes on a PC. But the topic you list with 21000 views was started a few months ago and a fix was posted. Most of the responses for the next 5 pages are thanking the poster for the fix.
Like all systems bugs can be introduced. This problem according to your link started in August 21 and a solution was posted 10 days later.
Like everything we can all find issues with every computer/phone if we want to. And I agree it is bloody annoying if it affects you, but again it is important when offering advice is to keep things in perspective.
BTW the delete option in itunes can be found very quickly in Google by typing "how to delete songs from iphone" I used that to copy text rather than make my own.
The issue many windows users have with iphone, is the concept that things are locked away This is SO true, but this doesnt mean that are not available, Apple works on keeping it simple. They work on making it "idiot" proof. Eg what will they do that will create an issue, like opps I deleted the song I wanted.
They then put little protections to stop this. With a little research these are overcome, but for many who have come from a DOS world these protections are seen as barriers and Apple trying to stop individuals from doing things.
Frustrating, but if you look at it this way you will realise with a little research you can overcome these. Just like with a little research with Android and you can update to the newest IOS via rootkitting.
I was looking to get a good mid-to-large size tablet for around $400 that wasn't sluggish with a nice screen, and sufficient storage to load a few movies. Apple unfortunately is priced a little too high, unless you are prepared to purchase second-hand, or get the older models.
In terms of Android tablets…
Bing Lee had the samsung galaxy tab 3 10.1" for $342 with free delivery - and OW would price match + 5% which would bring it down to $325 - however this tablet does not have a super HD screen, and only 1gb memory, and is loaded with Samsung bloat - and an older Android release.
The galaxy tab 3 8" has 1.5gb of internal memory versus the 10.1" with 1gb of memory. People complain however that the buttons on the galaxy tab 3 8" are easily accidentally pressed.The (samsung) Nexus 10 can be obtained from JB HiFi for $430 with minimal haggling, however the Nexus 10 has no memory card slot or equivalent which means you are locked at 16gb memory. It has a great screen though, and the latest android updates.
The Sony Xperia Z 16gb can be had for $468 from Harvey Norman ; this is a 10" tablet with a quad-core snapdragon s4 processor, 2gb ram and 1920 x 1200 screen with a quality camera, along with memory card slot. The main negative of this tablet was the Android 4.1 operating system, but 4.3 update was just made available, and 4.4 is supposedly coming soon.
Actually going to go with the Nexus 7 2013 model this boxing day. Its half the price, and just as good. I really only need it for school pdf viewing and personal use (Facebook, gmail), really, nothing more. it's a shame, because i have rang many JBs and they all say that iPads are never "bastardised", which means its going to be full price and depending on the store, leniency would be no more then $10. So i think google nexus 7 would be better.
I only have the N7 2013 so i can't say for the ipad air…
The quality is really nice, don't be scared by the whole issue that it had at launch… bought my at launch and didn't have any issues at all…
Price wise, N7 32G wifi is around $300 mark on staticice whilst Ipad Air 16Gb wifi seems to be around the $500 mark…
There is also the option of rooting the N7 which gives you more access (and more risks i.e. virus etc) to its hardware… i think you can actually overclock it if you root the device…
Yes, i am an android supporter… though i did have an iphone 4 at one point and have never looked back after switching to android… just take what i said with a grain of salt and make your own decisions from it.