Bullio wrote:
1) You'll have to explain why specs are most important in a tablet then, because I don't see it anymore. "Experience" for the cost seems to be much more important than the actual guts judging by iPad and Kindle Fire sales figures. Taking from your software remark, the KF's software optimization has more to do with its performance than its hardware. I think the KF would benefit from a bit of a bump in hardware as the ones I've played with have felt a bit underpowered, but it really doesn't need much of a hardware improvement to become one of the best tablet experiences on the market. And I'll get into why it's so cheap and has such a low spec later, aside from it being meant to be a fancy ereader that also does video and music as opposed to a being a "real" tablet.
Well the Fire does have a less powerful CPU and is running Android 2.3 (which is old as shit). If they were to upgrade to 4.0 when it comes out, it would make it a lot better... If the hardware could run it smoothly. Software is only limited by the hardware. Always has, always will. This is why hardware specs are important. It's not the only important thing, but it isn't something that should be dismissed. Especially when considering the price.
Quote:
2) I could have been more clear. The developer's ability to optimize the OS powering their devices is a bigger factor than hardware in app performance (though hardware does have an effect) and has some effect on battery life, but hardware power demands definitely play heavily into battery life.
True, but that's not something that means a lot. When you allow multi-tasking you're going to drain battery life. When you walk around with Wi-Fi, GPS, and 4 different apps running all the time, it's going to drain your battery.
Quote:
3) Regarding pricing, see: Kindle Fire. Regarding the Android app ecosystem (
iPad ecosystem): no, because Google doesn't make it easy to distinguish if an app is optimized for a tablet. Nor, to my knowledge, has Google commented on how many tablet optimized apps are available on the market (this may change once their Nexus tablet project is unveiled). The market may say an app is compatible with a Galaxy Tab, but compatible != optimized. Graphics dependent apps optimized for a 3.5" phone screen look awful blown up on a 10.1" tablet screen (less so on a 7" tab, but generally still noticeable).
The app ecosystem has nothing to do with Apple fans being blind to the reality of Apple's hardware and marketing buzz words.
Quote:
wouldn't it be nice to have a fairly accurate idea of how many apps you have available to you that are optimized for your Android tablet when shopping for one? Instead of having solid, accurate estimates to work from I've instead had to form my own impression from other communities I frequent and tech sites I read. That impression being that while the Android tab app market is slowly growing, it still pales in comparison to the iPad market. And I'm reasonably sure the average consumer doesn't spend nearly as much time as I do keeping up with the market and discussing it with others because the average consumer doesn't have the same level of interest in it that I do (though it sure would be nice if they did). So those walking into a store to buy an Android tablet expecting the same level of app support as the iPad are going to be really disappointed. If you have current, accurate figures for the number of apps optimized for Android tablets I'd be genuinely interested in seeing them as that'd make it easier for me sell people on Android tabs. And since we're asking each other for citation, I'd also be interested in seeing some for "955 of the high end tablets use the same components," (I'll assume you meant 95%) since screen tech alone varies depending on the manufacturer and the subset of LCD tech they use.
App List Optimized for Honeycomb (the tablet release)Hardware comparisonApple gets their CPU made from Samsung
Ram chips from Toshiba and Samsung
Touch-screen chips from Broadcom
IPS Display: LG Display
Touch panels: Wintek
LCD drivers: Novatek Microelectronics
Batteries: 60% are made in Taiwan by Simplo Technology, 40% by Dynapack International
Accelerometer: STMicroelectronics
There is nothing special about Apple hardware except the special order CPU they use. It makes much more sense for these companies to buy existing components, rather than designing/manufacturing their own.
Quote:
4) The Transformer Prime was released in Taiwan on 12/1/11 and 12/12/11 in the US. By my math that doesn't make it more than a year old.
You're right, I misread that comment.
Quote:
Comparable battery life is impressive considering it's powering a screen with a higher resolution display than a 1080p HDTV and a quad-core GPU while pulling data down off of 4G LTE and shooting 1080p video. So yes, that is a great deal.
Quote:
As for "less features/usability", you're getting back into app ecosystem territory.
No. I'm not. It lacks hardware connectivity options. Plain and simple, they are forcing you to pay $30 for an attachment that uses USB technology to connect to other devices. They could easily put on a micro-HDMI or micro_USB port in addition to their bullshit 35-pin connector, which is literally a re-purposed USB cable.
This is smart marketing, not smart hardware design.
Quote:
More often they're design decisions that bring down thickness and weight.
Except that the iPad 3 is larger and heavier than it's upcoming competitors.
Quote:
Additionally, the combination of the new iPad's hardware, new apps, and updates to existing apps actually makes content creation on a tablet not just feasible, but simple and powerful.
Children's finger paints and playing with a drum simulator does not qualify as content creation. You need text input that is better than Apple's touch keyboard (which is already behind Swipe keyboards) which the transformer dock allows.
No tablet is good for content creation, that's just a fact. They are pure consumption devices.
Quote:
There is no good reason to not use cloud storage on a mobile device (which again, are always connected); your files in the cloud are at least as secure as they are on the device itself.
That is nowhere close to being true. You probably think that your ATM or Credit Card with the chips are secure too right? Hardly. Being "always on" is not a valid option for people who actually care about privacy and security.
Quote:
but the 3rd gen iPad I think is the first iPad that is worth the price tag (easily, in fact).
Take a look at the comparison I posted earlier again. For an extra $129 the only advantage Apple has is the slightly better CPU. Hardly worth it.
Quote:
Also, you definitely paid for old tech in that Asus Transformer. The Tegra 2 included in it was
released in Q1 2010, and the Transformer was released at
the end of April 2011 in the US. And at $400-500 (and another $160 for the optional external keyboard dock), it was no small chunk of change either. If you feel you've received your money's worth out it, that's fantastic. I know I wouldn't have been happy paying that much for the experience it provides. But arguing the point of paying "top dollar prices for 2-3 year old technology" is a bit silly, no? I'm sure teardown articles for all tablets will reveal old technology in them because old hardware is cheap and brings down the retail cost.
But the difference is... Apple charges you inflated prices and justifies it with bullshit marketing buzz words.
http://i.imgur.com/UnzyS.jpgYes, it's a parody, but it speaks the truth about Apple. This isn't a secret either. Apple always introduces a product with limited functionality compared to competitors. They say it's a feature and that their system is better. A year later, they integrate these features and claim that Apple is being revolutionary and forward thinking. And people hop on board like lemmings.
Quote:
It's kind of funny in that after typing all of that, I'm even more confident that I made the right choice for myself by getting the new iPad. And I learned some stuff I wasn't aware of. So thanks, I guess?
If you think you're making an informed choice, then by all means be glad with it. I for one refuse to buy into the Apple hype. There are far too many examples of them deploying inferior products at inflated prices.
Their slick UI is the only thing that is consistently better than their competitors. But that is hardly enough to justify a purchase from me. Connectivity, hardware specs, openness and freedom is far more valuable imo.