Personal computing discussed

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SassySusan
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To iPad or not to iPad

Fri Aug 17, 2012 6:58 pm

I am looking at getting a tablet very soon and need some guidance.

I will use this for my real estate business: listing presentation, search for property, check email, post or repost ads on craigslist and such. I am sure it will get some "entertainment" type uses as well. I don't need it to have 4G since I can use my phone as a hotspot. I have an Android based phone and have not experienced the "issues" that most apple people like to talk about when comparing apple products to android as they are looking their nose down at me.

I went by Best Buy earlier today to try to view the 3 that I have narrowed it down. They are: iPad2, new Samsung Note (so new Best Buy refused to take one out of the box for me to look at since the display model hasn't been setup yet) and the new Asus Transformer Infinity.

Here are my pros & cons based on my own research (thx Tech Report):

iPad 2: Cons - must use iTunes, limited in setting apps and appearance on the display, pricey, will it sync with my non-apple devices? Pros - support and reliable product, lots of accesories, has Open Home Pro app.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Cons - Samsung customer support doesn't have greatest reputation, Open Home Pro app unavailable, accessories limited and still need to research. Pros - can support Samsung who was sued by apple over this device which helps prevent 1 company from having a monopoly, stylus which has built in storage space, Android based, not limited by iTunes

Asus Infinity TF700T: Cons - little to no accessories, Open Home Pro app not available for Android at this time, will size & shape change in next model? Pros - 32GB for price of 16 on other products, Android based, not limited by iTunes, Asus is stable company which releases operating system updates quicker than other Android manufactures (I've heard), rear facing camera with flash!

If someone can make an Android app similar to Open Home Pro they would make a killing off of realtors! I know I could possibly use Wufoo to make a similar form to get the information I need from someone attending an open house. Also, I don't have any apple products.
 
derFunkenstein
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Fri Aug 17, 2012 7:02 pm

OK you're considering a Transformer Infinity, but the iPad 2 is "pricey"?

Anyway, I'd go Asus hands down. Doubly so if you already have Android apps since the Play store allows installing on all your devices.
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SassySusan
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Fri Aug 17, 2012 7:07 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
OK you're considering a Transformer Infinity, but the iPad 2 is "pricey"?

Anyway, I'd go Asus hands down. Doubly so if you already have Android apps since the Play store allows installing on all your devices.


I think the iPad is pricey for what you get...especially if I considered getting the "newest" version. (base model is only 16 GB)

And thx for the recommendation.
 
Philldoe
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Fri Aug 17, 2012 8:16 pm

Asus if you want Android. I could never suggest an iPad.
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ludi
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:17 am

If a primary use is real estate presentations, I would tend to suggest the iPad. Android is coming along nicely, but by all accounts it is really hard to beat the overall UI and the image-handling capabilities of iOS, and your average customer is more likely to recognize an iDevice.
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moog
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:32 am

iPad. You only live once, enjoy it.

Well...

The iPad will pay for itself because
1) it has the app you NEED
2) the quality of Android and Android apps in general is noticeably worse
3) customers respect class and quality
4) self-respect = self-improvement

Most realtors I've seen try to upsell customers to quality homes, trifling over $100 when you are making commissions significantly greater than that seems a little silly and it goes against a realtor's credo. You should also charge the cost of the iPad as a business expense.
 
windwalker
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:54 am

If you want or need a tablet, you buy an iPad.

If you want to suffer while wearing your misguided prejudices on your sleeve, you buy something else.

iTunes is great and its slowness is as much of a myth these days as the Windows BSOD.
In reality, both stopped being true at about the same time.
It's big so don't expect it to launch as fast as Notepad, but if your computer is reasonably new it'll run great.

It's amusing to see hardware enthusiasts, presumably owners of high end hardware whine endlessly about the iTunes version they tried 7 years ago.
 
trackerben
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:02 am

SassySusan wrote:
...I have an Android based phone and have not experienced the "issues" that most apple people like to talk about when comparing apple products to android as they are looking their nose down at me... ...Also, I don't have any apple products.


You need to compare the different phone UIs in actual use to make a more informed judgement. I stick to Nokia S40 phones for their traditional keypad, avoid Android phones because of dissonance (cursed interruptive home button) although I haven't yet tried ver4.1. The iPhone's nicely evolved UI is mature and ready for extended and involved usage by most users. Its main issues are the lack of expandable storage and flexible filesystem transfers via USB, and the extra steps involved in loading media playlists via iTunes.


iPad 2: Cons - must use iTunes, limited in setting apps and appearance on the display, pricey, will it sync with my non-apple devices? Pros - support and reliable product, lots of accesories, has Open Home Pro app...

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Cons - Samsung customer support doesn't have greatest reputation, Open Home Pro app unavailable, accessories limited and still need to research. Pros - can support Samsung who was sued by apple over this device which helps prevent 1 company from having a monopoly, stylus which has built in storage space, Android based, not limited by iTunes...


Application availability plus the total quality and experience naturally drives your choice if doing business is your focus. Politicizing the reasons behind your purchase in favor of Android is secondary to that need, and will be immaterial to your customers anyway.

But if you are still intent on an Android tablet even if you meet your business needs with a iPad, you would be better off getting a Google Nexus 7 or their coming 10in model. These Google flagships tend to have the shortest OS update cycles and have the best chances of seeing Android's remaining UI issues resolved, and for that reason are the only Androids worth trying.
 
Star Brood
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:40 am

If you want (is it possible to need?) a tablet the iPad is obviously the most popular choice. Lenovo and ASUS are two companies who are really striving to achieve, in terms of build quality, what Apple is doing. The detachable keyboard from ASUS is innovative, useful and stylish.

Android from my experience is a good budget touch-based OS but it has more of a "beta" feeling than iOS.

Nothing about tablets has made me say "hot dog, I really want that!" Then again, tens of millions of people seem to have a lot of enthusiasm about these tablets. I personally think everything ARM belongs in a phone or a kid's toy, and until we see ULV-notebook class CPU's in tablets I am not at all interested. It would also need to have a lot of improvements in touch response-time for me to consider one over a notebook. So I guess when this becomes reality and Haswell replaces Ivy in tablets (that's two large steps ahead) tablets will be alluring.
 
SassySusan
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:56 pm

moog wrote:
iPad. You only live once, enjoy it.

Well...

The iPad will pay for itself because
1) it has the app you NEED
2) the quality of Android and Android apps in general is noticeably worse
3) customers respect class and quality
4) self-respect = self-improvement

Most realtors I've seen try to upsell customers to quality homes, trifling over $100 when you are making commissions significantly greater than that seems a little silly and it goes against a realtor's credo. You should also charge the cost of the iPad as a business expense.


Oh yes..all electronic devices - tablet, computer, laptop, accessories are all tax right off. As far as the "upselling" customers...guess you haven't seen the averages home buyer lately. We have an investors market here and I've been selling loads of $30,000 houses. Not exactly an iAnything type of clientele. But one can always hope!

I still haven't been able to play with the new Samsung Note yet, will try again tomorrow at that Worst Buy place.
 
End User
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:23 am

The Galaxy Note 10.1 looks fantastic: http://goo.gl/3Vq1G
 
End User
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 1:01 am

SassySusan wrote:
Pros - can support Samsung who was sued by apple over this device which helps prevent 1 company from having a monopoly,

I don't think Apple sued Samsung over the Note 10.1. The Note 10.1 is an example of Samsung staying as far away from the iPad as they can - and it shows.

In the mobile OS/ecosystem battle no company has a monopoly. Suggesting that Apple has a monopoly is ridiculous. Android devices outship iOS devices by a healthy margin.

Have you taken the time to read up on Samsung? It's not all rainbows and unicorns: http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

Samsung is a “chaebol” – one of the family-run conglomerates that dominate South Korean society. Almost Mafia-like in their obsessive secrecy and reach, chaebols have influence in most markets and industries in the country and wield huge political influence.

the grip of the chaebols is pernicious and corruption lies beneath every facet of Korean society.
 
Darkmage
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:52 am

At the present time, your decision really rests on the intended use of the product: your business. You have a strong need for a particular application that is not available on Android and that should inform your choice. If you're going to be using this tablet to show options to your clients, you need that to be a good experience.

Honestly, most of the OS fanboy arguments (in both directions) are irrelevant to your situation. During your business activity, the OS interface will be mostly hidden behind the application interface. If you do not have an intuitive, friendly and efficient interface before the client, then the tablet is getting in the way.

My suggestion: hit the Android market and try to find an equivalent application to Open Home Pro. See if it will meet your needs. At that point, you can kick around the idea of going with Android. Secondly, you may wish to consider data accessibility. An iPad with an always-on data connection is pretty useful. Otherwise, you have to search for an open hotspot in order to get data onto your tablet (this is not actually too hard - but it can be very inconvenient) or rig your phone up to be a hotspot.
If there is one thing a remote-controlled, silent and unseeable surveillance/killing machine needs, it’s more whimsy. -- Marcus
 
Synchromesh
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:45 am

SassySusan wrote:
Oh yes..all electronic devices - tablet, computer, laptop, accessories are all tax right off. As far as the "upselling" customers...guess you haven't seen the averages home buyer lately. We have an investors market here and I've been selling loads of $30,000 houses. Not exactly an iAnything type of clientele. But one can always hope!

$30000 houses? Where is this, Michigan? Jeez, around here $30K still won't buy you a garage even. Maybe a parking space.

As for iPad, I have one and it's just a giant iPhone really. I use my iPhone 99% of the time. Only time iPad came in handy was when flying so it can be used as an electronic reader. Aside from that iPhone does the trick.
 
Beelzebubba9
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:58 am

The iPad (or any iOS 5+ device) can be set up and managed without iTunes. iTunes makes certain tasks much easier, but the I've only plugged my iPad 3 into a computer once to move a heap of ebooks onto it over the 6 months I've owned it. You seem like you have an anti-Apple chip on your shoulder, so it seems silly to recommend an iPad despite that it seems to uniquely support the one application that would be really useful to you professionally.

Have you considered the Nexus 7? At $199 it's a pretty amazing deal and the hardware is very good. I like the 7" form factor and I expect it to easily become the standard for Android tablets moving forward, so it will have much better support than its competition. As far as I'm concerned, there are only two tablets currently worth buying: the iPad and the Nexus 7, so pick your poison.
 
Beelzebubba9
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:07 am

Star Brood wrote:
Nothing about tablets has made me say "hot dog, I really want that!" Then again, tens of millions of people seem to have a lot of enthusiasm about these tablets. I personally think everything ARM belongs in a phone or a kid's toy, and until we see ULV-notebook class CPU's in tablets I am not at all interested. It would also need to have a lot of improvements in touch response-time for me to consider one over a notebook. So I guess when this becomes reality and Haswell replaces Ivy in tablets (that's two large steps ahead) tablets will be alluring.


I don't mean to sound combative, but who cares about CPU power? In terms of responsiveness and UI usability, my iPad blows any PC I've ever used into the weeds save a new MacBook Air and some high end ultrabooks. What would a CPU with 5-10x the power consumption and twice price tag enable a tablet to do that it can't currently?
 
steelcity_ballin
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:24 am

If you like to tinker with your hardware, avoid apple. Otherwise it just depends on what you'll really use it for. We just got an ipad in at work for some development we're starting and I'm not that impressed. It's smooth I'll give it that, but it was $600. I could have a nexus 7" for $200 and be pretty happy. I wouldn't call myself a fan boy but I generally prefer android OS over iOS. I will say that I don't know many people who have an iOS device and don't absolutely love it.

I really like to tinker so for me, android fits the bill. For what you have in mind I'm sure a less expensive option exists but if you're going to use the tablet as a glorified image gallery for your real estate business, I'd go with an iPad.
 
Anarchist
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:42 am

my advice is to get factory refurb sony tablet or refurb xoom. These are perfectly capable tablet that will meet your need but without latest bells and whistles which only drive up price. As with desk-top PC, laptops, and other electronic gadgets, the tablet you buy today will become outdated by the same-time next year. By staying 1 or 2 generation behind, and staying away from apple products, you can get functionality you need for half the price.
 
ChronoReverse
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:46 am

If this is for work and your work needs Open Home Pro then unless you find an equivalent on Google Play, you must get an iPad.

Make a list of what you need from Open Home Pro and then search around on https://play.google.com/store
 
vince
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:21 am

Like others said, since the app you need the most is available for the iPad only, then that's what you need to buy.

I don't think the "stuck with iTunes" is a valid argument anymore. What I mean is that if your primary use is for apps, then you don't actually need to use iTunes very often. If I'm not mistaken, after the initial setup, you don't need to plug your iPad to your computer to get apps and music online. Actually, you don't even need iTunes for that initial setup (again, IIRC). You'll only need to do it if you want to sync music/videos that are already on your computer that you ripped yourself, or to apply a patch. Isn't it pretty much the same for any Android device?
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Darkmage
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:44 am

vince wrote:
I don't think the "stuck with iTunes" is a valid argument anymore. What I mean is that if your primary use is for apps, then you don't actually need to use iTunes very often.
iTunes has a pretty slick implementation on the iDevice of your choice. It's much better on a mobile device than it is on a Windows PC (I can't speak for how it performs on a Mac). Shop for music, get recommendations, get apps, get podcasts... it's all pretty easy from the device, no computer necessary. Your post was essentially correct: You no longer need iTunes running on your PC unless you want to transfer files to your iDevice from your PC. But to be a pedantic ass, I would say that you do technically need iTunes - you just need it on your device.

vince wrote:
Isn't it pretty much the same for any Android device?
It's a step beyond - but it's a tiny step. You never need to connect to your PC, as you can use Google's Drive site to store your files and then download them to your device (or Google Music to load audio files). Additionally, purchasing an app on the Play Store's web interface will let you push that app to the Android device of your choice, so you aren't locked into using either the Play app on the device nor some thick client on your PC.

I think the only real difference between the two ecosystems is that you need iTunes on a PC in order to update the firmware. You can have 'em do it at an Apple store if one is convenient and you can spare the time.
If there is one thing a remote-controlled, silent and unseeable surveillance/killing machine needs, it’s more whimsy. -- Marcus
 
biffzinker
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Thu Aug 23, 2012 12:24 pm

Any of the newer ipads/iphones allow updating ios OTA (Over The Air.)
Settings/General/Software Update

Having more fun with my Google Nexus 7 though. :)
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frumper15
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:31 pm

In my mind, the iPad is a bit of a no-brainer for your application. If you've got a work-specific application that only runs on iOS I almost think you don't have a choice. I don't know how much the iTunes argument even needs to be made here - unless your work demands it, I don't anticipate you'll ever need to connect to a computer. We've had an iPad2 at home for almost a year now and I've never connected it to a computer nor have I had a need to do so.
I would recommend considering getting a device with 3g/4g connectivity - even if you don't activate it. At work we have an iPad with 3g that costs $20 a month through Verizon - small potatoes for a business. Not having to tie up your phone to use as a hotspot and draining its battery as well as possibly considering using a different carrier for the iPad to counteract areas that might have better/worse connectivity for either and give you a better chance of a good connection.
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Darkmage
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:39 pm

biffzinker wrote:
Any of the newer ipads/iphones allow updating ios OTA (Over The Air.)
Settings/General/Software Update
Is that a push notification? Or must you follow that trail and check for an update?
If there is one thing a remote-controlled, silent and unseeable surveillance/killing machine needs, it’s more whimsy. -- Marcus
 
Flatland_Spider
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:52 pm

It's a push notification.

@SassySusan
Buy an iPad 2. It has better battery life then the Retina iPad, and the email application is better then Android. Although if you're using Gmail for your email, Android has the better Gmail app.

I also second getting one with a cell modem. It's supposed to be a laptop replacement, and that means it needs connectivity. My wife bought an iPad 3G just so she could have a computer to answer email and whatnot while she travels around town for work, and it would be useless for her without 3G. It's much easier then starting up a laptop, and the battery life is great.
 
SassySusan
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Re: To iPad or not to iPad

Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:17 pm

I still haven't purchased an iPad or Android based tablet. I was really thinking about the new Samsung Note tablet...then I finally got to hold it in my hand and its just plastic. Not sure about how that will hold up to my clumsy hands at time.

I did find out that the PX (Post Exchange) here has iPad 2's for $389 & no tax! Might be the cheaper way to go.

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