Samsung Galaxy Tab or Apple iPad

[Jjangki!!!]

So I'm about to purchase either a Galaxy Tab or iPad, just wanted to hear from all of you which you think is better and why...
Thanks a stax!

[wtoddm]

From my personal experiences, the iPad is very helpful in that it can synchronize via iCloud etc etc with my other devices. It's also great that these new textbooks (iBooks?) are coming out and can really rock the world of text books and technology in the classroom. The ease of use for the iPad is great, too. I don't mean to sound like a commercial for the damn thing, but I have JUST made the decision to get one because of the iBooks and e-reader capabilities.
As my close friend said, "you won't know why you need an iPad until you have one. Then you won't know how you lived without it."

[w4z]

If you want every relationship between the computer and the device to go through itunes (Barf), then get an ipad.  If you want to drag and drop files freely onto the device get a tab.

ipad = idiot proof
tab = More open ended, easier to manage between devices.

[eggplant_tyrant]

I have an iPad. I like my iPad very much. However, I don't know that I wouldn't necessarily like a Galaxy Tab just as much... in fact, I may switch over when it comes time to get a replacement device, because I hate iTunes that much.

Galaxy Tab vs iPad is really Android vs iOS, which is not a question that will yield unbiased answers. It's like XBOX vs PS3, or Mac vs PC. It's not so much about which is the better device, because at this point they're all pretty similar in terms of build quality and features. It's about how you intend to use the device, what annoyances you're willing to put up with, and which of these expensive gadgets feels better to you. The general wisdom is that iOS is better for people who prefer ease of using experience over ease of customization, and who want their devices to just "work," with the understanding that if Apple doesn't want you to do something with your device, then too bad. Android is for people who want their devices to be more "their own," with fewer restriction on what they can and cannot do with the hardware, but with an accordingly less stable and more complicated user experience. Basically, iOS is pitched as "it just works," where "it" is whatever Apple has decided you're allowed to do with your device. Android is pitched as "you can make it work," where if you want to do it, you can, but you're going to have to put some effort into it yourself.

That said, both platforms are pretty solid these days, with Android being much more user friendly than it used to be (and with more need to "root" your device if you want to do the really funky stuff with it), and iOS jailbreaking getting simpler and simpler.

Unless you've got a strong inclination one way or the other, the best thing is just to watch lots of videos of the devices in action, then get yourself to a store with display units and try them both out to figure out which one suits you best.

[flukeriffic]

Might I suggest neither, and try checking out the ASUS Transformer Prime? Might be a little harder to get here in Korea, but it's totally worth it. More power, nice screen, better cameras, same price. Plus, get it with the keyboard dock attachment, and you will literally never run out of power on long flights, trips, etc.

[eggplant_tyrant]

Might I suggest neither, and try checking out the ASUS Transformer Prime? Might be a little harder to get here in Korea, but it's totally worth it. More power, nice screen, better cameras, same price. Plus, get it with the keyboard dock attachment, and you will literally never run out of power on long flights, trips, etc.

Do you have one of these? How do you like it? I've looked at it a bit online... it's a nice piece of tech. If I didn't already have my iPad, I'd be considering it, in no small part because I've only had good experiences with ASUS stuff.

[Incredagogue]

A few things to keep in mind:

- iPad 3 will likely be announced at the end of this month so you might want to wait and see what that is like (or at the least, you will be able to save a lot of money on an iPad2)

- The Transformer Prime is considered one of the best Android tablets on the market right now - many consider this even better than the Tab 10.1

- Samsung/Asus/Acer/LG/etc. Will almost certainly be launching updated devices in wake of the iPad 3 announcement.

Basically, what I am trying to say is wait a month because you will either a) save money or b) be able to purchase a cutting edge device, rather than a year-old one.

[flukeriffic]

Might I suggest neither, and try checking out the ASUS Transformer Prime? Might be a little harder to get here in Korea, but it's totally worth it. More power, nice screen, better cameras, same price. Plus, get it with the keyboard dock attachment, and you will literally never run out of power on long flights, trips, etc.

Do you have one of these? How do you like it? I've looked at it a bit online... it's a nice piece of tech. If I didn't already have my iPad, I'd be considering it, in no small part because I've only had good experiences with ASUS stuff.

Unfortunately, no. :(
I bought my ipad about a month before they announced the Transformer Prime, and it made me sad. If I had waited, I might have been the owner of a Transformer Prime. Although, with all the new tablets coming out within the next month or so...I probably shouldn't have bought anything! :( But I will say that I have been nothing but pleased with my iPad, although transferring through itunes and stuff can get a little annoying sometimes. Easily solved if you have a strong wifi connection though!

[jimmyeatworldwar]

samsung tab for sure.

go take a look at the 10.1
i pad may have started the tablet buzz,
but galaxy tab is ahead ..way ahead

[eggplant_tyrant]

samsung tab for sure.

go take a look at the 10.1
i pad may have started the tablet buzz,
but galaxy tab is ahead ..way ahead

'

I'm not disagreeing with you, but how so? I ask because everyone I know with a tablet has an iPad, so I've never really had an adequate Android / Tab hands-on experience for comparison. What, specifically, do you like better about the Tab 10.1? I am genuinely curious.

[jimmyeatworldwar]

samsung tab for sure.

go take a look at the 10.1
i pad may have started the tablet buzz,
but galaxy tab is ahead ..way ahead

'

I'm not disagreeing with you, but how so? I ask because everyone I know with a tablet has an iPad, so I've never really had an adequate Android / Tab hands-on experience for comparison. What, specifically, do you like better about the Tab 10.1? I am genuinely curious.

hi,
its really subjective to decide which is better..waygooks here are typically more exposed (and thats why 'everyone' you know have an ipad) to the iPad because you know, its American.
Samsung for me is much better because i like horizontal layout rather than the vertical ipad. Of course this adjusts with the auto rotation but the horizontal feeling really excels your tablet experience. galaxy tab 10.1 has also a more sturdy, solid feeling built into it. the previous galaxy tab models i would say was a trash compared to the ipad. but 10.1 does feel more solid on your hands compared to the newer ipad2.
more customization ability in the samsung 10.1 is a great feature, which ipad2 lacks greatly. the ipad2 also does not support Flash, which most of the websites outside the north america still uses. What this means is that it makes your tablet really feel as an alternate to your labtop for example. why not maximise the internet surfing capability with your tablet?

and lastly, although minimal, i go against apple's manufacturing conditions.

i was actually surprised that you mentioned all your friends have ipads.. its quite the opposite from my side :)

[marsavalanche]

- There are those who can afford it and buy an iPad
- There are those who can't afford an iPad and buy alternatives
- And there are the "anti-Apple" types who will always advise against Apple products

I own an iPad 2, and am very satisfied with it.

[jimmyeatworldwar]

- There are those who can afford it and buy an iPad
- There are those who can't afford an iPad and buy alternatives
- And there are the "anti-Apple" types who will always advise against Apple products

I own an iPad 2, and am very satisfied with it.

- samsung galaxy tab 10.1 is more expensive than the iPad2
- there are those who cant afford the galaxy tab and buy alternatives
- and there are those who will always advise to buy apple products.

[Hoosier_Jedi]

I've heard that iPads are a hassle if you want to transfer files off a PC. That's the main reason I've been holding back on getting one. Any comments from those who have an iPad?

[Davey]

I've heard that iPads are a hassle if you want to transfer files off a PC. That's the main reason I've been holding back on getting one. Any comments from those who have an iPad?

You gotta use iTunes like the iPhone, iTouch, etc so you can't simply drag and drop like any other storage device.

[Frozencat99]

I'd go for that Galaxy tab myself, simply because out of most technology companies I use (Acer, Gateway, Samsung, Apple being the main 4), Apple seems to be the most blatant about their stagnated updates. I am aware that all companies stagger their updates (in that they make small updates in batches, rather than at once, so that one has to consistently purchase the product as it advances) but Apple seems to be the worst about it.

Compare upgrades between iPad 1-3, compare the rumours on that abhorrent Mac Rumors website, then do the same for competitive products.

Ultimately, make the best decision for you. If you're fine dealing with the abomination that is iTunes, get the iPad. If you're fine with paying a bit more for a very similar product, get the Galaxy. If you're one of those Apple customers that buys the product for the "culture" and social image... etc etc

[Hoosier_Jedi]

I've heard that iPads are a hassle if you want to transfer files off a PC. That's the main reason I've been holding back on getting one. Any comments from those who have an iPad?

You gotta use iTunes like the iPhone, iTouch, etc so you can't simply drag and drop like any other storage device.

I'm planning to buy an iPhone next month. Let's say I have that. Then how easy is it?

[Incredagogue]

and lastly, although minimal, i go against apple's manufacturing conditions.

i was actually surprised that you mentioned all your friends have ipads.. its quite the opposite from my side :)

Just FYI, Samsung is also a client of Foxconn (along with 23 other high-end electronics companies including HP, Microsoft and Motorola). Don't go blaming Apple for what an entire industrial sector is endorsing. If you genuinely disagree with the "exploitation", you should seriously look into boycotting all tablets - not to mention any consumer electronics device that uses rare earth metals, as many of them come from mines that use child labour.

[eggplant_tyrant]

I've heard that iPads are a hassle if you want to transfer files off a PC. That's the main reason I've been holding back on getting one. Any comments from those who have an iPad?

You gotta use iTunes like the iPhone, iTouch, etc so you can't simply drag and drop like any other storage device.

I'm planning to buy an iPhone next month. Let's say I have that. Then how easy is it?

At this point, it's not so much difficult as annoying, mostly because you need to do it through iTunes. Basically, instead of opening an explorer window to drag and drop/copy a file onto the device, you need to:
1. Open iTunes.
2. Select your device.
3. Select the "apps" tab in the device summary window.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of that window.
5. Select the app that will be using the files you want to transfer (ie, your media player for .avi's, etc.).
6. Click "add files."
7. Select the files you want to add from your hard drive.
8. Wait longer than you should really have to, because iTunes is slow and terrible.

So it's not difficult, it's just more complicated than most people would like. It's also a fairly recent development, which is why a lot of older articles won't mention it. One thing you have to be aware of is that each app is its own little thing, and most of them don't talk to each other very well. (They're not allowed to; the argument is that it makes iOS more stable since one buggy app won't mess up anything else.) So you really have to put things where you're going to use them.

As iOS (slowly, slowly) opens up, it does get easier to get things where you need them. iCloud makes it easy, of course, but it's not the most practical solution unless you live in an Apple-only environment. Most good productivity apps have Dropbox integration, and more and more 3rd party apps are able to "talk" to each other. For instance, I can download a (non-.mp4) video with the iCab web browser, and then open it in AVplayerHD. If you're the sort who likes tinkering with computer things, Goodreader can make it so you almost don't even notice that Apple's tried to hem you in. (If not, it's still a solid multipurpose file viewer.) And then there's always jailbreaking, which will allow you to install apps that give you access to your device's filesystem.

[Davox]

I've heard that iPads are a hassle if you want to transfer files off a PC. That's the main reason I've been holding back on getting one. Any comments from those who have an iPad?

You gotta use iTunes like the iPhone, iTouch, etc so you can't simply drag and drop like any other storage device.

I'm planning to buy an iPhone next month. Let's say I have that. Then how easy is it?

Well, the thing is that on an IOS device, you have no access to the file system, and neither does anything else that's not an app that Apple made.  What this technical stuff means is that you can't add any file to your phone/ipad unless you're adding it, using itunes, to one specific app, which has to already be installed, and has to be specifically programmed to use that one specific kind of file, and those apps can't share files or data with any other app.  So if you have an office file/document, and you are trying out say, 3 different office apps to see which one you like, or even if you have to have all three for the different features each has, then you have to add your document to each app separately, and itunes has to copy the same document 3 times to your device, and if you edit the document in one app, you won't see changes to the document in the other apps.  Because as far as Apple is concerned, they are 3 completely different documents, because non-Apple-made apps can't share files.  Same with anything.  If you have (or are trying) more than one movie player, be prepared to copy the same move multiple times and have it take up 2X or 3X space on your device.  Or if you switch players (or office suites, or picture browsers or anything), all of the old content gets deleted off the device and you have to re-add everything to the new app in itunes (hope you kept copies outside of itunes on your computer hard drive!) and re-copy everything to your device all over again.

Also, you have to do all of this using what has become probably the worst user interface Apple's ever designed (itunes).  And it'll take much longer than a simple usb transfer should (many minutes or sometimes even an hour or more on usb 2.0), for no particular reason.

The system works ok if all you ever want to do is use the apps that Apple includes for free, or if you plan on never changing what non-apple apps you use to view content, or if you never have to do anything Apple didn't intend for you (or an app) to do.  The moment you try to do anything else (which thankfully is not often for most people) it's nothing but headaches.

Does that make sense?  I'm never sure if I'm being clear enough when trying to explain technical stuff.

...Also despite this, I still like both my ipad and my iphone.  When you're actually using them, they're great.