No doubt the iPad is by far the most popular tablet all over the world. The second generation, with its many improvements and sleek looks has the potential to take that popularity even further.
However, a year ago when the first iPad hit the stores, it had no competition. Zero, Nada! And although some might consider the iPad 2 still has no competition today, that’s not really the case. Devices like the Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 will turn away potential customers from the iPad.
Let’s focus on the Transformer, as this one will be available in the stores all over the globe in the next weeks and comes with a couple of things Android tablets lacked before:
a better OS: Android 3.0 Honeycomb is still in its early days and still needs tweaks and improvements, but it’s way more suitable for tablets and big touchscreen devices than any of its predecessors were.fast hardware: although not the first device with Tegra2 on the market, it’s still one of the few. And we’re talking about powerful hardware capable of running a multitude of apps, multimedia content and amazing looking games.a dedicated keyboard dock: yes, you can get a Bluetooth keyboard for the iPads, but the docking station Asus prepared for their Transformer is more than that, as it includes an extra battery and extends the connectivity options of the tablet . Yes, you will need to pay extra for that, but combining the dock and the slate, you get a device that can be more than a fun gadget: it can be useful.proper pricing: the Transformer is finally the powerful Android tablet to get a proper price, as it will start at $399 for the 16GB version, which is in fact 100 bucks cheaper that the iPad 2. You could get cheaper Android tablets before, but the few ones comparable to the iPad in terms of software, features and performances were actually more expensive (like the Xoom for example).Of course, when comparing the Transformer with an iPad 2 you still get pros in each camp. The Transformer comes with the customizable UI, bigger resolution display and twice the amount of memory (so should be faster and better in games), while the iPad is astonishing looking and very thin, plus it’s backed up by the multitude of apps available in the store. But although Android Market lacks those apps dedicated to big screen tablets now, they will be there in a couple of months, as more worthy Android 3.0 devices will enter the market.
All these don’t make the iPad 2 the lesser choice over the Transformer. Not at all. It still has plenty of strong points and I’m sure many of you would go for one. It’s nice however to have alternatives and I feel like the Transformer is perhaps the first really good one. And although the Transformer will never become as popular as the iPad, it will be a feared rival and it will turn potential customers away from Apple’s device.
What do you guys think? Will you stick with the iPad 2 in the future or give these Android tablets a chance as well?
The author of this post is Andrei GirbeaAndrei is a long time computer enthusiast and a true tech lover. He’s got a bachelor in Computer Science and amongst others, enjoys blogging on technology, science and gadgets. In the last years he’s been caught by the “touch” phenomenon and now integrates a touchscreen tablet PC, mobile phone, all in one PC and slate tablet in his life. Can find more of his writings on http://www.tabletbite.com/, where he’s an ongoing contributor.
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