In the lead up to release, it’s natural to draw comparisons between Samsung’s Android tablet and Apple’s best selling iPad. At the same time, it may be a bit premature. Specifically, PC World has put together a pair of posts, one each for and against the iPad over the Galaxy Tab. And “Five Reasons to Ignore the Galaxy Tab and Get the iPad” rubs me the wrong way. Primarily because it’s not clear if the author has used or seen a Tab and given the current vacuum of concrete US sales information.
First up, he states:
The iPad display also has a sharper 1024 x 768 resolution compared with the 1024 x 600 resolution of the Samsung tablet.
While it’s true that the iPad has a higher resolution, due to the Tab’s smaller screen (7″ vs 10″), the Samsung tablet has a higher pixel density (169ppi vs 132ppi). Which seems to suggest the Tab actually has the sharper display. Of course, there’s more to display quality than the number of pixels… and why we need to know if the author has actually spent any time with the Tab, or if he’s merely made an assumption based upon a faulty calculation.
Next, the author brings up a carrier contract and Tab pricing as a deterrent… but at the same time acknowledges, “Details are not yet available.” His assumptions could be spot on. But they’re just that, assumptions. Additionally, a carrier subsidy could also have the opposite effect of making the Tab more appealing by coming in lower than the iPad. At least in regards to upfront pricing.
At the end of the day, the most important comparison between the iPad and Tab will be made based on the user experience. And I do suspect that iOS will continue to provide a more polished experience over the more flexible Android. I’m all for a head-to-head tablet shootout, but let’s exercise a little editorial restraint until we have all the details… and the hardware.
Few tech writers have your integrity Dave.
Cult of Mac are notorious for their lack of objectivity, blind devotion, utter lack of independent thought – MG Siegler immediately comes to mind, obviously.
iPhone/iPad following the exact same arc that first Mac did 1984-1989: First to market, disruptive to old iron, made big quick gain in market share, then because of its closed nature slips into tiny verticle of less than 10% market share.
de ja vue
Open beats closed everytime, without exception.
This is like deja vu all over again… Todd is exactly right, the open style of android will ultimately leave apple only with the people that enjoy siphoning their money into iTunes every month
The Samsung Tab looks interesting. So does the BlackBerry PlayPad. Still unclear when either one is going to ship however, and how much they’re going to cost. If they were priced similarly to the iPad and out now, I assume they would do quite well.
So far all the hints about the Tab though are that it’s only going to be available as a 3G model (meaning no competitor to the Wifi iPad which is at LEAST half the sales) and will require a data plan (probably $60/month like usual) to get a decent price on the unit. I think that won’t do well if true, but hard to predict. American’s love to put off pain, so maybe it’ll do okay.
Hard to compare the products though when the others aren’t actually out yet. The PlayPad in particular could well be going up against a second gen iPad that we haven’t even seen yet by the time it arrives in 2011. And the “Corporate” emphasis likely means it too is going to be quite expensive.
Just bought the Tab from Verizon last night. Sold my Droid X to buy it and went to a “regular” cell phone. I figure I can do everything I did on the Droid X with the Tab and do it bigger. I think it is beautiful. And I chose it over the ipad because of its portability. It fits in my purse so it is really easy to take anywhere. I got the black leather case that doubles as a kickstand.
Because I have had a Droid, Droid Incredible and a Droid X, I am very familiar with Android. But not with this particular device’s capabilities. Came across http://www.mygalaxytab.net looks promising, but my first goal is to figure out how to get a movie onto it as I want to watch one on a plane trip next week. Going to L.A. for Thanksgiving.
Like I wonder how much data it will take to download one. That sort of thing. Is the 16 micro card big enough to several movies.