Ever since the late Steve Jobs introduced the iPad at a press conference held in San Francisco in January 2010, Apple’s flagship tablet computer has enjoyed significant market share around the world. The iPad’s domination was cemented by the arrival of the iPad 2 in 2011.
Apple’s supremacy of the tablet computing realm owes a lot to quality engineering and clever marketing, but the sheer number of Android tablets coming to the market is bound to have an effect on Apple’s dominance.
Like many other Apple products, the iPad is a beautiful device to behold and lust over, an object of desire. It’s easy to understand the attraction when looking at it from a purely aesthetic point of view. But for all its wonder and charm, the iPad falls behind Android-based tablets in various aspects.
By the time Apple introduced iOS 5, the latest version of its mobile operating system (OS), Android had already accomplished a number of features that iPad users considered astounding on iOS 5.
The Future of Android
Although Apple is known as a company highly dedicated to innovation and high quality, when it comes to sharing its technology Apple falls way behind the mission of Android’s Open Handset Alliance. Some of the biggest names in consumer and business electronics are behind this alliance: Sony, Qualcomm, Samsung, T-Mobile, Intel, Vodafone, Garmin, and of course Google.
The Open Handset Alliance guarantees that Android tablets will follow a set of open standards across that allow cross-functionality with a multitude of devices. Thanks to this initiative, the Android OS is now found not only in tablet computers, but also in smartphones, electronic readers, netbooks, in-vehicle entertainment systems, and even smart wristwatches.
In the future, Android is bound to become as ubiquitous as Windows and Java, while Apple will more than likely development of iOS within the company and closed-off to competitors, thereby making devices such as the iPad compatible with just some versions of the iPhone and the iPod. By contrast, a multitude of different Android-powered devices in the market today are able to talk to each other.
Five Reasons to Buy an Android Tablet over an iPad
Besides future-proofing their mobile computing needs, tablet shoppers have a few other reasons to consider buying an Android tablet over the iPad:
- Price
Pricing has always been a thorny subject for Apple. In the wake of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events, shoppers were left wondering why Apple only offered meager discounts on the iPad, while retailers were buy slashing prices of Android tablets across the board. To justify its high pricing, Apple often goes back to the “bang-for-your-buck” concept. The problem with this pricing model is that not everyone can afford such high prices, and not every shopper is looking for so much power in a tablet.
- Cross-Platform Diversity
It’s always nice to have a choice, and with Android present in more mobile devices than any other OS, shoppers have a lot of choices. From top of the line tablets that record video in high definition to unique devices with sliding physical keyboards, Android tablets run the gamut of options for users. There are only a few choices in terms of the iPad, and they mostly have to do with available memory.
- Size
When the iPad was introduced to the world, the reaction many people shared was: “Oh my, that’s a very big iPhone!” The late Steve Jobs justified the nearly 10-inch iPad screen as necessary to accommodate all the awesome OS features. Meanwhile, Android tablet manufacturers have agreed that a 7-inch screen is perfect for mobility. Some slightly smaller and lighter Android tablets with 3G, 4G and LTE functionality are even challenging the idea of carrying a smartphone.
- Adobe Flash
Apple had good reasons to leave this web standard off iOS, to the lament of many users. Browsing habits and web design may be favoring HTML5 over Flash, but there will still be a ton of Flash-dependent content online in the future. Android tablets have no problem accommodating Flash for the time being, and should all websites switch to a new video format, the Android Open Handset Alliance will be prepared to welcome it.
- The Home Screen
Here’s a very important mobile OS aspect that Android tablets -as well as the upcoming Windows tablets- handle very well. Tablets are highly personal and individualistic devices, and to this extent Android offers users greater flexibility in customizing the tablet’s home screen with folders, widgets and shortcuts.
Are there any other reasons for preferring an Android tablet over the iPad?
Frank writes for Aon.com a provider of pensions auto-enrolment and total reward statements. Frank likes to read and cycle (but not at the same time).
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