# Quick! Android vs. iPad..



## zeello (Mar 7, 2014)

I have a question about iPad. I remember that when it first launched, supposedly to begin using a new iPad you first had to activate it by connecting it to a PC or Mac. (unless you got 3G version in which case you were instead required to sign up to 3G.)

My questions are:
1) Is this still true of the iPad?
2) Is this true of Android tablets?

and let me know what else I should consider when choosing between the two.
I have a Nexus 7 2012 which I think is good, but the screen is smaller than iPad. So hypothetically if someone wanted to get an iPad, rather than suggesting a Nexus 7 2013, I would suggest a Nexus 10, right?


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## Tom Bombadildo (Mar 8, 2014)

Android has never needed to connect to a PC to activate it.

Apple has stopped using the "Connect to PC" method as well, now you just have to connect to Wifi and login/create an Apple ID.

If someone wanted a 10" tablet, then I would recommend the Nexus 10 over a majority of iPads simply because it's cheaper, has better customization options, and (IIRC) better hardware as well.


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## zeello (Mar 8, 2014)

I'm glad Apple got rid of the connect to PC step...

That puts iPad and Android on equal footing in any case. But I just today realized that iPad might be better to go with because of Game Center, considering it's for my dad, and he played a lot of online bridge on PC. Does this make sense?


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## Super.Nova (Mar 8, 2014)

It's hard to sum why Android is better than iOS but it sure is easy to choose.
As for a good option, a Nexus 10 is the best you could choose for someone who's not gonna spend time tinkering with the system.

As for gaming, Android has its gaming hub, too, to save and sync data over multiple devices.
It's true not all applications/games support this but a great if not all number of social games do.


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## zeello (Mar 8, 2014)

Super.Nova said:


> It's hard to sum why Android is better than iOS but it sure is easy to choose.


wait wait... so you're saying Android is straight up better?

I'm taking last calls, everyone! This could happen soon. My mom asked me to get an iPad for my dad, I was gonna politely suggest Android instead but I currently no longer see a reason to.

iPad
+ Game Center
+ bigger screen due to 4:3
+ getting Android would require my intervening in the purchase decision
+ Apple store is closer. Well, that is a really dumb reason so it doesn't count, but still.. x)

Android
+ better UI (imo) ... am I right? The three buttons on the bottom. I like that. It seems, at least to me, more user-friendly for someone who has never used either platform before.
+ Nexus 10 seems easier to hold (wider bezel) than iPad Air.

I can't imagine why cost would be an issue, but I can check to make sure.
I also need to ask who's idea was it to get the iPad, whether it even has to be iPad as opposed to Android, and whether they had any particular apps in mind.
There's also the issue of choosing a model, but I think it is in the bag, Nexus 10. Ironically I am less sure of which iPad model to get: iPad Air or iPad 2... but I'm guessing Air because again, I don't presume cost to be an issue, and because I remember reading on a tech site (how trustworthy!) warning that iPad 2 at 400 is overpriced, and soon to be obsolete.

Does Nexus 10 have a rubber underside like the Nexus 7? That is a nice thing about it.
The iPad's underside is cold and unforgiving.

edit: Wow, the iPad 2 is wider than the iPad Air. So the iPad 2 seems like it would be easier to hold!


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## Crimson Ghoul (Mar 8, 2014)

I work retail and I tell my customers to stick with what they have if they buy a lot of software. I've been on android since the g1 era and I have over $250 in apps. I know apple has a bit of exclusive content and tons of games that may never see the light of day on android. I usually recommend the Asus transformer line when it comes to android tabs larger than 8 inches. I currently use a nexus 7 (2013) and am waiting on what the nexus 10 (2014) model brings. If you tend to download your video from sources other than itunes android has better compatibility like the samsung line supports .mkv files right out of the box.


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## raulpica (Mar 8, 2014)

If you're huge on mobile gaming, iOS has a lot of exclusives which Android hasn't got (which makes me sad, as I've switched to Android).

Also if you're not the guy who likes to spend 3 hours a week on downloading new stuff to his tablet to tweak the performance a little, or use a new fancy-schmancy clock every two days, go with iOS. It's easier to use, and less things can go wrong.

About the performance thing, the GPU in the iPad Retina blows the one in the Nexus 5 out of the water, and Apple's custom ARM CPUs are some of the best ARM CPUs around.

The iPad Retina is probably lighter and slimmer than the Nexus 10 is... soooo, huh, really no reason to go with a Nexus 10, except if you somehow hate Apple or particularly like Android.


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## osirisjem (Mar 8, 2014)

Not sure if it is still true, but 2 years ago I bought the iPad because it had the "best screen".  
I also found the android tablets were a bit laggy in response to my finger. 
I would get an iPad if your mom or dad has a iphone.


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## yuyuyup (Mar 8, 2014)

iOS has the lions share of apps (probably the most crucial factor,) but very consumer unfriendly regarding battery replacement (DIY is not an option for average user.)  Android is far cheaper and functional


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## Fishaman P (Mar 8, 2014)

zeello said:


> iPad
> + *Game Center*
> + *bigger screen due to 4:3*
> + getting Android would require my intervening in the purchase decision
> + Apple store is closer. (although this is an incredibly lazy reason)


I fail to see how Game Center is a pro. Please explain.

Same thing goes for 4:3. All content nowadays is produced for 16:9 or 21:9 (video) or 16:10 (web). 4:3 was obsoleted 10 years ago.
Besides, who cares if the screen is physically larger? If the screen is 7" or bigger, resolution is really the only major factor in readability.  The Nexus 10 has a higher resolution, not to mention a Gorilla Glass screen, which took me 9 months to even nick on my phone.

As a final argument for Android, I would definitely say it's more intuitive. One example is highlighting text. On Android, it works the same as on a PC; you hold your finger down at the start and drag to the end. This took me all of 30 seconds to learn. On iOS, you have to use two fingers and touch the start and end at the same time. Not only is this impractical for large selections, but it took me a good 10 minutes to figure this out.


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## zeello (Mar 8, 2014)

Crimson Ghoul said:


> I work retail and I tell my customers to stick with what they have if they buy a lot of software. I've been on android since the g1 era and I have over $250 in apps. I know apple has a bit of exclusive content and tons of games that may never see the light of day on android. I usually recommend the Asus transformer line when it comes to android tabs larger than 8 inches. I currently use a nexus 7 (2013) and am waiting on what the nexus 10 (2014) model brings. If you tend to download your video from sources other than itunes android has better compatibility like the samsung line supports .mkv files right out of the box.


Almost forgot about Asus Transformer. It looks like simply a tablet with an optional keyboard, is that true? Because that seems like a huge advantage. I don't know what the tablet will be used for most, but how can you possibly go wrong with giving someone the ability to type!

Then again, this could backfire. The user might always end up defaulting to having the keyboard almost always attached, or almost never attached. (similar to problem with WiiU's off-TV play, if I may say so.)

Also, my parents clearly rejected the idea of getting a laptop, so the Asus Transformer is arguably the thing they don't want. On the other hand, this means they actually considered getting a laptop, so the Asus Transformer might be the perfect solution.



Fishaman P said:


> I fail to see how Game Center is a pro. Please explain.


Game Center = more games with online play.
By all means tell me where my logic is wrong.



> As a final argument for Android, I would definitely say it's more intuitive. One example is highlighting text. On Android, it works the same as on a PC; you hold your finger down at the start and drag to the end. This took me all of 30 seconds to learn. On iOS, you have to use two fingers and touch the start and end at the same time. Not only is this impractical for large selections, but it took me a good 10 minutes to figure this out.


I've been using Android for like a month but I still didn't know what you said about highlighting text. On top of that there are things about typing on Android that I still don't understand or which frustrate me. (like why, as I'm deleting a sentence, the backspace key suddenly stops working, permanently, until I move the cursor someplace else) (or why every now and then it randomly cuts/copies a previous part of my post into my current sentence)


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## raulpica (Mar 8, 2014)

yuyuyup said:


> iOS has the lions share of apps (probably the most crucial factor,) but very consumer unfriendly regarding battery replacement (DIY is not an option for average user.) Android is far cheaper and functional


I know a lot of people with iPhones and not a single one had an issue with the battery.

Oh yeah, a guy did actually. His iPhone 3G (2008!!!) was lasting only 2 hours.


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## cracker (Mar 8, 2014)

I have an iPod Touch that I stopped using outright after I got Android devices just because it is so consumer-based. Android gives users a lot more freedom to choose what they want to do with their files with built-in and 3rd party apps. It is much easier to manage your storage like you would on a computer. iDevices are very restrictive in what you can do in this area which can be a plus or minus in the right/wrong hands. By default most Android devices don't allow screwing with system files so it isn't really too risky to not live in a sandbox. 

Transferring files is much easier with Android devices as long as you know the basics of files and folders without the need of a bloated media player/ripper/converter/online store app that can take an obscenely long time to transfer things over because of its love to update everything. 

The lack of a microSD kills expandability. iDevices have never offered this while most Android devices do.

3rd party homebrew app support is allowed by default on most Android devices without rooting/jailbreaking while there isn't any such thing for iDevices. This can be viewed as a possible minus but with common sense it isn't too risky.


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## cracker (Mar 8, 2014)

raulpica said:


> I know a lot of people with iPhones and not a single one had an issue with the battery.
> 
> Oh yeah, a guy did actually. His iPhone 3G (2008!!!) was lasting only 2 hours.



My girlfriend's iPhone 5 dies within half a day and is only half a year old.


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## raulpica (Mar 8, 2014)

cracker said:


> My girlfriend's iPhone 5 dies within half a day and is only half a year old.


It all depends on usage. If I use my Nexus 5 massively, the battery goes down in 5-6 hours. If I don't, it lasts 1 day and half.

If she's playing or using 3G/4G all the time, you can expect massive battery drainage. It's pretty much normal, the battery technology isn't really advancing, while CPU/GPUs are.


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## zeello (Mar 8, 2014)

I'm so dumb... instead of Asus Transformer couldn't I just get a keyboard dock for iPad? They make those, right?

Piece of cake!


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## cracker (Mar 8, 2014)

That is true that it is somewhat situational. Tweaking settings can help a lot in this area (possible +1 for Android). Ultimately, a replacement high mAh battery is necessary for the best experience. I like to mess with her a lot by telling her how long my S3 has been unplugged for. I got a ZeroLemon battery for it and have gotten up to 4 days and some hours with normal use.


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## Crimson Ghoul (Mar 8, 2014)

zeello said:


> Almost forgot about Asus Transformer. It looks like simply a tablet with an optional keyboard, is that true? Because that seems like a huge advantage. I don't know what the tablet will be used for most, but how can you possibly go wrong with giving someone the ability to type!
> 
> Then again, this could backfire. The user might always end up defaulting to having the keyboard almost always attached, or almost never attached. (similar to problem with WiiU's off-TV play, if I may say so.)
> 
> ...


 
They usually put in the latest processors but don't bloat the software the way Samsung does with their devices.


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## Heien (Mar 8, 2014)

Depends on what you are going to use it for. iOS has some exclusive games such as SW:KOTOR one of my favourite games, but my nexus 10 is an emulation beast. With an OTG cable and a wireless gamepad and voila! Now you have a mobile emulation center. For me playing psx/psp/gba etc. games more important than several exclusive games and you should ask yourself, what do you want more.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Mar 8, 2014)

Seeing how this is for your father whom (I can only assume) isn't going to be doing much emulation or tweaking or anything in-depth like that, might as well go with an iPad. It's more user friendly, has a good selection of apps all in one place that's easy to navigate to, and just does whatever someone needs it to out of the box. The iPad Air has the better resolution/ppi VS the iPad 2, as well as better hardware that has a similar battery life to the iPad 2. It is a bit more expensive ($100 more than the iPad 2/Nexus 10), but would probably end up being a better bargain at the bottom line.


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## cracker (Mar 9, 2014)

I glazed over seeing who and what exactly it would be for. Either device has online bridge apps and some titles are cross-platform. Do some googling of games you think your dad would play and then decide by that. Not having GC doesn't mean that the online play will suck.


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## Super.Nova (Mar 9, 2014)

Of the Android pros you'd like to consider are native support for any wired/wireless keyboards, mouse, or almost anythung out of the box and abilitu to add an external memory card.
Connecting a mouse will instantly show a coursor on the screen with full functionality of its components, same goes for keyboard, and capacity could reach up to 128GB (depending on which device you end up buying).

The Nexus 10 is best for software support but its hardware is arguably outdated (doesn't affect much).
Samsung devices are best for hardware and the software is a little less than that of the  Nexus line (they take much less time to release updates in general compared to others).
Asus is the favorite of many for its design but its generally slower to release updates.

Considering its for your father, I'd recommend an N10 for best out-of-the-box experience with upmost software support... but it has no external memory support which is somewhat a bummer for non price-concerned individuals like you.


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## zeello (Mar 9, 2014)

Keyboard support is great, I thought. But on second thought that is not enough. Because if you use keyboard (or mouse for that matter) then you need something to prop the screen up.

Asus Transformer seems appealing because I assume it is designed for that purpose, or simply any tablet with a keyboard dock offered as an accessory. Being able to simply plug in a PC keyboard is not good enough.



> Either device has online bridge apps and some titles are cross-platform. Do some googling of games you think your dad would play and then decide by that. Not having GC doesn't mean that the online play will suck.


I should search google play for any such games and try them out on my tablet. For science!!

EDIT: This whole time I assumed Nexus 10 was made by Asus. Apparently it isn't. That kinda defeats the point of me defaulting with Nexus 10 as opposed to other android tablets. Nexus 10 still looks nice but I should look at all of Asus's tablet offerings.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Mar 9, 2014)

Just a note, any tablet with bluetooth has support for just about any bluetooth keyboard, so it's not any kind of super special feature.


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## zeello (Mar 9, 2014)

Seeing as I think screen size is so important, why not a 12 inch tablet! aww yeah!

But an article suggests this is too big to hold comfortably.. this true?


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## GamerSince83 (Mar 9, 2014)

Depends on weight also might feel heavy when holding up too long but bigger is always better.....that's what she said   

I have  always liked Android more as it's more open sourced u can install straight off anywhere not like IOS where u almost always need ITunes and whut not.......


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## Fishaman P (Mar 10, 2014)

zeello said:


> EDIT: This whole time I assumed Nexus 10 was made by Asus. Apparently it isn't. That kinda defeats the point of me defaulting with Nexus 10 as opposed to other android tablets. Nexus 10 still looks nice but I should look at all of Asus's tablet offerings.


I'm not seeing a connection here.  Why is Asus the main reason you were thinking of getting a Nexus 10?


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## The_Hulkster (Mar 10, 2014)

I'd go with the iPad, especially if it's for your dad.
Much easier to use and software-wise it's unbreakable, by which I mean you can't mess up the software unintentionally.


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## zeello (Mar 10, 2014)

Fishaman P said:


> I'm not seeing a connection here. Why is Asus the main reason you were thinking of getting a Nexus 10?


Because I have a Nexus 7 2012 and I am very impressed with its quality.

By the way, mom got an iPad... so I don't need advice anymore. But we can keep discussing tablets if we want! The mods don't have to know...


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## TimKatheteStadle (Mar 10, 2014)

Fishaman P said:


> I fail to see how Game Center is a pro. Please explain.


 
A lot of people like having achievements, leaderboards etc. Game Center combines all that in a pretty interface.


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## Fishaman P (Mar 10, 2014)

zeello said:


> Because I have a Nexus 7 2012 and I am very impressed with its quality.


Huh... The Nexus 7 2012 was a collaborative effort between Asus and Google.  I never knew that.



TimKatheteStadle said:


> A lot of people like having achievements, leaderboards etc. Game Center combines all that in a pretty interface.


Thank you. I do realize how I made that sound, but I really had no clue what Game Center was for, and I couldn't think of a better way to word it.


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## Zerousen (Mar 18, 2014)

Honestly, if it were me, I'd go with Android, however, I feel like if I were to have gotten my dad an iPhone instead of an LG G2, things would have been much easier for him.


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## Hydrazine (Mar 19, 2014)

NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS NEXUS

AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP AOSP

Praise Duarte#HOLO

Courtesy of /r/AndroidCircleJerk


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## TheRedfox (Mar 26, 2014)

SAILFISH SAILFISH!


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## filfat (Apr 15, 2014)

Windows 8.1 Tablet, they are cheaper then an iPad and comes with office (if you get the ARM version) for instance the Surface 2, and awesome tablet, or the dell venue 8 pro which runs full windows for the price of an LagDroid tablet.


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## osirisjem (Apr 15, 2014)

filfat said:


> Windows 8.1 Tablet


Especially a good idea if you don't want to run any apps.


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## Super.Nova (Apr 15, 2014)

If you want to consider getting a Windows tablet, keep in mind you're gonna pay some serious savings for a proper, non-ARM, device.
ARM Windows devices are exactly as good as Microsoft Office would go and nothing more.
Android is in every meaning of the word the most distributed, mobile, open and customizable OS you could get.


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## enarky (Apr 15, 2014)

As a huge Nexus fan whose last four Smartphones were Nexus devices and the one before these a G1: _Don't. Get. A. Nexus 10!_

It's two years old soon, Google will stop publishing updates (if they haven't already) and you'll regret it as soon as Android 4.5/5 gets released. It only has a slow Dual Core Processor and to add insult to injury it's a Samsung Exynos. Samsung is consistently bad with publishing drivers for their Exynos devices, third party support (-> Custom ROMs!) lives from drivers, so it's highly likely that third party ROMs for the N10 won't be on par with other Nexus devices. Also there's a rumor that says that Google will release a new N10 together with a N8 in June, but I have now idea if that's true.

Personally I had to get a new tablet recently because it got sponsored from work and I chose the Xperia Z2 Tablet. It has the Snapdragon 801 which is being widely used, Sony recently publishes drivers for everything they release and the Bootloader can be unlocked easily.

Friends don't let friends buy a Nexus 10!


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## zeello (Apr 20, 2014)

The screen on my Nexus 7 flickers occasionally. I think I might go ahead and buy a replacement seeing as the screen will eventually give way at this rate. Something with a pen, most likely Samsung Galaxy Note, but maybe Asus Vivotab Note.


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## MrEl (Apr 24, 2014)

I have an iPad and a Nook+ HD. I would say my iPad is way better than this Nook+ HD.


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