Gadget Review #4: iPad 2

I have a confession to make. When the first iPad came out, I thought it was Apple's most useless product (now I think it's the Nano 6).

Just over a year later, I'm enjoying my own iPad, and more.

So what finally convinced me?

What's the use of a tablet?

And why the expensive Apple, and not a cheaper Android tablet?

My story after the jump.

Apple iOS vs Android

Everyone agrees that Apple products are more expensive than their competitors. iPods cost almost twice more than the average music player, so do macbooks versus other laptops. On the tablet scene, yes Apple's iPad is still more expensive, but this time the difference isn't that great.

Still, Android's honeycomb is just as pretty as the iOS and it can do so much more. Why choose a more expensive, less useful tablet then?

Thinking about this, I realized one thing: Apple's products are usually as-is products, meaning, you take them as they are. Others, Android for example, are the flexible ones, where you have to specifically tailor the product - add the right widgets, hack and delete useless system apps, etc, etc, to fit your needs.

If you mismanage an Android device, you get a slow, or worse, defective, gadget.

One can't have this problem with Apple gadgets because Apple is so strict in so many things. Heck, they don't even allow end-users to change the devices' batteries!

As a result, no matter what you do or what you install, you will get the same iPad experience.

By the way, you can also use this argument to go against jailbreaking. While friends' experiences say otherwise, jailbreaking an iPad does open the door to device manipulations not approved by Apple, therefore, possibly a slower or problematic device.

And FYI, I love modding, but I spared this iPad and left it genuine.

An oversized iPod?

The first reason I had against the iPad is that its just an oversized iPod, and it's true.

So why buy something that's just an oversized version of another?

Because it is oversized!

The extra screen space not only magnifies your games, videos and photos, it also gives more space for productivity apps. For instance, Money tracking apps aren't limited to one screen at a time. You can see your balances, budgets, expenses, and bills, all in one screen.

The same is true in social networking. IM+, my preferred chatting client, allows the user to receive twitter feeds and browse the internet in the same screen. You can't possibly acheive this in a smaller sized gadget!

Book lovers would especially appreciate the bigger screen and I don't even have to explain why. In fact, one of the first reasons I had to wanting to buy a tablet (at that time not necessarily an iPad) was so that I could read a tutorial to app development while actually trying the steps on my laptop.

Lastly, the bigger resolution also translates to better gaming graphics.

The bigger screen doesn't only mean bigger pictures, it also means more items in one screen.

Summary

A tablet can display media prettier than gadgets with smaller things.

Because of this tablets show you more things at once, making it a better planning and/or gaming tool.

Lastly, Apple doesn't always mean eye candies only, Apple also means consistency and app development support. So while it is hard to choose between an iPad or an Android device, know that the iPad has its good points also. In short, they're both good and it's up to you to select which one is right for you.

Who will like it:

1. Apple fanatics
2. People who value reliability and consistency more than flexibility.
3. People willing to give up some capabilities for aesthetics and stability.
4. People who prefer as-is gadgets and are afraid to mess things by installing incompatible apps. Apps from the App store are never incompatible (unless they're for smaller screens only, of course) while Android apps may not work on some Android devices.
5. Bottomline: you need to do something, you pull out your tablet, everything is ready and available for you. The iPad is what you need.

Who won't:

1. Apple haters
2. People who value flexibility hate it when their gadget is being "regulated".
3. Risk takers. Those who overhaul and overclock their gadgets to get what they want.
4. People who want gadgets they can always play around with and modify.
5. People who want to be able to install anything they want to install, even those not approved by the authorities.
6. Bottomline: you want your phone to sing a song while you sleep then wake you up and show you your agenda for the day, which starts with you reflashing the said phone and installing a new custom rom, then Android, not the iPad, is for you.

Luckily, I have an Android phone for all the modifications and experimentations I want. My iPad is here for other purposes.