The Apple iPad has recently been launched to many positive reviews. Despite the previous heavy debate on the lack of Adobe Flash, positive and raving reviews can be found across the web. Is the Apple iPad truly a “magical and revolutionary product” at an unbelievable price? Or will it be the next big dud from Apple, such as the Apple TV? If you’re considering the iPad along with other tablets and eReaders, we’ve whipped up an easy-to-digest comparison between the iPad and some if its “competitors.”
[Editor's note: We actually made this comparison chart awhile ago prior to HP Slate's leaked info, and yes, we're well aware that the just announced iPhone OS 4.0 will include the glorious multitasking feature. For those still on the fence, Notion Ink's Adam is a fairly interested machine too.]
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What do you think about the Apple iPad? Will you buy one, or perhaps you’ve already holding one as we speak? Is the lack of Adobe Flash a drawback to you or do you feel that its a non-issue. Share your thoughts, gadget geeks!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for comparing it to actual products available now and products that are closest categorically. I see so many references to HP’s teaser that it makes me wonder : Apple announces a product and two months later it’s on the shelves while other companies slate devices were announced two months ago and won’t be available until much later this year, what gives?
I hope scriptfoo was sarcastic. How is the ipad anything close to the other devices? The kindle and nook serve completely different purposes. There is no point to compare the ipad to it.
Too bad this chart is 1) already out of date re: iPad & multitasking and 2) foolish for lumping unitaskers like book readers in with computing tablets like the iPad / JooJoo etc
I like how this shows the battery life at 10 hours for the ipad when it’s advertised at and been proven to be at 12…..interesting
Your article is already flawed. Multitasking was just announced for the iPad and will be available in the Fall. You should annotate your chart.
The WePad is a clear winner in this basic specs comparison. But all that set aside, I still want an HP Slate. Many people will wonder why, and it’s just this simple, if I buy one of these things, I want to install alll the same software I use on my desktop, like Office, or all 4 major browsers, or VPN clients, VLC player so I can plug in a USB drive and watch full DVD quality movies locally without internet streaming. The list could go on, I’ll sacrifice some ease of use to have worlds more capabilities.
WePad it is…. android is much better and the iPad fails in all areas in my mind… why steve thought it was a good idea to make the iphone bigger and take away its functionality is a mystery to me…
Oh snap it went popular on Digg. Here comes the flame wars about comparison, specs, what sucks, blah blah. Still, nice chart. Although I would primary use such a device to read articles/news media etc., having used four of the devices listed up there, I find myself leaning towards the iPad. Hard to beat the UI/experience of the iPhone OS.
Don’t forget – it was all the fanboys that started saying, “Hey, the iPad is a better eBook Reader than Kindle!”
Don’t compare it to eBook readers if you don’t want other people to compare it to eBook readers.
Notebook/Laptop: Display-15″+; Storage-250G+; Possessor-3g+; Webcam-optional; Input-optional; Multitasking-Yes; Connectivity-Yes/other; Flash-yes; Apps- Doesn’t need them; GPS-optional; Battery Life-3-7 hours. $400+
I don’t get it why people would waste money on tablets. Yes, they may be the future computer. But, until they can do every thing a computer can do, it’s not worth it in my opinion.
I still prefer MotionComputing products over any of these and I’ve had a tablet PC that does more than any of these for about 5 years now.
For those complaining about the comparison to nook & kindle, are you purposely ignoring the joojoo and wepad in this chart? I fail to see the fail in this article.
Too bad the Kindle isn’t a tablet and true competitors like the HP Slate, ICD’s Gemini, or MSI’s entry aren’t taken into consideration. Even without these entries it looks like, based on the comparison chart, the iPad isn’t all that special.
Having put my hands on one, it’s a fluid machine (the iPad) and looks to be capable of suiting productainment needs … but 85% of that I can do on my iPod Touch, albeit on a smaller scale. I, personally, am convinced that Android is the way to go with these tablet PCs; the open architecture and small OS footprint will keep the possibilities open while not being tied to a specific hardware set will allow competitors to enhance the experience or feature offerings. This is all assuming that Android apps will be prevalent and bountiful for the needs I want (which I suspect they will be).
The simple answer: Steven Job :D