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| image courtesy of IntoMobile |
As we approach the second year of the tablet in the consumer market, many manufacturers are releasing their second versions of the their tablets. In the sea of tablets available, there are two OS (as the QNX-powered PlayBook isn’t out yet) at the moment that matter: iOS and Android. With the iPad and now the iPad 2 being the only tablet running iOS. While Android has the Galaxy Tab 7/10.1, Streak 5/7, Xoom, G-Slate, and so forth. Between the two type of tablets there are quite the similarities. Both allow near desktop web browsing, email capabilities, personal media storage, YouTube, dual cameras, gaming, and tons of apps.
But the number one reason in my humble opinion between the two types are the pricing. This is where it seems like companies forget that Apple set the bar for products and pricing. Now I’m far from the biggest Apple fanboy but I respect their products. With iOS & Android tablets doing close the same thing, the price point between the two should be around the same, right? Apparently not. The 16GB Wi-Fi iPad costs you $499 and the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad costs you $629 w/ 2GB of monthly data for $25 & no contracts involved. The Galaxy Tab varies in pricing but we’ll use T-Mobile’s for example. The Tab will cost you $249.99 w/ a new two-year contract and a Tab contract-free will cost you $499.99 offering 5GB of data for $39.99 monthly. While there is no Wi-Fi only Tab just yet to compare it to but for the average consumer to see the two packages. Most are gonna go with Apple due to not wanting to add another $40 to their cellular bill. Need something more recent? Ok.
The Motorola XOOM for Verizon runs the latest version of Android, 3.0, and has 10.1inch touchscreen, 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and dual cameras (2MP & 5MP). With the arrival of the iPad 2 now offering similar features as their competitors, Apple’s competitor tablets are still overpriced. The XOOM is priced at $599 w/ new two-year contract and $799 contract-free. While the data pricing for the iPad 2 has yet to be announced, the monthly pricing Verizon is offering for the XOOM is 1GB of data for $20, 3GB for $35, 5GB for $50, and 10GB for $80. The only real thing the XOOM has on the new iPad is that it will be upgradeable to 4G LTE by sending yours in for a few days to add the capability. The 4G ability may severely drain the usual great 3G battery life asking yourself, “Self, was the speed and money worth it?”
On the competitor’s side of things, they have yet to come close to Apple’s tablet sales. They are squeezing almost everything except for the kitchen sink into their tablets and not reaching the being overtaken by the masses. As much it is about the specs and limitations, it is also about the pricing. Not sure if its the carriers to blame or not but the other tablet manufacturers need to take a cue from Apple’s pricing points. And to wrap up, whether you think Apple’s tablets are truly magical or not, the millions of consumers, companies, and schools who integrated the iPad into their lives think it is worth it.
