the tablet war is heating up

[Fast Learner]

Well.....that's kind of a loaded complaint. The performance paradigm has been set by Apple obviously. But one of the ways they do that is by making their UI *simple*. I'm not sure it's even a UI. IMO, descriptions of it being no more than a grid of icons do seem correct to me.

You're conflating "UI system" with "app launching system".

The iOS UI framework -- not Springboard, its app launcher -- is called Cocoa Touch, and it handles all of the drawing, scrolling, keyboard stuff, gesture recognition, etc. (it handles the non-visible stuff, too) of every app. The same is true of the Android OS UI system and HP's WebOS UI system.

An easy example of the kind of sluggishness/sloppiness you see in reviews is a simple drag test. Pick an app that has something that can be scrolled across the screen, like a web page or a list of items. Place your finger on the draggable thing near the bottom of the screen and drag your finger to the top, stopping before you leave the screen area. On iOS whatever you placed your finger on when you started dragging will still be precisely under your finger up at the top, but on other tablets your finger will have "slipped" ahead of the content.

Similarly if you tap on a buttons in the various OSes, whatever UI thing the button does to acknowledge your touch -- light up, animate to appear to press into the screen, whatever -- will happen instantaneously on iOS but often has a delay on other OSes. Now mind you, the delay is usually measured in tenths of a second, but it's just enough that it doesn't quite feel like you're touching a physical button.

I'm not fanboy-claiming that iOS is the end-all and be-all, I'm just explaining how things can feel sluggish in a touch OS regardless of the processors and such. Apple was able to polish and refine that whole interface for years before releasing the first iPhone and even more years before releasing the iPad. I'm sure that Android will come up to that same level given sufficient time, but in the meantime app use simply doesn't feel as snappy on competing tablets.

Of note, Windows Phone 7 is probably the closest to iOS in terms of feeling snappy, but that's no surprise in that Microsoft has also had a bunch of years to work on it.

 

[Fast Learner]

The only reason I don't have an iPad right now is because the thing I mainly want to do with a tablet PC is read Marvel Digital Comics Online.

As falcarrion noted, Marvel has a truly excellent iPad app called, unsurprisingly, Marvel Comics.

I really, really like it, it's a joy to use, and reads the same comics as you get on your PC. I highly recommend finding someone with an iPad and having them download it to show you -- it comes with a dozen or so free comics (which change periodically) so you'll be able to get a real feel for it.

The app brought comics back into my life again, for which I'm thankful.

 

[Relique du Madde]

I've tried many of these devices in any case, and these speed differences are very, very minor. One thing I *have* noticed is that some of the Android devices seem to slow down over time, but then be faster after a reboot.

Banshee

That's a biproduct of multitasking. Essentially the android is saving each process it's running into memory and it might not actually be getting rid of all that data when you close apps unless you kill the process or do a clean reboot.

 

[Felon]

I see the tablet market and the smartphone market as two different markets.
I don't see any unit with a screen size smaller than 7 being a threat in the tablet market. Right now market leans toward a big screen. From 9 to 10 seems to be the sweet spot for tablets.

I ask you: what market? What trend? There is no market, no sweet spot. The singular success--and thus the only one that can be threatened--is the iPad. One example is not a basis for a pattern.

Rather, the patterns to be seen take place at a broader level, with consumers showing increasing interest in some form of portable computing, be it tablet, netbook, smartphone, a "smart" ereader, or some other classification of device that can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. To dismiss "units" with a screen smaller than 7 inches as being a threat is a mistake, because even the iPad is dwarfed by the number of increasingly-powerful devices being carried around in millions of pants pockets. The only such an argument can be validated is to show how the average consumer would not find overlap between what they use a 10-inch tablet for and what they use their smartphone for.

For most people, we're talking about phone calls, email, unintensive web browsing, multimedia entertainment, and social networking.

 

[Felon]

As falcarrion noted, Marvel has a truly excellent iPad app called, unsurprisingly, Marvel Comics.

I really, really like it, it's a joy to use, and reads the same comics as you get on your PC. I highly recommend finding someone with an iPad and having them download it to show you -- it comes with a dozen or so free comics (which change periodically) so you'll be able to get a real feel for it.

The app brought comics back into my life again, for which I'm thankful.

Indeed, Comixology has produced something mighty fine, both with their native comic reader app and the various skins they've come up with for Marvel and DC. If my iPhone had a larger screen, I'd be indulging regularly.

However, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is a separate kettle of fish. Instead of paying $2 per issue, users pay a $5/mo. subscription fee to access thousands of comics. If that sounds like an amazing deal, that's because it is.

Unfortunately, it doesn't travel well. The way the comics were scanned for the MDCU is apparently incompatible with viewing in Comixology's app.

 

[Felon]

That's a biproduct of multitasking. Essentially the android is saving each process it's running into memory and it might not actually be getting rid of all that data when you close apps unless you kill the process or do a clean reboot.

This is all the continuation of a topic that's been around a long time. Windows is often criticized as the ultimate resource hog, and the response to that is that it hogs resources because it is primed for the user to be doing tons of stuff at once. There is certainly always a trade-off to be made between flexibility and performance. And with portable devices, there's the additional factor of power consumption. There's no perfect beast, so it's up to each consumer to prioritize for themselves.

Of course, this is contrary to the facade that Apple wishes to project. When a company declares their devices to be "magical", one should be skeptical, not enthralled. Bad consumers.

 

[falcarrion]

I ask you: what market? What trend? There is no market, no sweet spot. The singular success--and thus the only one that can be threatened--is the iPad. One example is not a basis for a pattern.

Rather, the patterns to be seen take place at a broader level, with consumers showing increasing interest in some form of portable computing, be it tablet, netbook, smartphone, a "smart" ereader, or some other classification of device that can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. To dismiss "units" with a screen smaller than 7 inches as being a threat is a mistake, because even the iPad is dwarfed by the number of increasingly-powerful devices being carried around in millions of pants pockets. The only such an argument can be validated is to show how the average consumer would not find overlap between what they use a 10-inch tablet for and what they use their smartphone for.

For most people, we're talking about phone calls, email, unintensive web browsing, multimedia entertainment, and social networking.

I disagree there is a tablet market. You only have to type in tablet market in google to see that there is one. When your selling millions of untis a quarter thats a market. when the manufacturers state the are jumping into the tablet market. thats a market. The tablet market has been around for years. but it was the ipad that has brought this market to the fore front.

As for the screen size you even state that reading on a small screen can be very difficult. the bigger the screen the better. But being to big then the portability becomes a problem. But this could change once samsungs flexable amoled comes to market. Then it will be quite possable we will see bigger screens that fold. check out the demo for it from the ces2011.

 

[Fast Learner]

Of course, this is contrary to the facade that Apple wishes to project. When a company declares their devices to be "magical", one should be skeptical, not enthralled. Bad consumers.

I wondered how long it would be before someone dragged up that ridiculous argument here again.

It sure explains why the iPad sells like crazy and its "powerful" competitors don't and haven't for a decade. If you don't like it, it's gotta be a matter of brainwashing, marketing, "iSheep", etc. Can't possibly be because it's actually a better thing.

 

[Relique du Madde]

I wondered how long it would be before someone dragged up that ridiculous argument here again.

It sure explains why the iPad sells like crazy and its "powerful" competitors don't and haven't for a decade. If you don't like it, it's gotta be a matter of brainwashing, marketing, "iSheep", etc. Can't possibly be because it's actually a better thing.

I think the point he's trying to get at is that Apple acts as if the world is filled with complete idiots to the point that instead of having some of the message be the "WHY" and the "HOW" the system, much of the info we recieve comes in the form of marketing catchphrases and Orwellian double-speak.

 

[falcarrion]

quick note:
AE has there game apps on sale for the 4th of July in the Apple app store.
.99 great price for some of there games.