are iPads overpriced?

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I got a samsung galaxy tablet and I think it is wonderful. It's also a lot cheaper, too, and I think Apple is overrated.

Is a tablet just a tablet?

 

[Edward W]

Do you care about what it does, or the image the brand projects?

iPads are great peices of technology, but currently with my budget I would never buy one as I know I can get a device to do what I want at a lower price, and I don't care about image so it's not a factor either.

Depends what you want, your budget etc, so for some an iPad is perfect and worth the money, to others it's not.

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I care more about what it does.

 

[Walley]

is the Sun hot?
I don't even think that Apple denies that they are over priced..
they purposely do that to make them appear better to those people that think that cost=quality
the only time an Ipad works better than any other tablet, is when its connecting or syncing to an iphone and apple specific apps.

plus, apple is fony in more ways than a lot of people know.
for instance:
I work as a maintenance manager for a hotel, and when we have had wifi issues in the building in the past, our I.T. guy had an iphone with an app to check the signal strength. so I brought out my samsung galaxy s2 and checked mine against his and we compared both to a proper signal meter. and guess what?
when the iphone said it was 80% and looked like it was beating out the signal strength of the Samsung, it turns out the Samsung was actually almost bang on to the meter and the iphone was exaggerating it and inaccurate.
we tested this in multiple locations. wifi and data both.
so i'm not sure which is better.. to have an accurate picture that is close to reality (cough* Samsung) or an air-brushed picture that makes you think that you are perfect even when you are 2nd best?

down with Apple!
Android Rulz! \o/

 

[xaero]

Apple products are overpriced and the company's business practices are rotten to the core.

 

[Truback]

Of course I understand why iPad tablets are overpriced, yet I'm an iPad mini user, whether it's for app games like Angry Birds series or movies I ripped from my DVDs.

 

[9006]

Yes Apple **** is overpriced.

They make some great products, but I for one aren't willing to pay the price, especially something that gets made cheaply in other countries and that's outdated months after you buy it. These days, people use Apple products are more of a social and fashion statement.

You can buy similar devices that works just as well, where peripherals aren't also ridiculously overpriced, and even maybe less controlling.. for less. The only difference is that it doesn't have an Apple logo printed on it.

 

[xaero]

Yes Apple **** is overpriced.

They make some great products, but I for one aren't willing to pay the price, especially something that gets made cheaply in other countries and that's outdated months after you buy it. These days, people use Apple products are more of a social and fashion statement.

You can buy similar devices that works just as well, where peripherals aren't also ridiculously overpriced, and even maybe less controlling.. for less. The only difference is that it doesn't have an Apple logo printed on it.

As much as I hate Apple and everything they stand for, I will admit that the build quality of their products is superior to a lot of similar devices on the market.

 

[perfanoff]

Apple has some great software and design, if you want something that "just works" and "feels cool" you've got to buy Apple.

I've got a counter-question for you: is a 1415 Euro leather jacket by Armani overpriced?

Compared to this 35 Euro utility jacket from American Eagle?
http://www.ae.com/web/browse/product.jsp?productId=2101_9380

It's like comparing apples to oranges.. both are fruits but are different, and provide different nutrition. That's regardless of one being more expensive than the other.

 

[xaero]

Apple has some great software and design, if you want something that "just works" and "feels cool" you've got to buy Apple.

Apple's operating systems are just proprietary Unix software. If you build a PC and install any Linux distro on it, you get the same thing. PCs also "just work," and "feels cool" is subjective and somewhat irrelevant. It's like the difference between two solid green t-shirts; one of the t-shirts has the Nike logo on it and the other one is plain. In the end they're both still green, but one costs more money because it has a logo on it. The difference in cost lies in the branding. It's the same with Apple products.

I've got a counter-question for you: is a 1415 Euro leather jacket by Armani overpriced?

Compared to this 35 Euro utility jacket from American Eagle?
http://www.ae.com/web/browse/product.jsp?productId=2101_9380

Only if the two jackets are made out of materials of equal quality, and if you're only concerned about practical use and not style.

It's like comparing apples to oranges.. both are fruits but are different, and provide different nutrition. That's regardless of one being more expensive than the other.

This is not entirely true for computers and other electronic devices. An Apple computer and a PC both do the same thing. They both provide the same thing (although Windows based PCs have a much broader selection of applications, hardware, and software development options, as well as access to the latest hardware). Besides the user experience, the only difference between Apple products and competing products is aesthetics. Computer manufacturers like Dell, HP and Lenovo are starting to produce desktops and laptops with the same (if not better) build quality of Apple products. Apple is slowly but surely turning into a dying fad.

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I think apple is just a brand name. Their iPad minis are 2 inches shorter than my Samsung, and they are $200 more expensive.

I am sorry, but it's just not worth it. If a tablet does what it's supposed to do, it doesn't matter who makes it. Apple are good at storing digital music and video collections, but for the price of their tablet I could get 3 of the other..enough for a family.

Oh and android does a lot more. The Widgets are awesome.

 

[perfanoff]

Only if the two jackets are made out of materials of equal quality, and if you're only concerned about practical use and not style.

That's right.
And since the life-saving practical use of a smartphone is very much debatable, it can (and has in some places) become a piece of jewelry.

 

[Walley]

Apple is not exactly the last word in quality either..
maybe exterior design and all things superficial, but I hear constant complaints from people I know about hardware/software/compatibility issues just like everything else, so the "quality" in there products are not necessarily in the right places imo.

I think even Steve Jobs agreed with me

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs

and here, as he talks about the direction Apple has taken;

"Many companies forget what it means to make great products. After initial success, sales and marketing people take over and the product people eventually make their way out."
Steve Jobs

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

Smartphone can enhance your work experience, though.

For example, I check grades on it, I record audio lectures on it, I create homework assignments using it, I submit those assignments using it. Etc.

A tablet is somewhere between a smartphone and a computer. It also makes you more productive.

 

[Walley]

Smartphone can enhance your work experience, though.

For example, I check grades on it, I record audio lectures on it, I create homework assignments using it, I submit those assignments using it. Etc.

A tablet is somewhere between a smartphone and a computer. It also makes you more productive.

absolutely!
smartphones changed my work life a lot! it would take me quite a while just to list the ways!

 

[perfanoff]

Maybe for you.

For most professions, especially office or any kind of stationary establishment jobs, smartphones and tablets are of marginal use.

The biggest utilities of my smartphone are as follows:

1. Have a skype call while I used to smoke outside on the balcony
2. Browse the internet pointlessly when I'm bored waiting for something
3. A camera to send pictures of me to people I know online

 

[Walley]

for non-stationary workers, it's a completely different story.
sure, I use instant messaging and it allows me to chat to Skype friends and other personal use things through the day, but also,
1) I use it to receive all my emails from 4 different accounts that I get all through the day.
2) I have manuals for all the equipment I service and I can order parts on the fly no matter where I am.
2) I can take a picture of a part or label on a product and then send it to suppliers or whom it may concern.
3) I use google maps and navigation daily
4) I store all of my contacts on there and don't need to keep business cards anymore
5) I use wifi signal analyzers a few times a week to check network strength (much cheaper than a meter and more portable than a laptop)
6) I view pdf's sent to me for conference room set ups (while i'm in the room instead of on a pc far away)
7) I use team viewer daily, to control my work pc, home pc and home media network and manage downloads.
8) I don't have an alarm clock anymore at home, I used my phones alarm and calendar for everything and sync it to my work pc.
its basically turned my work pc into a headless host that I rarely need to sit infront of
9) I used to carry a flashlight on my belt at work, but my phone works better.
10) I manage my Eve online skill plans and get out of game notifications. (it may not sound like part of my job.. but to me it is ;p)

it gives a virtual office to those who don't have one or cant spend time in one place.
I could probably go on and on, but i'm actually at work right now and my thumbs getting tired!

 

[9006]

 

[Aihpames]

Apple has some great software and design, if you want something that "just works" and "feels cool" you've got to buy Apple.

Or if you want something with more depth, more power, at a cheaper price, you buy an Android tablet Recently had to make this decision myself (present for a family member), and it didn't take too long. Comparing the spec sheet & prices of the iPad Mini & the Google Nexus 7 tells you almost enough straight away, but then you see what both units can and can't do, and it's a no brainer for anyone with any sort of "tech head".

The iPad is such a locked down system, that I'd honestly feel restricted and constrained just by owning one. Android devices actually feel like they can be tailored more and more to the needs of the individual The priceerformance ratio is just a bonus, in my opinion.

 

[Jocsaint]

Look, as long as I can browse the internet OK, I can listen to music, play a few games, watch YouTube videos, a tablet can be made by anybody as far as I'm concerned. Apple is overrated though, in my opinion. Just highly advertised pieces of mediocrity.