Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini

gino_76ph

Hi there!

I am looking to buy a tablet this holiday season and i do not know which to choose.

The Nexus 7 specs-wise is a beast and size seems very ideal for travelling, etc. Having Android phones in the past and an HTC Sensation i would be very familiar and would feel at home with the OS. And its quite cheap.

The iPad Mini (current codename) however isn't out yet but all rumours/whispers/news/spy shots suggest a September announcement and a much smaller screen size and i'm predicting specs similar to the "new" iPad. I miss having an iPad. had the 2nd-gen 3 months ago and have bought many paid apps & games and i feel it would be a shame if i just waste all of it and forget about it. A predicted price of at least £50 more than the Nexus 7 but again its still difficult to say.

But when it comes to practicality would you go for the N7 or wait for the much smaller iPad?

I plan to use my tablet as surfing the net, uploading photos, simple note taking, checking news/weather, Youtube, watching videos and i would like to say as a gaming console rather than buy say an expensive PS Vita as games on the App Store tend to be a lot cheaper than portable consoles.

What you think guys?

RobTang

Hmm tricky.

From a pure money saving point of view the nexus 7 is the hands down winner. but if you have a fair amount invested in apps already it might offset any savings.

Games, I think iOS games have the edge over Andriod, but really the experience is not really comparable to a Vita as a games console. As an analogy id say iOS / Andriod games are like watching youtube clips while the Vita is more like watching a movie.

While everyone else will probably disagree personally I think they are pretty much the same really (they can do the same essential things etc), I would just buy on personal preference.

Then again I just opened my iPad and I have open notifications over a week old, so maybe im not the best person to talk about tablet usage

Humphrey10

I use my iPad and iPhone for playing games, I haven't turned on my laptop, Wii, and PS3 (except to watch Blu-rays) for months. I've got rid of my PSP and NDS.

It really depends OP, do you want a mini-tablet now, or can you wait till September and see what the iPad mini is like? And decide then, once you know the specs and price.

I didn't really see the point of a mini-tablet, then I saw someone using one on a train, they do look quite handy. A bit small for internet stuff, especially typing, but for games and other apps they look like a nice balance between screen size and portability. I don't think I really need another iDevice though.

penrhyn

Very happy with my N7, no flash so no BBC iplayer atm but they are working on it. Developers seem to favour the iPad over Android, but they are catching up. Had the ipad mini been out at less than £200 I would probably have gone for one.
IIWY i'd have a browse around the Google Play store to see if there are apps for what you want5 to do on an N7.

The main problem for me was the slightly dodgy headphone jack socket. Overcome by buying a small bluetooth speaker,'cos as Sheldon says everything is better with bluetooth.

Cisco001

penrhyn wrote: »

Very happy with my N7, no flash so no BBC iplayer atm but they are working on it. Developers seem to favour the iPad over Android, but they are catching up. Had the ipad mini been out at less than £200 I would probably have gone for one.
IIWY i'd have a browse around the Google Play store to see if there are apps for what you want5 to do on an N7.

The main problem for me was the slightly dodgy headphone jack socket. Overcome by buying a small bluetooth speaker,'cos as Sheldon says everything is better with bluetooth.

you can install flash manually. just google it you can find some websiite tell you wait to do

gino_76ph

In terms of specs, actual device pricing and the overall Android 4.1 ICS "environment" and abilities (in comparing with iOS) the Nexus 7 win hands down.

But when it comes to developer's first choice, number & quality of apps and games and the simplicity and fluidity of the OS then i would choose an iPad Mini if we are to believe the rumours that it is just a smaller iPad 3 (more comfort/more portability) or a bigger iPad Touch with specs similar to current-gen. And besides I have invested in some really good paid games from the App Store that i am tempted back to purchase one once it is made available.

But the other question i would like to raise is what would be the RRP/SRP of the new smaller iPad? £229 for an 8GB and £279 for a 16GB? Sounds good?Practical?Competitive?

RobTang

gino_76ph wrote: »

But the other question i would like to raise is what would be the RRP/SRP of the new smaller iPad? £229 for an 8GB and £279 for a 16GB? Sounds good?Practical?Competitive?

Personally id over bet a bit with Apple and guess is closer to the current price of the iPad 2, £300-£329 (16 gb wifi)

gino_76ph

If they release a smaller iPad with roughly the same specs with the current-gen on a price range of £300-£329 would be unrealistic and impractical. No one will simply buy it.

Challenging the likes of Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire would be easier (and translate to a bigger profit margin in a short span of time) if they make prices down and at a competitive range like say £229 for an 8GB and £279 for an 16GB one.

Would you guys agree?

Dan_Thunder

Although it's all gossip at the minute the likelihood will be that Apple will want to compete directly with the likes of the Kindle Fire & Nexus 7. Given that Apple make profit on each unit, unlike Google & Amazon, I'd expect two thing:

1) - If they do release some sort of iPad mini I imagine it'll cost more than both of these machines, probably nearer £230-250 for a basic model.

2) - In terms of specs I imagine it'll be more in line with the iPad 2. I sincerely doubt it'll be anywhere near as powerful as the new machine, but as it powers a smaller screen it won't need to. I'd also be amazed if it uses the new retina display. In terms of cost I expect the same kind of screen as the iPad 2, which is pretty much on a par with other machines.

The thing is though that you can't compare products when one of them doesn't even exist yet! I've got a new iPad but, as a 7" tablet, the Nexus 7 is currently unbeaten.Will Apple beat it? Maybe, maybe not, but for now it's probably the best android tablet on the market full stop.

If you spend your time waiting to see what a competitor is doing then you'd never buy anything. By the time Apple release a 7-8" tablet the likes of Google and Amazon will be working on new models. All your need to ask of yourself is when do I need it? How much can I spend? Will it do what I want? If you find a tablet that answers all those questions then you have a winner!

debitcardmayhem

Perhaps when Apple released the iphone 2 you should have bought apple shares at c $200 , now there is the possibility of a 5 what are those shares worth now .....

RobTang

gino_76ph wrote: »

Would you guys agree?

I dont think Apple will play in a race to the bottom, esp when it will cannibalize a decent portion from the existing 9" iPads.
As nice as it would be to see some cheap iPads.