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macfacts

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 7, 2012
4,748
5,580
Cybertron
I know why Google is isn't putting any effort into android tablets, cause they are working on chrome OS tablets. That is the future.
 
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Heat_Fan89

macrumors 68030
Feb 23, 2016
2,549
3,251
Android tablets are dead partly because Apple was better at making and marketing tablets. The iPad might have suffered the same fate if not for Apple finding creative ways to continue using their tablets.

But keep in mind that tablets partly faltered just like Apple’s iPod because another device made it redundant. Phones are now much bigger and you don’t have to worry about lack of internet access and you can carry your oversized phone with you and it does so much more than any Android tablet.

I believe you can take and make calls on the iPad but I could be wrong about that. The iPad’s day in the sun will come one day but not just yet.
 

k24a1

macrumors regular
Mar 1, 2019
213
118
louisville, KY
i used an SM-T580 back in my high school freshman year. it was absolutely horrible compared to even my iPad 2 on 8.4.1. yes, it ran faster, but it was very clunky! i use an S9+ as my phone right now but i may consider switching back to an iPhone one day. heard the 13s are much better with power management
 

skaertus

macrumors 601
Feb 23, 2009
4,232
1,380
Brazil
This is simply not true. Android tablets are not dead, although there has been much less hype around them than in the past.

According to this website (https://www.statista.com/statistics...s-by-operating-system-since-2nd-quarter-2010/), global sales of Android tablets constantly beat iPhones in terms of millions of units sold, for some time now. Android tablets have sold much more in the past, but are still a sizable portion of the market. In Q1 2021, there were 23.1 million Android tablets sold, against 16.8 million iPads.

According to this website (https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/tablet/worldwide), Apple currently has a market share of 54.5%, while Samsung has 27% and has steadily growing over the last months.

In February 2021, IDC reported that, in Q4 2020, the tablet market had a 19.5% year-over-year growth (https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS47423721). Apple was the top seller with 36.5% of the market share, and Samsung was second with 19.4%, having grown almost 45% since the previous year.

Yes, Apple is definitely the top dog here, no doubt about it. But there are many more Android tablets sold than iPads. In the U.S., perhaps iPads are far more popular, but not worldwide. Samsung has been released many new tablets and is set to make one with a 14.6-inch screen. Other vendors such as Xiaomi and Huawei are also making higher-end tablets to sell mainly in Asian countries.

I know Apple was the one that "invented" this tablet market with the iPad. For many years, Apple has been nearly alone in this market it created. Android tablets were one too many, but mostly a piece of garbage, which contributed to their decline. But Android tablets are rebounding, and manufacturers are offering some great products now, with OLED screens and 120 Hz refresh rates. You may think Android tablets lack the software, but they have improved in this department. And, to be fair, although the iPad is better in terms of software, it is also lacking as it cannot take full advantage of its processor and form factor.

So, no, this is absolutely not true. Android tablets are not dead.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,292
13,027
where hip is spoken
I know why Google is isn't putting any effort into android tablets, cause they are working on chrome OS tablets. That is the future.
Interesting.

What efforts do you think Google should be making with regard to Android tablets that they currently aren't doing?

Yes, Google is working on Chrome OS (CrOS) for tablets, but that isn't the end goal. Google's long-term plan appears to merge both Android and CrOS into a new OS codenamed, Fuschia.

Over the past year or so, CrOS updates haven't really improved things for the tablet form-factor. It has been a bit of thrashing around, tweaking the UI but not resulting in a more comfortable user experience (UX).

I own both CrOS and Android tablets. The UX on CrOS tablets is somewhat mediocre at this point in time when compared to Android. The container technology in CrOS that allows for support for Android, Linux, and Windows apps results in a disjointed UX.

There are some underlying design decisions that will prevent CrOS from offering a great experience... for example:
Rather than having a single globally accessible filesystem, it is "keyholed" (not fully sandboxed) based on operating system (CrOS, Android, Linux). That's better than iOS/iPadOS's sandboxed approach on a per-app basis, but not ideal.

I'm a big fan of CrOS for the notebook and desktop form-factors. Having a desktop-strength web browser (with full support for extensions and plug-ins) and yet have a system that is light and responsive is very attractive. But for a mobile, handheld form-factor like a tablet, CrOS is awkward.

But then again I'm spoiled by all of the flexibility that Android offers. Nothing beats the top tier Samsung tablets (with DeX) for both entertainment *and* office productivity use cases in a compact mobile form-factor.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,292
13,027
where hip is spoken
I personally think android tablets are fine as is but the complaints I constantly read are tablet UI.
ah, thanks for the clarification. Don't believe everything you read on the interwebs. ;)

The online tech community has really declined over the past decade or so. There is so much competition for access to manufacturers and developers that these bloggers have to stay in their good graces. This results in being selective in what they cover and what they choose to emphasize.

Back when Android tablets were making inroads against the iPad (to the point where 7" Android tablets were starting to be a threat that Apple relented and produced the Mini) many smaller no-name companies were competitive.

But as Android device makers coalesced around making smartphones to combat the iPhone juggernaut, tablets needed to fade out. As a result, tech bloggers followed the script and begin wailing and gnashing their teeth over the state of Android tablets.

It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hardware Mfgers wanted tablets to fade away, tech bloggers wrote stories to advance that narrative, which in turn resulted in a decline in Android tablet sales... mission accomplished.

Case in point... you find Android tablets acceptable but you repeat the complaint about the tablet UI. :D That's not a personal dig at you, but I mention it to show just how insidious these types of things are.

And for all of the accolades that Apple receives for the iPad (and deservedly so) they themselves don't get the tablet UI correct either. Slight differences to screen dimensions causes apps to display letterboxing... widgets don't scale properly... and so on.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
I like my Tab S7+ a lot. But I just don't see the mass public being drawn to Android tablets that come with a hefty price, unless something new is brought to the table.
 

840quadra

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,256
5,969
Twin Cities Minnesota
Anything without a full desktop browser is dead so not only Android tablets but also iPads.
Why is that? What am I missing posting on here, (moderating too) and with my work apps on my iPad that my Mac / PC can do better?

iPads are doing fine, and are quite productive for many industries, professions, and creatives with the browser it has.

On the Android side.

I am hoping / feeling that the growing interest in foldable phones / devices will push devs to make more than standard phone applications on the Android side, and push for full tablet support with much richer Multi-tasking apps to put Apple in their place.

I am an iPad user, I like that Multi-tasking is growing on the platform, but I am honestly wanting a full windowing system like we get in OS X.

Android will hopefully grow their marketshare and force Apple to adopt / adapt more desktop features to the iPad, like they pushed them to add to iOS itself.
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,495
11,155
Why is that?

If you know the history of how ARM tablets came about, it was a stripped down alternative to expensive and bulky portable PCs but the compromise of ARM tablets is you get a stripped down mobile web experience via mobile browser and/or apps. That model is obsolete as there are now devices with the same form factor and priced even lower that have full web browser. No more having to waste money on higher storage tiers to install app per web site (Reddit, Facebook, Target, Best Buy, etc.) and no more gambling if your web sites/apps will work properly when it's the sole device on you with nothing else to fall back on. Android and iPadOS tablets now only make sense if they're a subset of another OS that has a full desktop browser like Windows 11, ChromeOS and somewhat MacOS but lacks touch/pen inputs.
 

EddieKeyton1

macrumors 6502
Sep 28, 2021
314
289
Most people don’t need a tablet. Or even a home computer anymore. Smartphones are the way to go.

Remember I said MOST. Of course there are still people out there. But looking at the research. Android tablets are far from dead.
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,495
11,155
I'm speaking from the perspective that if it's the sole device with nothing else to fall back on like laptop, desktop, etc. so you're SOL if you run into a web site/web app that doesn't work properly.

When I hit the road where I can only bring one device, what I reach for first:
Windows x64 > Linux > Windows on ARM or MacOS > ChromeOS

Devices I don't even bother unless they're companion:
Android tablet > iPad
 
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LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
I'm speaking from the perspective that if it's the sole device with nothing else to fall back on like laptop, desktop, etc. so you're SOL if you run into a web site/web app that doesn't work properly.

When I hit the road where I can only bring one device, what I reach for first:
Windows x64 > Linux > Windows on ARM or MacOS > ChromeOS

Devices I don't even bother unless they're companion:
Android tablet > iPad

I would choose my Tab S7+ over any ChromeOS device on the road.
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,495
11,155
I would choose my Tab S7+ over any ChromeOS device on the road.

Great device except for lack of full desktop browser but at least 3rd party browsers have their unique web engine like Google Blink, Firefox Gecko, etc. while 3rd party browsers on iPad are all gimped through Apple WebKit plus other limitations and restrictions.
 

iHorseHead

macrumors 65816
Jan 1, 2021
1,302
1,563
I see many Android tablets still being sold, from Samsung to Huawei, but the truth is nowadays many Windows devices are used as tablets as well (at least here in Europe).
You can have a tablet and a laptop at the same time + full desktop if you connect it to an external display.
Surface Pro 8
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,495
11,155
But chrome OS tablets can run android apps too

Android tablets give you near 100% Android app experience whereas Android container on ChromeOS gives you less. But the counter argument is, if you have a full desktop browser on ChromeOS then why do you even need apps to access web sites? I don't even have Android container installed on my Lenovo Duet ChromeOS tablet and just use it for the full desktop browser.
 
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