Tablets Best/most promising full-size tablet

[ZBoater]

I do agree that I cannot do everything I need with just the iPad. But if I could only have one device, I think my choice will be the 11 inch MacBook Air. It can run both Windows and OS X, and it's okay for reading in bed, though not ideal. I'm not convinced that the Surface Pro 2 is a good enough tablet to make me forego having an excellent laptop. And I know I just can't get any work done unless the equipment is just right. That's my OCD talking,

Yeah, I know what you mean. When I bought my first Mac ever two years ago, I was a bit hesitant but have since grown very fond of my MBA. But one of the reasons I love it is because of how well it runs Windows. There are still a couple of Windows apps I cannot live without. But I am warming up to OS X. Two years ago, the status of thin/light Windows laptops is not what it is today.

For me, the killer app is Quicken for Windows. I've been using it for over 15 years, and it runs my personal finances. I can't and won't give it up. It connects directly to my bank to download/upload transactions, something none of the Mac alternatives does. Keeping my personal finances straight is one of my key uses of a computer. The other is nautical navigation. I have a lot on money into Garmin apps. Only just recently has Garmin started to offer competent Mac native apps. But for my older chartplotter, I can only use MapSource, a Garmin app that is Windows only. Their Mac version doesn't support the old card format I need.

So each person will have a "killer app" that they absolutely have to have. For some people that may be Facebook. Ugghh. So an iPad would be fine. For others, it has to be the Windows Office Suite. The Mac version won't do. For my use case, the Surface Pro 2 would work like a charm. But the version I want would cost as much as my MBA. And I just recently upgraded to the 2013 version. So it will be two years before I am in the market for another productivity device, and hopefully by then Quicken will release a competent Mac version, although I won't hold my breath....

 

[chabig]

For me, the killer app is Quicken for Windows. I've been using it for over 15 years, and it runs my personal finances. I can't and won't give it up. It connects directly to my bank to download/upload transactions, something none of the Mac alternatives does. Keeping my personal finances straight is one of my key uses of a computer. The other is nautical navigation. I have a lot on money into Garmin apps. Only just recently has Garmin started to offer competent Mac native apps. But for my older chartplotter, I can only use MapSource, a Garmin app that is Windows only. Their Mac version doesn't support the old card format I need.

I switched from Quicken to See Finance a few years ago. It's much better and it connects directly to your bank, as do other Mac apps I'm sure.

 

[whtrbt7]

What is a "full size tablet"?????

 

[sracer]

Which is the best full-sized tablet current available, and the most promising, in your opinion? Which one do you think will lead the way from now on and is the most likely to become the most desirable in the near future?

• iPad, as the iPad Air is a very thin and light tablet with good battery life and premium materials, and it still runs iOS, which has several apps specifically designed for it

• Android tablets, they are affordable, offer a better cost/benefit, run an open source operating system and there is freedom of choice among the models

• Windows RT tablets, as they are affordable, thin, light, have good battery and still comes with Microsoft Office

• Full Windows tablets, as they offer the full Windows experience, which is unmatched by tablets, and can be as powerful as a laptop (using Haswell) or thin and light, affordable and with good battery (using Bay Trail)

"Best" is subjective. In my opinion, from a hardware capability standpoint, the Surface RT. MicroHDMI, MicroSD, and full USB port, really make the Surface RT a capable tablet. I love the ability to directly connect and fully access thumb drives, harddrives, and mics. I was very impressed with the ability to directly connect my Blue Yeti microphone to the RT. I needed a powered usb hub and the USB connection dongle to do that with my iPad 4.

The TypeCover2 for the RT is surprisingly extremely good. Because of the 16:9 aspect ratio of the RT, the keyboard is exactly the same width as the keyboard on my 15.4" MBP. That makes typing as easy and as natural on the RT as it is on the MBP.

I also appreciate the ability to print to virtually every printer that I've encountered... none of which are AirPrint-capable.

The thing that torpedoes the RT is the lack of apps. So much hardware ready to be exploited and virtually no software to make it happen.

As it stands now, my 64GB iPad4 is my go-to tablet. The apps are there to do everything that I need and want. The Logitech ultrathin keyboard cover is very nice (even if it is monsterous compared to the Surface TypeCover2).

I appreciate the opportunity to own both the Surface RT and the iPad 4. Both are great devices in their own way.

 

[ZBoater]

I switched from Quicken to See Finance a few years ago. It's much better and it connects directly to your bank, as do other Mac apps I'm sure.

Thanks for the tip! Just downloaded it an trying it out. Downloaded the transactions from my bank just fine. The UI will take a while to get used to, but this is very promising. Thank you.

Also trying out MoneyWiz. They have iPad and iPhone versions as well as OS X. Quicken may be losing a customer very soon....

Edit: Never mind MoneyWiz. Doesn't seem to have the option to download transactions from the bank.

 

[betabeta]

I think The Surface Pro is very compelling, I will certainly get one at some point, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that history will repeat itself, and MS will again learn "pirate" from others and become a market leader in tablets. They still have a huge desktop base to work with.

I hope the Surface does great, that will keep Apple moving forward.

Would Apple have ever went to a larger iPhone if not for the success of the galaxy note? Would Apple ever even consider adding pressure sensitive screen? But now they will at least investigate them and most likely we will get a pen based tablet, and a larger phone, only BETTER than the rest. (hopefully)

Apple better be on their toes.

And I think the war with Samsung is hurting them more than helping them.

Going to be very interesting few years ahead, the landscape will look way different. Who would have imagined the fate of Blackberry back before the iPhone.

 

[rowspaxe]

I love the surface pro, but it does not really replace the ipad. Its more of a "table tablet" that i use for laptop and design ( the pen is awesome) tasks I would never consider doing any work on the ipad as there is no file finder and it does not run the x86 software i will need to finalize projects. Now i have a surface pro and a mini, and mbp that mostly functions as a desktop.

It seems likely in 1-3 years there will be a full win/osx tablet with a form factor similar to the ipad 4. It will be interesting to see how the market reacts to that

 

[skaertus]

But the OP did not define what constitutes "best" in a tablet. If my definition of the best tablet is a device I can curl up with to read books and browse the web in bed, then the iPad wins over the Surface hands down. Yes, the Surface Pro incorporates the functions of both a tablet and laptop -- but the fact that many people prefer to carry an iPad + MacBook rather than just carry a single Surface suggests that the Surface isn't the best tablet, nor is it the best laptop.

It's a matter of trade-offs. A tablet is supposed to be a device that can let you lie in bed with it, sit on the sofa with it, and still have as many features as it could, given its size.

Each user should know what matters most. If portability is more important for you, then you should vote for the iPad. But if features are more important, then a Surface Pro would be your choice.

So, what makes one tablet better than the other is what the user expects from the tablet. The answer may vary.

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What is a "full size tablet"?????

A 10-inch tablet. A tablet the size of the iPad or the Surface Pro or the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not the very best name for a tablet, but you should get the idea.

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I love the surface pro, but it does not really replace the ipad. Its more of a "table tablet" that i use for laptop and design ( the pen is awesome) tasks I would never consider doing any work on the ipad as there is no file finder and it does not run the x86 software i will need to finalize projects. Now i have a surface pro and a mini, and mbp that mostly functions as a desktop.

It seems likely in 1-3 years there will be a full win/osx tablet with a form factor similar to the ipad 4. It will be interesting to see how the market reacts to that

Have you seen the Bay Trail tablets. They look very promising.

Performance should not be top-notch, but Atom is a much better processor now than it was back when it powered the netbooks. And most of them have 2 GB of RAM and a 64 GB SSD. Still, they run Windows 8.1 and have enough performance for office-related tasks and for surfing the web. They are thin and light, have good battery life and the price is low.

Take a look at the Dell Venue 11 Pro, for instance. US$ 500, full HD display and something between 8-10 hour battery life.

 

[rui no onna]

Have you seen the Bay Trail tablets. They look very promising.

Performance should not be top-notch, but Atom is a much better processor now than it was back when it powered the netbooks. And most of them have 2 GB of RAM and a 64 GB SSD. Still, they run Windows 8.1 and have enough performance for office-related tasks and for surfing the web. They are thin and light, have good battery life and the price is low.

Take a look at the Dell Venue 11 Pro, for instance. US$ 500, full HD display and something between 8-10 hour battery life.

+1. Just ordered an Asus Transformer T100 from Amazon. Not full HD but at 10", I'm not overly bothered by the 720p display. Windows still kinda sucks at display scaling when it comes to the desktop, anyway. At $350 for 32GB or $400 for 64GB, this should be quite an interesting new toy.

 

[Stack Overflow]

Really? You want to compare a laptop to a tablet? Or are you just hung up on Windows vs. iOS vs. OS X?

No, he's pointing out that just because a Surface Pro might have more functionality, that doesn't make it better.

I think the original topic of THIS thread is full size tablets. Try to stay on point. If you want to start a Windows vs. OS X debate, start it another thread in another forum.

The Surface Pro 2 is a full blown Windows laptop in tablet form.

Ha! Now do you see why he brought in a full blown PC running a full PC OS? Because you did.

 

[iapplelove]

I love my iPads but I would totally buy a windows tablet over an android one, them seem like a joke.

 

[ZBoater]

Ha! Now do you see why he brought in a full blown PC running a full PC OS? Because you did.

Sorry, but the Surface Pro 2 IS a tablet. That is happens to run full Windows 8.1 IS the point that makes it a better tablet (or in this case, more functional).

What is a tablet?

"A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and battery in a single unit."

So, mobile and single unit. What part of that does the Surface Pro 2 violate that makes it unworthy of being referred to as a tablet?

 

[skaertus]

+1. Just ordered an Asus Transformer T100 from Amazon. Not full HD but at 10", I'm not overly bothered by the 720p display. Windows still kinda sucks at display scaling when it comes to the desktop, anyway. At $350 for 32GB or $400 for 64GB, this should be quite an interesting new toy.

Yes, there are lots of Windows tablets coming.

I'm tempted by the Dell Venue 11 Pro. It certainly won't replace my retina MacBook Pro, but it could be a better tablet than my 3rd gen iPad (which became very sluggish after the installation of iOS 7). And it costs only US$ 500. For a high-resolution, touch-screen, thin-and-light Windows PC with SSD storage, that's very attractive.

What I'm really impressed is the Sharp Mebius Pad, and its IGZO display with a 2560x1600 resolution. That's impressive, and battery life is supposed to be great too due to the IGZO technology. However, the tablet is supposed to be available in Japan, and there's no information on the release date in other countries. Perhaps it is restrained to Japan only, which would be a pity.

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Sorry, but the Surface Pro 2 IS a tablet. That is happens to run full Windows 8.1 IS the point that makes it a better tablet (or in this case, more functional).

What is a tablet?

"A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and battery in a single unit."

So, mobile and single unit. What part of that does the Surface Pro 2 violate that makes it unworthy of being referred to as a tablet?

The Surface Pro and the Surface Pro 2 are tablets. Definitely. They have the same processors as a laptop, and they run the same operating system as a laptop. But they are still tablets.

The same argument could be used with the iPad. The iPad has the same processor as the iPhone, and runs the same OS. The same logic that would lead to the conclusion that the Surface Pro 2 is a laptop would also lead one to think that the iPad is a smartphone. But I haven't seen anybody stating that the iPad is a smartphone. Or is it?

I say no. The Surface Pro 2 and the iPad are both tablets, despite their processor and their operating systems.

 

[red321red321]

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. Here is why.

Super sharp display that renders text super clear.

Spen that is great for taking notes or annotating pdfs.

Great hardware specs. 3gb of Ram.

Easy to add memory with SD card slot.

Easy to use file management due to Android.

But there are some big downsides. Mainly, it is laggy due to bloatware and useless Samsung features out of the box. Once you disable and uninstall these though, the tablet really flies and shines.

 

[Night Spring]

Sorry, but the Surface Pro 2 IS a tablet. That is happens to run full Windows 8.1 IS the point that makes it a better tablet (or in this case, more functional).

What is a tablet?

"A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and battery in a single unit."

So, mobile and single unit. What part of that does the Surface Pro 2 violate that makes it unworthy of being referred to as a tablet?

I beg to differ on the "full Windows 8.1 makes it more functional" part. IMO, modern touch-screen tablets should have a fully touch-based UI. Windows 8.1 has a "desktop side" that uses keyboard/mouse UI. And last I heard, you still couldn't avoid the desktop UI a 100%. You could be doing something like changing system settings, and all of a sudden find yourself staring at a desktop UI instead of a touch-based tablet UI. It is this aspect of Windows 8.1 that makes Win 8.1 feel to me like it's not a "real" tablet OS. A desktop UI on a multitouch tablet is so hard to use, it just does not feel that functional to me, even if it does run that legacy desktop program that does not yet have a touch based equivalent.

 

[AdonisSMU]

You came to an iPad forum to ask what the best tablet is and are surprised by the response?

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...and a MacBook Pro runs circles around the Surface Pro.

And now they are almost the same price.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. Here is why.

Super sharp display that renders text super clear.

Spen that is great for taking notes or annotating pdfs.

Great hardware specs. 3gb of Ram.

Easy to add memory with SD card slot.

Easy to use file management due to Android.

But there are some big downsides. Mainly, it is laggy due to bloatware and useless Samsung features out of the box. Once you disable and uninstall these though, the tablet really flies and shines.

My Galaxy tablet just sits there. Im never buying anything from Samsung again. Sorry.

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I beg to differ on the "full Windows 8.1 makes it more functional" part. IMO, modern touch-screen tablets should have a fully touch-based UI. Windows 8.1 has a "desktop side" that uses keyboard/mouse UI. And last I heard, you still couldn't avoid the desktop UI a 100%. You could be doing something like changing system settings, and all of a sudden find yourself staring at a desktop UI instead of a touch-based tablet UI. It is this aspect of Windows 8.1 that makes Win 8.1 feel to me like it's not a "real" tablet OS. A desktop UI on a multitouch tablet is so hard to use, it just does not feel that functional to me, even if it does run that legacy desktop program that does not yet have a touch based equivalent.

The keyboard is actually a terrible cover. The size of the Surface makes for a terrible tablet. Try holding it in portrait view and things get awkward really quickly. It costs almost as much as a retina display mbp but its not nearly as powerful. Eeek! Its got all the downsides of a tablet and all of the downsides of a laptop.

 

[ZBoater]

I beg to differ on the "full Windows 8.1 makes it more functional" part. IMO, modern touch-screen tablets should have a fully touch-based UI. Windows 8.1 has a "desktop side" that uses keyboard/mouse UI. And last I heard, you still couldn't avoid the desktop UI a 100%. You could be doing something like changing system settings, and all of a sudden find yourself staring at a desktop UI instead of a touch-based tablet UI. It is this aspect of Windows 8.1 that makes Win 8.1 feel to me like it's not a "real" tablet OS. A desktop UI on a multitouch tablet is so hard to use, it just does not feel that functional to me, even if it does run that legacy desktop program that does not yet have a touch based equivalent.

The Metro UI is very easy to use. It's not an iPad, but it's not Windiws 8.1 either. The beauty of the Surface is that it can be used with the Metro UI as a touch tablet, or you can use it as a laptop with a keyboard and mouse with the regular Window 8.1 UI, or you can use it as a tablet with Windows 8.1 which is indeed clumsier. But you have the choice.

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The keyboard is actually a terrible cover. The size of the Surface makes for a terrible tablet. Try holding it in portrait view and things get awkward really quickly. It costs almost as much as a retina display mbp but its not nearly as powerful. Eeek! Its got all the downsides of a tablet and all of the downsides of a laptop.

I'll remember that next time I try to upgrade the firmware on one of my gadgets with my iPad.

Oh, wait...

 

[AdonisSMU]

The Metro UI is very easy to use. It's not an iPad, but it's not Windiws 8.1 either. The beauty of the Surface is that it can be used with the Metro UI as a touch tablet, or you can use it as a laptop with a keyboard and mouse with the regular Window 8.1 UI, or you can use it as a tablet with Windows 8.1 which is indeed clumsier. But you have the choice.

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I'll remember that next time I try to upgrade the firmware on one of my gadgets with my iPad.

Oh, wait...

How is that related to my arguments about the design of the tablet? Bring up some edge case as a reason to justify Surfaces existence in its current form. Smart. Ohhh yeah and even with the magnets and all the keyboard doesn't work as well as any of the zillions of blue tooth keyboards Ive tried with my iPad and doesn't work well as a case at all because it wont shut completely. IE is still the crappiest of all the browsers. Its MSFTs attempt at trying to force people back into the laptop paradigm.

 

[ZBoater]

How is that related to my arguments about the design of the tablet? Bring up some edge case as a reason to justify Surfaces existence in its current form. Smart. Ohhh yeah and even with the magnets and all the keyboard doesn't work as well as any of the zillions of blue tooth keyboards Ive tried with my iPad and doesn't work well as a case at all because it wont shut completely. IE is still the crappiest of all the browsers. Its MSFTs attempt at trying to force people back into the laptop paradigm.

Yeah, I guess that's why Windows runs on almost 80% of all devices and iOS and OS X are in single digits. Microsoft doesn't have to force people back into anything. They're already there. The Surface Pro 2 is actually a very nice piece of hardware. One doesn't need to be a Microsoft fanboy to recognize that (or an Apple fanboy to deny it). Is is bigger/fatter than an iPad? Yes. But it does a whole lot more. And it is very well made, feels great in my hand. But I'm already committed to my MBA/iPad combo. When it's time to upgrade in one or two years, it will be a much tougher decision.

Some of us need more than just an iPad to get things done.

 

[nabwong]

There is no best tablet. There is only best for YOUR use. I need a 4:3 aspect ratio to read music in portrait. Therefore an ipad is the best tablet for me. But if anyone decides to make an android or windows tablet in 4:3, I'd buy that over the ipad in a heartbeat because of the file tree system.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Yeah, I guess that's why Windows runs on almost 80% of all devices and iOS and OS X are in single digits. Microsoft doesn't have to force people back into anything. They're already there. The Surface Pro 2 is actually a very nice piece of hardware. One doesn't need to be a Microsoft fanboy to recognize that (or an Apple fanboy to deny it). Is is bigger/fatter than an iPad? Yes. But it does a whole lot more. And it is very well made, feels great in my hand. But I'm already committed to my MBA/iPad combo. When it's time to upgrade in one or two years, it will be a much tougher decision.

Some of us need more than just an iPad to get things done.

Some of us need more than office software to do get work done. However I still have an iPad because its better at consumption than a laptop and much more fun. The Surface takes that advantage away and now we are back to a laptop.

The Surface isnt more mobile than a laptop. That is the issue. Its an underpowered laptop...and a mobile device thats not very mobile. One doesnt have to be a fan boy to recognize that. People didn't leave their more powerful laptop at home to get an expensive underpowered laptop that is not any more mobile than the laptop they have sitting at home. The Surface may as well be a MSFT branded laptop. Where is the value proposition in getting an expensive underpowered laptop that isnt more mobile than the laptop you already own?

Ill stick with my earlier statements that the Surface is MSFTs attempt to force people back into the laptop paradigm they were trying to get out of.

So roll those eyes but there isn't a value proposition in the Surface.

 

[Night Spring]

The Metro UI is very easy to use. It's not an iPad, but it's not Windiws 8.1 either. The beauty of the Surface is that it can be used with the Metro UI as a touch tablet, or you can use it as a laptop with a keyboard and mouse with the regular Window 8.1 UI, or you can use it as a tablet with Windows 8.1 which is indeed clumsier. But you have the choice.

That's not quite what I heard. Last I heard, some system settings still existed only in desktop UI, requiring you to use desktop UI -- that is, you have no choice to use the Metro UI for those tasks. Also, last I heard, there was still no Metro version of Office, so again, you don't have the choice of using Metro UI if you want to use Office.

 

[skaertus]

Some of us need more than office software to do get work done. However I still have an iPad because its better at consumption than a laptop and much more fun. The Surface takes that advantage away and now we are back to a laptop.

The Surface isnt more mobile than a laptop. That is the issue. Its an underpowered laptop...and a mobile device thats not very mobile. One doesnt have to be a fan boy to recognize that. People didn't leave their more powerful laptop at home to get an expensive underpowered laptop that is not any more mobile than the laptop they have sitting at home. The Surface may as well be a MSFT branded laptop. Where is the value proposition in getting an expensive underpowered laptop that isnt more mobile than the laptop you already own?

Ill stick with my earlier statements that the Surface is MSFTs attempt to force people back into the laptop paradigm they were trying to get out of.

So roll those eyes but there isn't a value proposition in the Surface.

Actually, the Surface Pro is more mobile than a laptop. It is thinner and lighter than a laptop. It may not be as thin and light as an iPad, though.

I don't know why people keep stating that the iPad is better for consumption. Apple used that to market the iPad, and brought this consumption vs. creation thing. I've used computers for about 20 years now, and I had never heard this consumption vs. creation dicotomy before. It's an ingenious market creation by the folks at Apple, and people are really buying into it.

The fact is that the iPad is not a good device for input. It has no physical keyboard and the virtual keyboard is not half as good. And it has no mouse support; fingers may be fun to use with the touch screen, but they lack the precision of a pointing device. Therefore, the iPad is not good for input. But, as it is only a screen, it can be taken easily with one hand. You can sit on the couch and read on the iPad like it was a newspaper. Then Apple comes with this consumption thing. Pure marketing.

 

[nfl46]

iPad's are still the best, but I think the Windows tablet are promising.

 

[ZBoater]

That's not quite what I heard. Last I heard, some system settings still existed only in desktop UI, requiring you to use desktop UI -- that is, you have no choice to use the Metro UI for those tasks. Also, last I heard, there was still no Metro version of Office, so again, you don't have the choice of using Metro UI if you want to use Office.

Considering Office is not available in any other form, then I'd rather have it available than not.