Why an Android tablet would be Superior to iPad

I was one of the guys standing in line at 7am for an iPad when the store didn't open until nine. I'm always an early (first) adopter of new tech. Did the same thing with the iPhone on June 27, 2007 only I waited 8 hours in the rain for that. Did it with the Motorola Droid and most recently, the Droid Incredible. I like to get my gadgets before the masses, obviously.

So when the iPad came out, even though I ditched the iPhone platform in February 2009 for Android (G1), I jumped on it. I don't see eye-to-eye much with Steve Jobs anymore and didn't like the direction the entire iPhone OS was (and has continued) going. But I loved the idea of a tablet. My MacBook Pro is a great workhorse. She does everything I need and then some, especially after maxing out the RAM and buying a 1TB external hard drive. My (then) Motorola Droid was my constant companion.. it went everywhere with me, even the bathroom. Yes, I'm one of those guys.

I see Android as the OS of the future. Its always changing, always improving, always growing, and as reported recently, has already surpassed the iPhone in sales. So the iPad was a bit of an ugly ducking to my Google-biased mindset from the start. But I gave it a chance and bought the 32gb wifi-only model on launch day. The launch-apps were good. The physical form factor is amazing. But it lacked too much for me to really truly love it. So thanks to my Premium Silver Rewards membership at Best Buy, it went back 39 days later.

In that 39 days, I tested all the mainstream iPad-specific apps. I integrated it into my daily life. From streaming music via bluetooth to my car stereo, to reading the news while visiting the porcelain palace, to games, tethering it thru my rooted Droid for internet connectivity anywhere and everywhere, and everything else I did with it, I never found true love with it.

Noah from PhoneDog.com thinks its an underpowered computer and doesn't see the point of the whole tablet idea. So he's selling his. He's missing the point. The iPad (and future tablets of ANY operating system) probably never will compare with modern computers. That's just it: they aren't MEANT to. At least for most folks. You don't buy a tablet with the idea of junking out your desktop or laptop completely. You buy a tablet for portability; for ease of use; for pleasure; you buy it with a different mindset than you do a full blown Mac/PC.

The example I gave him was a comparison between bicycles and cars. Bikes aren't as fast as cars. They can't transport your groceries, your luggage, or your family. They aren't as safe since its harder for drivers to see you, they aren't practical in inclement weather or at night, and they aren't suitable for long distances. So do we stop selling them? Will people stop buying them? Absolutely not. They're intended for a different purpose, which is where Noah and others of the same mindset are missing the point of tablet computing. He compares a MacBook to a Swiss Army knife and the iPad (and tablets in general) to a butter knife saying one is more flexible AND powerful. Agreed; the Swiss Army knife does have more ability than a butter knife obviously. But that still doesn't take into account the intended purpose. Are you going to use a Swiss Army knife to spread cream cheese on your bagel? Doubtful. Why? Its overkill.

Now we're getting somewhere.

In this day and age, we have the mindset of always having the most powerful and performance-based gadgets at all times. I'm guilty. My Motorola Droid was a great phone. But the HTC Droid Incredible is a better phone. So I upgraded. And in most cases, this idea brings beneficial and expected results. But with tablets being in their own category (not a smartphone, not a laptop), that idea just doesn't apply. You can't compare the power, performance and functionality of a tablet to that of a laptop when they aren't even designed to compete (at least tablets running mobile OS's like Apple / Android).

Let's talk real world, since that's what it all comes down to. I used my tablet in the car, in coffee shops, in hotels, in my living room, in my garage, at my friends houses, at restaurants, and just about everywhere else. And I absolutely could have used my MacBook Pro in all those places, too. Why didn't I? Because I didn't need to. I didn't need to wait for it to boot up (although its fast, its not instantaneously). I didn't need to do any real production at those times or in those places. It was more about leisure and enjoyment. Obviously, I read PhoneDog, plus all the other tech blogs you know you've got bookmarked, too. Why use my powerhouse of a laptop for such medial tasks when a tablet will more than suffice? I could save the battery life of my laptop for more important and demanding tasks. Again, going back to the knife vs. knife analogy... why spread cream cheese on your bagel with a Swiss Army knife?

Tablets are obviously here to stay. As are smartphones. And laptops. None of these three categories are out there to knock the others out of the game. I don't want a tablet to replace my computer, just as I don't get rid of my Droid Incredible because technically speaking, my MacBook is WAY more incredible specs-wise.

Yeah, I took my iPad back. Yeah, I'm waiting on a great Android tablet to debut. When it does, I'll be one of the first to order it. Why do I have so much more faith in an Android offering? Because of the operating system superiority for my needs. Working with one application open at a time is ludicrous in this age with all the amazing applications available. Steve Jobs' neglecting multi-tasking (until this summer for iPhone / fall for iPad) is like your mom never letting you out of the house because of that chance you could get hit by a car. Or lightening. Or you could trip and skin your knee. Apple has left it out because it uses more battery life to run multiple applications. Cry. Me. A. River. Guess what, Steve? Android users don't get great battery life but we just surpassed your stupid iPhone in sales! Android Market is gaining on the AppStore fast! Developers are leaving your platform and vendors are discontinuing support for your products! Maybe you'll get ousted from your own company. Again.

Android is open source. And nobody cares that you root your phone and install applications from outside the market. There's even a little check box for it right in the settings menu! By allowing third-party app installations, you acknowledge that you're responsible for whatever happens to your device. I think we're all mature enough to make that decision for ourself here, momma Steve. We can go outside and take the risk of skinning our knee. And we can choose what we run on our devices.

So the iPad, in my book, is a failure. Not by design, per se, but by limitation. I suppose that also means by design, since 1 Infinite Loop knowingly built it that way. I'm anxious to see a solid and comparable Android-based tablet though; even taking the hardware out of my Droid Incredible and upsizing the screen would be superior to the iPad in every way. Expandable storage, open source, simultaneous apps, camera, and wifi radio to name a few. Plus, for Google fan-boys like me who have integrated Google products into their everyday lives, it makes more sense. I use Chrome, Blogger, Google Voice, Maps, Gmail, Talk, Picasa, Docs, Reader, YouTube, Search, Calendar, Buzz, and Android -- DAILY. So a tablet that integrates much better with those services than iPad (since Google and Apple are still at each other's throats) would be amazing. The larger screen would be more conducive to both productivity and pleasure; the backbone would be built upon everything I already have going and it'd flow together seamlessly. And that's what everyone wants from the web: a seamless integration of their experience from device to device, no matter where they are. An Android tablet would accomplish that much faster and easier than any Apple-based device simply because Google already has such a huge footprint all over the web, where Apple just has music, books and apps to call their own. If all I wanted from my online experience was music, books and apps, Apple would be my brand of choice. But I want more. And Android answers the call.