Average Tablet Price Has Droped Down to $386
Those predictions about cheaper tablets in 2012 have apparently not been empty promises.
According to IMS Research, the average tablet in the market dropped by 21 percent in price and landed at $386 in the first quarter of the year. Of course, much of this circumstance can be attributed to Apple's decision to keep offering the iPad 2 next to the new retina iPad, and dropping the price from $499 to $399.
However, it seems that low-end tablets have also come down in price and that the previous attractive $200 price point has moved down as well. IMS analyst Gerry Xu said that technology alone does not allow tablet vendors to differentiate themselves from competitors, which means that a low price is the "major factor" to attract customers. "To balance performance and profitability with a low price remains challenging for most tablet vendors," Xu said.
2012 may bring some change to the market, as Amazon is preparing its second generation Kindle and Google is readying its own tablet for launch. This means more technology for the money will force tablet vendors to upgrade their designs while keeping tablet prices where they are or dropping them even further.
I wouldn't even pay $3.86 for one of them, neither I wouldn't even consider them for FREE.
I think it is time to label this as a tablet war because **** is about to get serious.
Actually a tablet is hardly any replacement for a laptop unless you do some very light work and you get a Transfomer tablet.
You could eventually think about your tablet as a device combining ebook, gps (if it works and has LTE), an internet tablet (yeah, those devices from years ago that were supposed to be internet browsing devices) and oversized MP3/4 player. It could actually be an useful device while you travel but it might take longer to get to the point. And also mobile internet should become more available and cheaper internationally.
Now ask people what they want to to with it, and when you then respond to them 'you can have an Android for half the price that does all that' they look at you sideways, like you're trying to rip them off. They try to read you like your some sort of snake oil salesman for suggesting they can do these things for half the price, as though it's impossible.
Apple sells the sizzle, not the sausage, as long as that's the case and people aren't as educated (or don't have the need for some niche app that adds real value to the iPad and can't wait for the Android version) then you'll find many people still buying apple at twice the price of Andorid.
Samsung Series 7 slate - Core i5
Asus EP121 - Core i5
HP 2760p - Core i7/i5
etc and etc
Thats exactly why I went with an iPad. The niche app that I was waiting for is still not on Android 3 years later... I use Notes Plus that helps me audio record my lectures and syncs the specific audio recording to the slide I was on when I was recording. That feature alone is what makes this app so amazing. There are alot of annotation apps in both markets but they don't suit my needs. My first year in medical school is where that app saved me alot of time especially when you are sitting at school from 9am-10pm.
I continually look in the Android app market since I use a GNex as my phone but still nothing even years later. Resale value of the iPad is much nicer then an Android tablet also if you decide to sale it down the road.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.softxperience.android.noteeverything&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=my.handrite&feature=search_result
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.suishouxie.freenote&hl=en
Sell, sell it down the road.
I'd either get the Transformer Prime (Tegra 3) or i'd go cheap and just get a nook color (under $200). I'm certain I'd mostly just use it for watching netflix and looking up stuff real quick.
Anything widescreen would still be a step in the right direction, no TV or movies are made in 4:3 anymore and haven't been for quite some years
Yes, but 16:10 is a dumb format. 16:9 makes far more sense for media consumption devices that are used mostly in horizontal mode. I rarely see anyone use an iPad in portrait mode, so Apple's argument for not using 16:9 is just as dumb. 1366x768 is used because 1024x768 has been a standard LCD resolution for years, and it's just taking the width and extending it out to the 16:9 aspect ratio. Even before HD, Europe used 16:9 as a standard on a lot of picture tube TV's for years before we saw it here in North America. 4:3 needs to die, and 16:10/15:9 should too.
This is all well and good, but these widescreen formats are not quite as useful for more common tablet activities, like generic applications and Internet browsing. It induces more scrolling when reading web pages, for example.
Aren't Android tablets already beyond the 4:3 aspect ratio anyway? All 1024x600 or 1280x800, aren't they? The latter is more like 8:5.
LoLed at your comment. 8:5 is 16:10. Double both sides