iPad or Nexus?

[jrswizzle]

Perhaps I'm misreading the OP's requirements when they ask for "music, watching movies and browsing" but all three tablets are capable of doing just that.

If the OP does want the best in resale value, sure, go for the iPad but I've not seen any indication that that is a primary factor in their usage (being music, watching movies and browsing).

Overall though I was just throwing a new (budget concious) suggestion in that can do all the OP asked for which they may have not considered prior to this thread.. The thing even looks like it'll be laright for a little light gaming too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPXOJC1qm6o

Sure - I get it. My initial recommendation for the iPad mini were for the top two reasons the OP mentioned - music and browsing. The 4:3 aspect ratio is superior for browsing - not to mention the added screen real estate.

I too mentioned that if the OP were budget conscious, the N7 would work just fine and is a nice tablet for the price.

And I wasn't knocking you for throwing in a new consideration - merely cautioning that in my experience, you get what you pay for

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If your gonna make a comment on the tablet at least know what your talking about. Pretty much every android tablet including both nexuses is 16x10 not 16x9. The app argument is not valid either. There are just as many apps on android as on iOS.

The screen on the nexus 7 is noticeably better, especially text. It also better for movies as the aspect ratio is better. Theres also the fact that unlike the mini (wifi) it has a built in gps chip. The wifi minis have no gps.

Lol - 16:9, 16:10 - both are inferior for web browsing. And the screen size of the mini allows for a better browsing experience as well.

And sure, there are 700,000 apps in both stores - how many of those Android apps are written specifically for tablets? i.e. make better use of the added screen real estate with extra functionality - or how about even optimized for the tablet's resolution? The answer is not many - and this is from experience with the Nexus 7.

Conversely there are over 300,000 iPad-specific apps with added functionality and optimization specifically for the iPad. The OP originally listed 3 uses - movies, music and browsing. For at least two of those I would say the mini is superior - for movies, the 16:10 ratio is better sure, but since selling my retina iPad, I've been watching more video on my mini, and I have to say I'm very impressed....

And this is coming from a retina iPad - so don't talk to me about the Nexus 7 screen being noticeably better.....its not all about resolution and PPI....app optimization, color gamut and the display's manufacturing process all play a role - hence why the iPhone 5 screen is much better than even the iPhone 4S screen - with exactly the same PPI and relative resolution....

 

[blackhand1001]

They may be 16:10 but in practice they are generally 16:9 with non-movable row of icons along the bottom. The Nexus 7 provably shows considerably less content on the screen than the Mini when web browsing.

As I noted above, yes, many apps may technically be available for Android tablets, but god do a lot of them suck compared to the iOS equivalents.

Download a browser other than chrome. Chrome desperately needs a full screen option or atleast hide the address bar and tab bar after loading like the old android stock browser does.

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Sure - I get it. My initial recommendation for the iPad mini were for the top two reasons the OP mentioned - music and browsing. The 4:3 aspect ratio is superior for browsing - not to mention the added screen real estate.

I too mentioned that if the OP were budget conscious, the N7 would work just fine and is a nice tablet for the price.

And I wasn't knocking you for throwing in a new consideration - merely cautioning that in my experience, you get what you pay for

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Lol - 16:9, 16:10 - both are inferior for web browsing. And the screen size of the mini allows for a better browsing experience as well.

And sure, there are 700,000 apps in both stores - how many of those Android apps are written specifically for tablets? i.e. make better use of the added screen real estate with extra functionality - or how about even optimized for the tablet's resolution? The answer is not many - and this is from experience with the Nexus 7.

Conversely there are over 300,000 iPad-specific apps with added functionality and optimization specifically for the iPad. The OP originally listed 3 uses - movies, music and browsing. For at least two of those I would say the mini is superior - for movies, the 16:10 ratio is better sure, but since selling my retina iPad, I've been watching more video on my mini, and I have to say I'm very impressed....

And this is coming from a retina iPad - so don't talk to me about the Nexus 7 screen being noticeably better.....its not all about resolution and PPI....app optimization, color gamut and the display's manufacturing process all play a role - hence why the iPhone 5 screen is much better than even the iPhone 4S screen - with exactly the same PPI and relative resolution....

You just proved you don't understand how android development works when you said optimized for the resolution. android does not work the same way with resolutions like iOS does. it has no problem scaling to different resolutions and even can use the same resolution on different screen sizes. IOS on the otherhand has hardcoded app resolutions. Many of the supposed ipad apps are just the iphone versions with the layout stretched to fit the new resolution. They don't add any additional functionality or two column layouts. Another thing that bloats that number up is all the games. Games like temple run, etc have to have ipad specific versions. Its an open gl game so all they did was change the resolution. Android on the other hand does this automatically and doesn't require seperate apps. The majority of the most popular apps have tablet UI's on android. This arguement is getting tired and old. The other issue with the mini in particular is that all the ipad apps are simply reusing the 10 inch layouts. This means that in many apps text and buttons can be too small. Android on the other hand is aware of both screen size and resolution and scales individual app elements accordingly.

 

[jrswizzle]

Download a browser other than chrome. Chrome desperately needs a full screen option or atleast hide the address bar and tab bar after loading like the old android stock browser does.

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You just proved you don't understand how android development works when you said optimized for the resolution. android does not work the same way with resolutions like iOS does. it has no problem scaling to different resolutions and even can use the same resolution on different screen sizes. IOS on the otherhand has hardcoded app resolutions. Many of the supposed ipad apps are just the iphone versions with the layout stretched to fit the new resolution. They don't add any additional functionality or two column layouts. Another thing that bloats that number up is all the games. Games like temple run, etc have to have ipad specific versions. Its an open gl game so all they did was change the resolution. Android on the other hand does this automatically and doesn't require seperate apps. The majority of the most popular apps have tablet UI's on android. This arguement is getting tired and old. The other issue with the mini in particular is that all the ipad apps are simply reusing the 10 inch layouts. This means that in many apps text and buttons can be too small. Android on the other hand is aware of both screen size and resolution and scales individual app elements accordingly.

No I understand perfectly - you get into a scaled environment - whereas on the iPad you have the benefit of apps designed to take advantage of extra screen space with extra features, functions elements all optimized - not scaled.

A perfect example for me was my experience with the ESPN Fantasy Football app - check it out on an iPad and a Nexus 7.....thats the type of thing I'm talking about. I got the same app, scaled up (which added some fuzziness) on both my phone and Nexus 7 - whereas the iPad app introduced a much more rich user experience.

I'm not going to muddy the OP's thread with bickering over whether scaled vs. optimized is better - ultimately I've said why I believe the mini would be the better choice (provided price isn't a huge concern) and leave it up to him to decide. If he chooses a Nexus 7, great! Ultimately the value proposition and preferences are what cause each person to choose a device and as long as you are purchasing what you want/like, that's all you need to do.

 

[sentinelsx]

I'm sorry - but why would you not use those services? I hate to say this, but to use the fact that you choose not to partake in those services as a negative against the iPad doesn't really seem very fair.

Photostream is great, and while iCloud backups take a while, they are nice in a pinch when you don't have your computer nearby.

Personally, I backup both to iCloud automatically every night - and then do weekly backups to my iMac - best of both worlds.

Because i am mostly using the phone while outside (as a smartphone, while in home i can use my computer for those things as i prefer less squinting, even a note 2 won't make me leave my laptop for it) and i have a 2 GB data cap (I don't live in the great unlimited data heaven called the USA or UK). Plus most of my commute involves subway travel with no internet there so there is that. Then a lot of my music i listen is not on iTunes, i buy it off elsewhere or use CDs to rip it off etc, or download it from artist sites if they have one, and icloud is not as fun to use with that as it is with the iTunes puchased content.

Then there is the whole issue of copying stuff from other people's computers. I love how i can now plug in the iPhone (or even use this over local Wifi actually), the file system shows up in my inlaws' windows machine, i create an album folder on the fly, drag all the photos, drop and viola, done.

Basically, me and most of my co-workers, friends, family are not heavy apple users, so iPhone integration without a jailbreak is actually more of a headache.

On the hand, android devices make it so easy just like my old nokia devices. IN fact i almost felt like downgrading in functionality in some areas back when i first bought a 3GS over the E71 i had.

After the jailbreak though, i can finally use it as 'I' intend to, and it is glorious.

Also glad i can now buy an iPad mini that will be jailbroken the moment it reaches home. The apps, and freedom, both there to create the perfect device

 

[sammyvine]

another thing does the nexus support flash videos?

i know the ipad doesnt?

 

[jrswizzle]

Because i am mostly using the phone while outside (as a smartphone, while in home i can use my computer for those things as i prefer less squinting, even a note 2 won't make me leave my laptop for it) and i have a 2 GB data cap (I don't live in the great unlimited data heaven called the USA or UK). Plus most of my commute involves subway travel with no internet there so there is that. Then a lot of my music i listen is not on iTunes, i buy it off elsewhere or use CDs to rip it off etc, or download it from artist sites if they have one, and icloud is not as fun to use with that as it is with the iTunes puchased content.

Then there is the whole issue of copying stuff from other people's computers. I love how i can now plug in the iPhone (or even use this over local Wifi actually), the file system shows up in my inlaws' windows machine, i create an album folder on the fly, drag all the photos, drop and viola, done.

Basically, my and most of my co-workers, friends, family are not heavy apple users, so iPhone integration without a jailbreak is actually more of a headache.

On the hand, android devices make it so easy just like my old nokia devices. IN fact i almost felt like downgrading in functionality in some areas back when i first bought a 3GS over the E71 i had.

Glad i can now buy an iPad mini that will be jailbroken the moment it reaches home. The apps, and freedom, both there to create the perfect device

Ahh understandable! Hope you enjoy the mini!

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another thing does the nexus support flash videos?

i know the ipad doesnt?

Nothing supports flash - not even Adobe.

 

[blackhand1001]

No I understand perfectly - you get into a scaled environment - whereas on the iPad you have the benefit of apps designed to take advantage of extra screen space with extra features, functions elements all optimized - not scaled.

A perfect example for me was my experience with the ESPN Fantasy Football app - check it out on an iPad and a Nexus 7.....thats the type of thing I'm talking about. I got the same app, scaled up (which added some fuzziness) on both my phone and Nexus 7 - whereas the iPad app introduced a much more rich user experience.

I'm not going to muddy the OP's thread with bickering over whether scaled vs. optimized is better - ultimately I've said why I believe the mini would be the better choice (provided price isn't a huge concern) and leave it up to him to decide. If he chooses a Nexus 7, great! Ultimately the value proposition and preferences are what cause each person to choose a device and as long as you are purchasing what you want/like, that's all you need to do.

There are plenty of apps that have separate tablet layouts on android. Heck there are many than even have separate 7 inch and 10 inch tablet layouts. The espn app is obviously poorly written as the scaling should not have any fuzziness. Considering the app has horrible ratings on both iOS and android its not surprising. Apps from television networks are usually terrible.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espn-fantasy-football-2011/id389073226?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

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another thing does the nexus support flash videos?

i know the ipad doesnt?

You can sideload the flash apk without root. Just search flash apk on google.

 

[nilk]

I have a Nexus 7 and like it enough, but I don't find Android to be compelling for music playback. I use my iPhone for music, and iOS excels for music playback because of:

• iTunes/Music App integration
• Airplay (streaming to Airport Express or Apple TV)
• iTunes Remote (this seems to be even better on the iPad)
• Unified music controls (e.g. the lock screen controls, headphone button, and dock remote work the same even if you are using a 3rd party app like Spotify)

That said, you may not care about all that, because it is mostly about integration into Apple's ecosystem (except for the unified music controls). All those things are important to me, but may not be to you. Maybe you don't like iTunes, in which case iOS makes a little less sense. What do you plan to use for music playback?

BTW If you have any intention of creating music with your tablet, just get an iPad. In that area, it is no contest, and Android has almost nothing to offer.

For video: Android does have the advantage of being able to handle more file formats (with the right apps). And you can just copy video files over to the device without having make sure they are encoded in the right format and having to load them through iTunes like you have to with iOS. If you're just using streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc) then this isn't as much of an issue, though.

 

[sammyvine]

I have a Nexus 7 and like it enough, but I don't find Android to be compelling for music playback. I use my iPhone for music, and iOS excels for music playback because of:

• iTunes/Music App integration
• Airplay (streaming to Airport Express or Apple TV)
• iTunes Remote (this seems to be even better on the iPad)
• Unified music controls (e.g. the lock screen controls, headphone button, and dock remote work the same even if you are using a 3rd party app like Spotify)

That said, you may not care about all that, because it is mostly about integration into Apple's ecosystem (except for the unified music controls). All those things are important to me, but may not be to you. Maybe you don't like iTunes, in which case iOS makes a little less sense. What do you plan to use for music playback?

BTW If you have any intention of creating music with your tablet, just get an iPad. In that area, it is no contest, and Android has almost nothing to offer.

For video: Android does have the advantage of being able to handle more file formats (with the right apps). And you can just copy video files over to the device without having make sure they are encoded in the right format and having to load them through iTunes like you have to with iOS. If you're just using streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc) then this isn't as much of an issue, though.

whats the music quality like on the nexus?

 

[cynics]

another thing does the nexus support flash videos?

i know the ipad doesnt?

Yes, you need to side load it though. Its no more difficult then installing an app from the app store. I use it on my nexus 10 quite often.

 

[sammyvine]

Yes, you need to side load it though. Its no more difficult then installing an app from the app store. I use it on my nexus 10 quite often.

im kinda thinking against the nexus

i have over 1,000 music from the itunes store and i know the nexus doesnt support m4a or aac.

 

[cynics]

im kinda thinking against the nexus

i have over 1,000 music from the itunes store and i know the nexus doesnt support m4a or aac.

I believe as long as they aren't protected m4a are supported.

 

[panda bear]

I had an iPad (first gen) and thought it was a cool device, but ended up giving it away due to lack of use.

I bought an iPad Mini recently and love it.

I recently purchased a Nexus 7 and thought it was an okay device, but I have since gotten rid of it. I just wanted to try Android for myself, without having a phone on contract.

The only thing the Nexus was better for (in my opinion) was watching movies.

The iPad Mini was better in every other aspect.

And honestly, if you're watching movies on a ~7" device, that's probably not your main use for the device.

My vote goes to the Mini, but obviously it's personal preference and no one can really tell you what you'll like the most.

 

[nilk]

whats the music quality like on the nexus

Honestly I haven't evaluated it for sound quality. I think I may revisit the Android music player situation to see if anything has changed. n7player looks interesting.

 

[torana355]

I want a tablet for music, watching movies and browsing.

What do you recommend out of the ipad, ipad mini or nexus?

You are asking this on an Apple forum so your answer is not going to be unbiased. However i own both an iPad 2 and the N7 and i much prefer my Nexus due to the superior browsers that are available on Android like xscope which make the browsing experience superior to Safari on the iPad and the fact the N7 can play ANY movie i throw at it using dice player with a mod, something the ipad just cant do. Just beware of people on here that claim to own all these android devices only to say they are crap when they are clearly Apple fanboys, perhaps have a look on some android forums aswell to get a more balanced answer

 

[jrswizzle]

You are asking this on an Apple forum so your answer is not going to be unbiased. However i own both an iPad 2 and the N7 and i much prefer my Nexus due to the superior browsers that are available on Android like xscope which make the browsing experience superior to Safari on the iPad and the fact the N7 can play ANY movie i throw at it using dice player with a mod, something the ipad just cant do. Just beware of people on here that claim to own all these android devices only to say they are crap when they are clearly Apple fanboys, perhaps have a look on some android forums aswell to get a more balanced answer

There are similar movie player apps available for the iPad as well.

But I agree.....be careful, us Apple fanboys just claim to have Android devices so we can trick you into buying an iPad - couldn't possibly be that I simply didn't like the user experience on my Nexus 7 versus my iPad and have stated the reasons AND that it was strictly my preference.

Let the man make up his own mind. I think he has plenty of information to go off of at this point. I'd recommend going into an electronics store and trying some of the devices mentioned firsthand.

By the way, I'm liking my Nexus 4 - did your head just explode?

 

[torana355]

There are similar movie player apps available for the iPad as well.

Ive tried them all and none of them can play all the videos my N7 can with Dice player, furthermore i can stream them all from my iMac and view all the files though a proper file manger like ES File Explorer.

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But I agree.....be careful, us Apple fanboys just claim to have Android devices so we can trick you into buying an iPad - couldn't possibly be that I simply didn't like the user experience on my Nexus 7 versus my iPad and have stated the reasons AND that it was strictly my preference.

Im sorry but from my experience on these forums it is clear alot of people have never tried an Android device but are happy to say they are not great devices, the ones that have actually owned both almost always have a much more balanced view. Basically im telling him to look on both Android and Apple forums to get a range of balanced opinions.

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By the way, I'm liking my Nexus 4 - did your head just explode?

I have not got my hands on the Nexus 4 yet but one of my mates that does have one is not impressed with the battery life, i think im going to wait for the S4

 

[sentinelsx]

Ive tried them all and none of them can play all the videos my N7 can with Dice player, furthermore i can stream them all from my iMac and view all the files though a proper file manger like ES File Explorer.

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Im sorry but from my experience on these forums it is clear alot of people have never tried an Android device but are happy to say they are not great devices, the ones that have actually owned both almost always have a much more balanced view. Basically im telling him to look on both Android and Apple forums to get a range of balanced opinions.

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I have not got my hands on the Nexus 4 yet but one of my mates that does have one is not impressed with the battery life, i think im going to wait for the S4

I doubt there is any thing AVPlayer on iPad cannot play. I say this because the iPhone version of it plays anything I throw on it.

Also, now that an iPad mini can be jailbroken, Ifile can be used to do so much. It is like a file explorer on some serious steroids.

If the new JB wasn't out, I would recommend a N7 in a heartbeat. However the mini has a slightly bigger screen, can now be "freed" to use as you wish and has more games for a gaming oriented person.

However, the N7 boasts widgets like the wunderlist2 app ones which can be quite productive and make you feel like using a much more modern operating system than being stuck in an icon grid on the mini so that's a point in favor too. I believe there are scrollable widgets too for things like RSS and I hope the same goes for flipboard, making the N7 better as a reader (all latest news and articles loaded in background already thanks to no constraints like ios).

So weigh both and figure out what you need.

 

[torana355]

I doubt there is any thing AVPlayer on iPad cannot play. I say this because the iPhone version of it plays anything I throw on it.

Also, now that an iPad mini can be jailbroken, Ifile can be used to do so much. It is like a file explorer on some serious steroids.

If the new JB wasn't out, I would recommend a N7 in a heartbeat. However the mini has a slightly bigger screen, can now be "freed" to use as you wish and has more games for a gaming oriented person.

I have Avplayer and there are plenty of videos i have that it does not play that Dice player can without breaking a sweat. The Mini screen is bigger but it also has a lower PPI at 163ppi then the N7 at 216ppi. I agree a jailbroken iPad allows it to do more but i can do all that stuff on a stock N7, not to mention the trouble you have to go though with a JB device when a new IOS version is released.

 

[clientsiman]

My girlfriend has an iPad 4 and my best mate has the Nexus 10 and I have to say that Nexus is way better for me.

 

[Rodster]

I own the Nexus 7 as well as an iPad 2 and 3. The N7 is a fantastic buy and for music you have the Google music service. I have a friend who also has a Nexus 7 and swears by the service.

The system overall is slick and a great tablet. It literally can fit in the palm of one hand as it's basically an oversized cell phone. I watched a few movies and they look really nice on the smaller screen.

The OS stands out and is just a joy to use. That's not taking anything away from iOS because I love iOS as well but finally Google got Android on a performance par with iOS and there are things that both iOS and Android excels at. Either way you can't go wrong with either device.

As far as Apps go, the Android market is chock full of quality Apps. I basically have games loaded on my N7 and each games looks just fine. If you buy the HD version they'll look better which goes the same for iOS if you have the Retina iPad.

 

[RAPTORSKI]

ipad mini

I think the iPad mini should suit your needs fine and is well worth the money instead of paying less for the cheaper, bulkier feel of a plastic nexus 7 tablet.

 

[sammyvine]

I still don't know what to get!