Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Niko91

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 13, 2011
90
0
Italy
Hi all.
So, my question is, actually, the title.
Can a tablet like the Nexus 10 replace a laptop?
Thank you. :)
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
It can depending on what you are doing. You won't be running actually desktop software though.
 

Niko91

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 13, 2011
90
0
Italy
Well, web browsing and note taking mostly. I'm an university student, so I'll study on it.
Also watching some movies, I think. :)
 

SomeDudeAsking

macrumors 65816
Nov 23, 2010
1,250
2
It can replace a laptop as much as an iPad can.

The Nexus 10 is much more capable as a laptop replacement than an iPad ever will be since you have an actual file system. With the iPad you are crippled and must depend on a PC to manipulate files effectively. With a Nexus 10, you would never have to touch a PC. Also, another big advantage of the Nexus 10 is that it supports USB OTG so you can buy a $1.50 USB OTG cable and be able to do things like directly attach USB drives or docks and ALL the Android applications can use it. This is a critical advantage for anybody serious about using it as a laptop replacement. By comparison, the iPad is like a crippled child's toy.
 

Ericcc

macrumors member
Nov 2, 2012
74
0
Montreal
No. A tablet is mostly an entertainment device. If you're planning to do actual work, a real computer with a real OS is leagues superior. Only using a tablet, how are you going to write essays? Do multi-window research? Print? Some webpages (with an integrated map) don't even function well with a touchscreen.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,738
6,109
Whenever I think a tablet/phone can replace a laptop...I always realize that nothing beats a physical keyboard. Also, a lot of sites where you have to fill in forms do not play well with tablets or phones even when you trick the browser to "think" you are on a PC
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
Well, web browsing and note taking mostly. I'm an university student, so I'll study on it.
Also watching some movies, I think. :)

It can do that easily enough. Any tablet can do that though. Manipulating files is pretty easy and attaching multiple files to email is possible too. This is the main reason I went with android.
 

ReanimationN

macrumors 6502a
Sep 7, 2011
724
0
Australia
No. A tablet is mostly an entertainment device. If you're planning to do actual work, a real computer with a real OS is leagues superior. Only using a tablet, how are you going to write essays? Do multi-window research? Print? Some webpages (with an integrated map) don't even function well with a touchscreen.

This. Android devices are effectively just as limited as iOS devices when it comes to getting work done. Outside of Samsung devices, Android doesn't offer multi-window support the same way desktop operating systems do (and Samsung devices only work with core OS apps and Google apps). Doing research and writing assignments would be an absolute nightmare without being able to have at least 2 windows open side-by-side. You also won't have access to the programs your university may require you to run during your degree. For example, I did a few GIS subjects in my time at uni, which required me to run ArcGIS, which in turn meant I needed to have a Windows PC with a decent amount of power.

Laptops are still the way to go for university.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.