Yeah, Apple is the individual leader in tablet sales with approx. 35% share but the other vendors together make up 65% (Samsung at approx. 18%).
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iPad The iPad is not for traditional Mac users
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Yeah, Apple is the individual leader in tablet sales with approx. 35% share but the other vendors together make up 65% (Samsung at approx. 18%).
I bet kids were using cheap Android tablets (which have always filled the gap of the <$300-250 that iPad does not cover.
As for the app ecosystem, you will find very different opinions depending on how much people care about a given app.
For instance those who swear by procreate will say that any tablet lacking procreate is pointless....
I'll try to be as balanced as I can, I will start with creative apps, where generally iPad is better but Android is catching up somewhat thanks to Samsung, and then move to productivity and media consumption where Android, and Samsung tablets in particular, are basically on par with iPad.
1. Drawing: this will matter only if you can draw, so it's irrelevant to me. The only great app is Clip Studio Paint, everyone praises the quality but almost everyone hates the subscription model. There is no such thing as the one-off payment Procreate.
This app was brought to Android by Samsung who paid them an undisclosed sum to have 6-months free on Samsung tablets and an exclusivity in their Galaxy store for some time.
The payment system is not great but at least there is a true pro app for artists on Android
2. Video editing: Lumafusion is coming, again thanks to Samsung. There will probably be another exclusivity or promotion for Samsung tablets.
3. Photo editing: I don't do photo editing, but there are the Adobe apps like on iPad, but not the typical Mac apps like Pixelmator and Affinity that are present on iPad too
4. Music creation: this is a field I know better, and there is simply no competition. Historically Android did not support low lantency audio (that started to change in 2015), so no developers made music creation apps for Android and things have only mildy improved. For music creation iPad is clearly ahead
5. Note taking: I would say Samsung tablet have reached parity with iPad. They brought Noteshelf to Samsung tablets for free (it's a paid app elsewhere I think) and, above all, they have improved Samsung notes to a point where it's virtually on par with Good Notes and Notability (I have both). And you can sync your notes with your Samsung phone and with Windows
6. Office and PDF. The apps are basically as good on Android and iPad. And Samsung note is also a good PDF app (on iPad I use PFD expert or Apple Books)
7. TV and Streaming: here too most apps are basically as good on both platforms.
8. Google and Microsoft apps: just as good on both platforms (so mail, calendar, office, youtube etc.)
9. Social networks: here there is a big difference, as on android they are mainly just blown up phone apps, while on iPad they are more curated tablet apps, but there are some workarounds, in particular with twitter, that allows to install the PWA version, which is basically as good as the iPad app.
10. Browsers: I would say Samsung Internet is now virtually on par with Safari, while other browsers are not as good, just as on iPad...
11 External monitor apps (à la Sidecar): I made a detailed comparison in another post, as I use the function a lot. You have the exclusive Apple and Samsung functions (not really apps), that is Sidecar and Second Screen (which works with any Windows laptop, not just Samsung ones) and then apps like Duet, Spacedesk (which work on both platforms) and Luna display (iPad exclusive) and Superdisplay (Android only). Here Superdisplay beats everyone and it's cheap.
So, again, to sum up. iPad is ahead on creative apps, but Samsung is catching up. iPad is also better for social networks. Productivity wise, the quality of the apps is basically the same.
For someone like me who cannot draw and who does not do much photo editing, not much difference. iPad still wins for music for me, although desktop software is still clearly superior.
Outside the apps, I would say that Apple is better when it comes to hardware (more powerful, better keyboard with the Magic Keyboard), but Samsung is clearly ahead with the OS (OneUI is much more powerful than iPadOS, and I really hope iPadOS will catch up...)
To add to this, gaming is an area where Android in general has a bit of a leg up, seeing as things like Steam Link are nowhere near as limited on Android compared to iPadOS and Apple's weird aversion to game streaming apps. Plus it's easier to install emulators.
I mean sure, you do have PWAs, but it doesn't completely fix Apple's issues with game streaming.
Good point, I barely play any game, that's why I didn't even think of additing a section about gaming...
Thanks for the breakdown, very informative. Hopefully Samsung kickstarting better creative apps is just getting the ball rolling and the demand/market will take over to sustain the support of those apps and even more.
Thanks for the answer, I agree to some extent! Of course consumption is not a useless thing. Too much of it is, though. We live in a world where I don't want devices to nudge me towards consumption when they don't need to. What makes me sad is that this doesn't need to be like this. Garage Band for iPad is splendid and shows the potential of what creation apps could do on the iPad.
I'd love to be able to write texts on the iPad but there is no escape key so I can't use any VIM mode anywhere (and please nobody suggest cmd-g). I know this is specific, however the complete impossibility to customise anything on the System takes its toll on other areas. I can't do programming on the iPad because Apple doesn't want me to. File management and integration is a chore so working on any file becomes a matter of airdropping the file back and forth between a Mac and an iPad.
Since the release of iPad I continue to be disappointed that it's just a large iPod touch. Then they released one called Pro which to me is a more modern rendition of "stop hitting yourself".
As an aside:
Honestly I don't buy handwritten notes on the iPad. You can't beat either handwriting on paper or typing a lot faster on a keyboard.
I map escape to the caps lock key on my magic keyboard. Vim works fine.
I honestly can’t be bothered to go back to his original comment, but if that’s so you worded it the way he should have.
Concerning the comparison, you make a good point, but,
if it was iPadOS and iOS second, iOS would be touted a shrunk down version with less features (that could still exist at least in some form on the phone), but that’s not the case. Remember Windows on smartphones? That’s basically what would it have been.
iOS came first as a smartphone OS then came the iPad and iOS was basically copied over to it. iPadOS is little more than a marketing term to differentiate the two after iOS 9 and 10 didn’t get rid of the big-iPod stigma. It surely does feature features that are well appreciated, but still don’t make good use of the screen and power. It’s in essence still iOS with extra features, like iOS on Plus models was compared to iOS on standard models with portrait home screen and an extra UI element here and there.
The only thing that really differentiate the two are the third party software available or not available on them. That’s where the iPad is ahead of the iPhone (in some respects), while in terms of OS and first party apps it’s still just a chunky phone OS, not a computer without (or with) external peripherals.
That doesn’t make iPadOS not a valid OS, it’s just the basically most unfortunate version of what it could be.
Pity Apple does not do breakdowns of units sold. Taking the lowest Macbook air config and corresponding iPad as guides, Apples sold in the order of 20 million iPad and 10 million macs this quarter using the latest revenue figures. 20 million people thinking that the iPad does the job. As the sales is around 7 billion each quarter, we can assume that iPads has a solid userbase.
Must be the largest scam on the planet or the OS and the iPad actually delivers what people want.
The uplift in Mac sales is likely due to the novelty of the M1 chips. No novelty for iPads in that regards but it likely affect iPad sales because people does not have endless amount of money.
Must be the largest scam on the planet or the OS and the iPad actually delivers what people want.
The uplift in Mac sales is likely due to the novelty of the M1 chips. No novelty for iPads in that regards but it likely affect iPad sales because people does not have endless amount of money.
I think the reason Apple sells as many iPads as they do isn't for personal computing devices - like a mac. They're being used for everything that needs a screen.
Zoom room control
Conference room signage
Check in stations at offices, hospitals, etc.
Museum exhibit interfaces
Mobile diagnostic equipment for cars and hospitals
In situations like that, they're probably only ever running a single app for their entire life. They're managed globally by IT and no one ever needs to troubleshoot because they're cheap enough that there's a dozen backups just sitting in a cupboard.
People in offices would never be issued an iPad as their primary computer. You just couldn't get anything done.
Pros who use the iPad to make art and music most certainly have a computer that they dump the content from the iPad onto. So they've replaced their synth or Wacom tablet with an iPad, not their mac.
The uplift in Mac sales is absolutely because of the M1. Artists, musicians, photographers etc. who do the same thing day in and day out don't see the benefit of incremental speed increases since they're not pushing their computer any harder in 2022 than they did in 2012, so they just keep their old iMac or MBP. The M1 was revolutionary because you could edit video on battery all day, something those video editors gave up when they permanently docked their laptop because the battery wouldn't last more than an hour.
Zoom room control
Conference room signage
Check in stations at offices, hospitals, etc.
Museum exhibit interfaces
Mobile diagnostic equipment for cars and hospitals
In situations like that, they're probably only ever running a single app for their entire life. They're managed globally by IT and no one ever needs to troubleshoot because they're cheap enough that there's a dozen backups just sitting in a cupboard.
People in offices would never be issued an iPad as their primary computer. You just couldn't get anything done.
Pros who use the iPad to make art and music most certainly have a computer that they dump the content from the iPad onto. So they've replaced their synth or Wacom tablet with an iPad, not their mac.
The uplift in Mac sales is absolutely because of the M1. Artists, musicians, photographers etc. who do the same thing day in and day out don't see the benefit of incremental speed increases since they're not pushing their computer any harder in 2022 than they did in 2012, so they just keep their old iMac or MBP. The M1 was revolutionary because you could edit video on battery all day, something those video editors gave up when they permanently docked their laptop because the battery wouldn't last more than an hour.
I’m currently going through the same thing - enrolled my 6 year to assist replacing some parts on an old self built PC a few months ago and they’ve barely touched their iPads since.
But let’s be real - you and I, members of a forum dedicated to tech, are not the “normal” parents.
On the other hand, many of my children’s friends do not have a “full” computer, desktop nor laptop, in the home. We’re in a working class neighborhood where few work jobs that require computer access at home. And cellphones - which you don’t need me to tell you are ubiquitous regardless the income level - accomplish all they need to do outside of work. And if they have the extra income to get themselves and/or the child a device, the decision between a tablet vs laptop vs desktop is heavily in the tablets favor - price, portability, and battery life all are easy wins.
Additionally, I have many friends that are provided laptops by their work, so they don’t find it necessary to buy one themselves. And they don’t allow the kids to tinker with their work computer, obviously.
Schools are the big outlier. I’m a little surprised Apple isn’t devoting more resources to what is essentially the last battleground. It’s my understanding that Chromebooks have the overwhelming market share not just because of price, which are usually at least $100 cheaper and also don’t need a keyboard purchased, but repairability is actually the #1 benefit over iPad. Perhaps Apple’s new repair program is at least a small step in making the iPad a more attractive choice.
I think we have different definition about what a personal computer is and I believe, iPads does not replace macs or vice versa. I doubt Apple sells 20 million “terminals” per quarter although there are some interesting use cases you listed.
People in offices are issued a win PC in most cases as macs runs bad in corporate environment.
Pretty sure Apple lost that battleground a while ago to Google's free services (doc's, email, calendar, drive), which are device independant and mentioned inexpensive Chromebooks. If Apple had a viable software solution they might have had a chance.
I don’t think my point came across. Yes, it’s obvious and indisputable that iPadOS is iOS but with extra features. My point was that in the context of this thread/debate, pointing out that relationship between iPadOS and iOS is a straw man. I’m not trying to involve myself in the bigger debate, it’s just this one argument I take issue with. It doesn’t actually help to prove whether or not iPadOS is a competent OS by comparing it to iOS, UNLESS we first prove whether or not iOS is a competent OS—NOT because of its small screen size but because of the identical ways in which it operates like iPadOS—BUT then if we do that, why not just stick to trying to prove whether or not iPadOS is competent without comparing it to anything else? It’s the exact same thing but more direct. Comparing to iOS is adding an extra step that accomplishes nothing… except for one thing. The only reason people like to bring the iPhone into the iPad argument is because we all know the iPhone is not a “laptop replacement”, so they are attempting to embarrass the iPad by the comparison. But what is lost on them is that 1) the reason the iPhone is not a laptop replacement (for the people whom the iPad is) is because of its small size and the disadvantages that come with that small size, not because of anything else, and 2) the iPhone is in fact a laptop replacement for some people.
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I use all three devices, a winblows laptop, a MacBook Air, and an iPad mini 2. Lately I find myself using my iPad mini 2 more often than the other devices. Even for my work. The iPad mini 2 is much more portable and easier to carry especially while the car is in the shop. May not get as much work done but that is just fine.
I have the M1 12.9, the 2017 10.5, and the Mini 2. I use the mini more so for reading and a clock with weather information during the night while I sleep at night. The battery is still great on my Mini 2.