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I just bought my first iPad in years this weekend. I bought the new "iPad". I wanted a good quality screen, on a 8-9in device that was still getting OS updates. The closest Android was a 2yr old Galaxy tab S2, and it was about $100 more than the $299 I paid for the iPad.

I would have preferred to stay with Android, but the price prevented it. This is one of the rare cases that I have found the Apple alternative to be cheaper. The tablets that were comparable either had a worse/smaller display, were likely to never see much in the way of updates due to how bad most Android OEM's are, or were overpriced.
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Did android tablets exist before the iPad?
I think iPad came to market a couple months(6-7) before Android versions. Ifi recall rumor about both started around the same time.
 
Because Google killed the Nexus line. Android itself is great, Android tablets however aren't very good and now to rub salt in the wound, Apple beat them on price!
 
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Because Google killed the Nexus line. Android itself is great, Android tablets however aren't very good and now to rub salt in the wound, Apple beat them on price!
The Google Nexus tablets were great. Unfortunately, the Nexus devices don't have microSD support and the storage options are too small for me.

And really, after Continuity rolled out, just couldn't give up the Apple ecosystem anymore (at least in terms of iOS devices).
 
Because Google killed the Nexus line. Android itself is great, Android tablets however aren't very good and now to rub salt in the wound, Apple beat them on price!
The Pixel C is very nice, but over priced.
 
I really like my Air 2 but I wanted to replace my Nexus 7 so I recently got a 8" Galaxy Tab S2 and put a 256GB uSD card in it. At $299 it was a good deal and works extremely well - very happy with it.
 
The OS, the hardware, and the apps. The optimization, quality and selection of apps is far better on iOS.

I initially bought my first iPad to expand my music production and recording setup. Of course I ended up using it for a host of other things..it’s my favorite device for web browsing, video, shopping, email, etc.. But if, for example, I wanted to record an entire album complete with professional effects, mixing and mastering, I could do it all on an iPad.

4 years and 4 iPad generations later, just looking at what the iPad continues to offer users into creative fields like music, design, illustration, photography and video, it’s still way ahead of the competition.
 
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The OS, the hardware, and the apps. The optimization, quality, and selection of apps is far better on iOS. I initially bought my first iPad with music production and recording in mind. Of course I ended up using it for a host of other things..it’s my favorite device for web browsing, video, shopping, email, etc.. But if, for example, I wanted to record an entire album complete with professional effects, mixing and mastering, I could do it all on an iPad.

4 years and 4 iPad generations later, just looking at what the iPad continues to offer users into creative fields like music, design, illustration, photography and video, it’s still way ahead of the competition.

Though as noted in my earlier post I have Android devices and recently bought the 8" Galaxy Tab S2, over on an Android forum I just recommended buying an Apple tablet based on the availability of high-quality, polished, and sophisticated apps. The engineer in me likes the Android tablet, the tablet user in me likes iPad's.
 
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My first tablet was the retina mini. Before it was released, I tried lots of Android devices out in the shop, on my friend who loathes Apple's advice. I tried to like them because they were cheaper etc but they just physically felt wrong in the hand. The Apple tablets just felt better, the materials, the screen ratio etc, so I decided to wait until the Mini came and didn't regret it at all.

When I upgraded to the Pro (9.7) I had plenty of time to check out the pencil on the 12.9 before it was released, I was really tempted by the Surface... The thing that amazed me the most was that the Pro was that much cheaper and almost like the 'poor man's Surface' (if you wanted the specs, which I would have). I was really unimpressed by their pen. The pencil was just so much smoother and better in my opinion, so I waited again and didn't regret it. Now I've moved to the 10.5 and am very happy with that too.

I live in another country to my family and we were having major problems with Skype. I made my Dad buy (I was too poor to buy him one) an Air 2 because it would have longevity and probably last almost a lifetime. He tried to cheap out by getting an older one but I made him tell me the serial number, checked and made him go back and get the proper one. The main reason I did this was because of FaceTime, Apple's customer support (I'm afraid to enter his local branch as they must hate me) and the ease of use for anyone. He is a much older man, not very computer literate, but he can use FaceTime and he always says that makes the iPad worth its weight in gold for him. I try to teach him how to do things by showing them on my iPhone and it's quite entertaining. I don't think either of us would have a clue if we were using Android and would probably have thrown them about in frustration.
 
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Just wonder what were your reasons
I tested several mobile devices before deciding on the iPad. This was six years ago, so my decisions may not be relevant now. We bought 30 of each, Zoom tablets and iPad, then passed them out to the staff. Every one of the Zoom tablets were returned, the most die hard Android lovers kept them for almost 6 months before finally agreeing the iPad was just easier to use.
  1. Price - the iPad was $500 and the closest competitor was the Zoom tablet at $800
  2. Ease of use - the Zoom required constant updates and was impossible to secure, the iPad just worked
  3. Closed development - safer for our environment, Android devices are still a significant security risk.
I currently have a Nexus 10, as well, that is truly an amazing device, even several years after I purchased it. The Android OS just really is bad. I have tried Ubuntu Touch - now running on it and that is much better but lacks the 'App Store' for flexibility.
 
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Why did I choose an iPd over an android tablet? Seriously? Several reasons:

Apple ecosystem (I literally have > $1000 dollars of apps/media).
Apple's Airplay to AppleTV devices.
Handoff.
Continuity.
Apple quality.
Not some junky android interface.
 
I was at chemo Friday & a call came in, iPhone was in my bag so I answered on my IPad, LOL, my nurse was shocked! " wait, you are talking on the phone on your iPad? " :)
I love that feature.

Lol, at times I've forgotten my iPhone at home and thanks to wifi calling, iMessage, SMS forwarding and built-in cellular, I can still make and receive regular phone calls and messages. :D
 
There are a few reasons:

I own other apple products so iPad plays nicely with them
While I appreciate the Android software, I prefer the simplicity and style of iOS
The screen
Apple Pencil
 
I love that feature.

Lol, at times I've forgotten my iPhone at home and thanks to wifi calling, iMessage, SMS forwarding and built-in cellular, I can still make and receive regular phone calls and messages. :D
Can you use wifi calling on a wifi only iPad? I have it enabled on my iPhone.
 
Can you use wifi calling on a wifi only iPad? I have it enabled on my iPhone.
I assume so? The call forwarding thing works at home where there's internet. We usually don't carry wifi-only iPads out and about because they're not much good without internet and seems like the people in my family hate fiddling with Personal Hotspot.
 
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My first iPad was the original iPad. I don't even know if any Android tablets were around when it came out, but for those Android tablets I used afterward, they were awful. Screen quality sucked, Samsung's attempt at translating their phone software to the tablet wasn't great either. Just not a smooth experience I had expected from a tablet ... I was spoiled by the iPad experience. Since that first iPad (which I gave to my mom and she still uses ... say that for an Android tablet that's 6 years old), I've purchased an iPad 2, iPad mini, and most recently, iPad Air 2.
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Can you use wifi calling on a wifi only iPad? I have it enabled on my iPhone.

Yes. I use it all the time.
 
I'm an Apple fanboy.

Real reason is that Android has confused me in the past and I prefer iOS for its ease of use, stability, and optimization.

All of this for me as well.

Ive tried both android phones and iPhones, and from that I had my selection. I didnt like the rough edges android OS provided, but I did like the customization ability and the lesser restrictions on apps. Another reason was the actual aesthetic of the devices. Most androids at the time were plastic, iPads were metal. That was a huge + for me as I detest plastic. To this day, the design of the original iPad entrances me. Nowadays I feel like android may appeal to me more than they used to, but Im fully invested in the iOS ecosystem and it wouldnt make any sense for me to change unless apple does something really detrimental in their future updates to where I would have to.
 
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