For many, the phrase “tablet PC” is synonymous with “iPad”. Ever since the launch of the first iPad in 2010, Apple have dominated this market. Slowly, however, their competitors are waking up and tapping into this lucrative market, releasing alternative tablet PCs which offer lower prices and better technical specifications than the iPad.
5 Of The Best Tablet PCs:
Asus’ EeePad Transformer is the Taiwanese company’s first tablet PC offering. Though the naming is a rather blatant rip off, how well does the actual device fare against the iPad? Running on Android, the tablet comes with its own docking station for charging and a keyboard as standard. Apple currently charge upwards of £50 for a wireless keyboard which can be used with the iPad, so this certainly seems to be a bonus of the EeePad Transformer. This tablet PC also comes with USB ports and micro-SD card reading abilities – other features that come at an extra cost for iPad owners. All in all, this shapes up as a good little tablet PC. Perhaps the only thing keeping it from stealing the iPad’s crown is that it currently is only available in brown.
The EeePad Transformer Prime, again by Asus, is another attempt at cracking Apple’s tablet PC stronghold. This tablet PC is the first to use a quad-core processor. This permits for many different tasks to be performed on the tablet at the same time, without impairing the performance of any of these tasks. When the optional keyboard is attached, the tablet PC is more akin to a touch-screen netbook, appealing to those who find the iPad and other tablet PCs to be too impractical to use in a work/study environment. This tablet is not just for work, however. The 8MP camera is technically impressive and the 18 hour battery life far exceeds that of most other tablet PCs, allowing for battery-draining apps from Google Play to be run for many hours. This tablet PC seems to take all of the positives from its predecessor – the dual-core EeePad Transformer, and enhance upon these. Thankfully, this tablet PC is also available in colours other than brown.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the Korean company’s latest product released to the tablet PC market. Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab is available in both black and white, though the Galaxy Tab can be bought for significantly less money than the iPad. Samsung’s offering is both thinner and lighter than the latest iPad, though the HD 10.1” PLS display may not compete quite as well against Apple’s Retina Display. Cameras are included, as standard, achieving a respectable 3MP, compared to Apple’s 5MP – though 3MP is surely sufficient for the purposes of the tablet. This tablet PC has been described as “PC independent” – a bonus over Apple’s iTunes-reliant device so is a viable contender to take the tablet PC crown.
Famed for their mobile phones, the Motorola Xoom 2 is the second tablet PC produced by the American company. This Android tablet PC boasts a bigger screen (10.1’’) than the iPad, as well as a significantly lower price. Like Apple’s iCloud, the MotoCast app from Motorola allows for files and media from other devices to be directly accessed on the tablet PC, allowing for users to be able to access videos and films instantly. The Motorola Xoom 2 is a tablet PC designed towards media playback – it features a HD widescreen as well as 3D surround sound. This, along with the bigger screen size than the iPad, permits for a better viewing experience than can be achieved on other tablet PCs.
The Acer Iconia W500 is yet another recently launched tablet PC. By using Windows 7 as its operating system and coming with 2 USB ports, this device is able to connect to just about every other device imaginable. The downside to running such a demanding operating system, however, is the battery life. Whilst 4-5 hours is absolutely fine for most users, this does not compare too favourably with other tablet PCs on the market. Like the EeePad Transformer Prime, this tablet has the ability to be converted into a netbook through attachment of a keyboard. This, however, comes at an £80 premium – more expensive than the wireless keyboard sold as a supplement to the iPad.
So, Can Apple Be Stopped?
Described are just a handful of the tablet PCs which are flooding the market in an attempt to shake-up Apple’s monopoly. Expect to see a huge surge in cheap laptops deals as companies, including Sony and Blackberry, are keen to tap into the tablet PC craze. Recently, Amazon has also announced its intentions to create a device, having launched the highly successful Kindle. Though there are cheaper and more technically-impressive alternatives to the iPad, it remains to be seen who can successfully interfere with Apple’s domination of the tablet PC market.