iPad 2 vs. the Android tablet stew: a clear iWinner?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 26 March 2011 19:32

Your IT - Home IT

Once upon a time, a crunchy company launched its second generation beginner's all-purpose, symbolic internet computer, calling it not BASIC, but the iPad 2, the giant iPod Touch facing off against a still-building Android tablet army that has yet to land a serious punch.

 

Apple's iPad 2 has officially arrived on an international basis, generating the kind of excitement, hoopla and extravaganza that only seemingly Apple can in the technology industry.

With big queues at Apple Stores for the iPad 2, waiting for hours and sleeping a night or two on the street, some clever iPad 2 customers were able to pop into a Dick Smith Electronics, a Big W or other authorised outlet and pop out with an iPad 2 not too long afterwards.

Naturally, stocks are limited, so there's no word yet on how many iPad 2 models will be for sale this coming week. Has Apple kept some stock in reserve, and if so, how long before it is all gone?

And then how long before supplies arrive anew?

These are all unanswered questions, but this year it does seem like Apple is a lot more organised than it was for the iPad 1, with far wider and more numerous distribution that last time.

Hopefully, Apple can keep it up and keep supplies coming. In the US, stocks have been hard to find, although presumably that was because Apple was this time sending a lot more stock internationally, potentially also to help cruel the reseller market charging large premiums for iPad 2 models, especially in places where they aren't officially available.

Launching internationally dramatically increases iPad 2 supply, and gives people a way to buy officially at Apple's stated prices, not the inflated prices resellers naturally charge.

The iPad 2 is not the much more radical update we all expect to see in the iPad 3, but it is a genuine improvement over the previous model, being faster, lighter, more graphical and now coming with twin cameras and twice the RAM.

Apple's highly integrated OS, iTunes and App Store ecosystem has delivered a computing platform that gives incredibly capable and easy-to-use computing power to anyone, and anyone can use it easily, from babies to centenarians!

Never before has computing technology been so easy and so consistent to use, while sparking the imaginations of both iPad software developers and end-users alike.

Google's Android tablets, especially with Honeycomb Android OS 3.0, are certainly a big improvement on the previous smartphone/tablets that ran Android OS 2.2 or earlier, and represents but the first generation of Google's tablet ambitions.

Google will rapidly improve, a fact which has not escaped Apple, and whatever bugs or issues Honeycomb now shows are undoubtedly being rapidly worked on to smooth out and later transform into an OS 3.1 and eventually into successors like Android OS 4 and 5.

But that's all in the future, with the battle to win the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers firmly in the now.

Apple's iPad 2 sets the company up to do just that, though a combination of excellent hardware (with obvious improvements needed like cameras to already make us all think of an iPad 3 while we use our iPad 2's), excellent software at affordable pricing, excellent accessories, excellent battery life and more.

While Google and its manufacturing partners are serving up an Android stew of tablets that will tastily tempt techies and anyone wanting something other than Apple, the iPad 2 is currently where all the true tablet action is at.

It's the leader of the tablet pack, it's on the app-tack and everyone knows it.

That's why the queues were so large at Apple Stores. People want the technology and don't want to miss out!

But as the quick sales from stores like Dick Smith close to Apple's flagship store where the iPad 2 was available without the same delays, it was possible to buy an iPad 2 from stores like Dick Smith without the 50+ hour wait, at least in a small quantity, and also at prices from Big W that are $11 to $51 cheaper than Apple's own retail pricing!

Bought an iPad 2 on launch day/weekend without the queues or cheaper than at Apple's own stores?

Mastercard would say "priceless", Charlie Sheen would say "Winning!"