Are iPads worth the extra £?

garnett · 14 May 2020 at 07:32

The Garnett Home School for the Differently Gifted is considering an application for more tech funding.

We've already got some Amazon Fire tablets and they seem such good value. We got the 10" for £100 and (after the minor faff installing Google Play) it does everything we want - runs every app, is decent for watching Netflix, etc, but we could do with one more tablet.

I keep seeing "deals" for iPads at 4x, 5x, 6x the price, and I'm left wondering what I'm missing.

Can anyone tell me what the extra cost buys you?

Also, any recommendations, or buying tips gratefully received.

robfosters · 14 May 2020 at 07:47

Faster processor, better screen, more storage, better battery life (normally), and a generally snappier, more streamlined user experience that integrates well with your other Apple devices.

TonTom · 14 May 2020 at 08:00

I find IPads a far better experience than android etc tablets.

ajf · 14 May 2020 at 08:02

Having had various Android tablets and iPads over the years, the biggest plus for iPads is that the apps are generally so much better.
Nearly all IOS apps have a proper tablet developed version designed for a larger screen.
I found an awful lot of Android apps were essentially just bigger versions of the phone app.

This may have changed now, but was the biggest factor with me staying with IOS.
As said above though, if you have an iPhone, the integration is great as well. One nice example are two factor texts.
Text comes in on the phone, it is also shown directly on the iPad, the browser recognises what it is and gives the option to directly paste it into the website.

AiiR · 14 May 2020 at 08:17

iPads are the only Apple products imo that are worth the price.

Bug One · 14 May 2020 at 08:24

If you're comparing a £100 android tablet, and a £1000 Apple tablet (as many people do) - you'll find the Apple tablet has a much better screen, processor etc.

If you compare a £400 iPad, £400 Microsoft Surface, and £400 Android tablet you'll find the comparisons a lot closer. In fact, you'd probably find that the android tablet is running on far superior. And at this price, you're getting the old iOS software (ie it's just a big iPhone) - not iPad OS.

Any comparisons on the software are going to be app dependant. In the past there have been differences between the iOS version and Android versions. However nowadays the apps look identical on both. This is the area where Microsoft are struggling to catch up - ie getting developers to create and support a proper app for Windows Store.

As a media consumption device, I much prefer Android. Mainly because I can install apps that Apple wouldn't let me.

paradigm · 14 May 2020 at 08:27

AiiR said:
iPads are the only Apple products imo that are worth the price.

I'm not sure "worth the price" is right, but certainly they are some of the better and more reasonably priced of the Apple hardware.

As with @ajf I find that Android tablets are a lacklustre experience even after all these years. I'm not "in" the Apple ecosystem (well not really, I have an iPhone, but it's a work supplied phone, and I have some older Macbook Pro's for tinkering with), but the iPad is my go-to media consumption device when I don't need a full-on PC.

I'm not sure I'd bother for kids though, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD8 we have is perfect for the little-un as a) Amazon will replace it, b) Fire for Kids is great, and c) battery life isn't that important. The price difference is hardly to be sniffed at either.

Eurofighter · 14 May 2020 at 08:28

Android all the way a more open ecosystem.

FireTwo · 14 May 2020 at 08:29

TonTom said:
I find IPads a far better experience than android etc tablets.

Agreed

Bug One · 14 May 2020 at 08:32

robfosters said:
Faster processor, better screen, more storage, better battery life (normally), and a generally snappier, ~~more streamlined user experience that integrates well with your other Apple devices.~~

That's just comparing a £1000 device with a £100 device. More storage? A £400 iPad comes with 32gb and no expandable storage.

Arcane · 14 May 2020 at 08:36

The iPad is the only apple device I use now for home, it's a great little device but as said above, I've not used expensive competitors tablets for comparison, just the cheap kindle fire things for my son, that has an awful battery that lasts five minutes.

Biggest disappointment so far has been the iMac Pro I was given by work, damn thing cost 6k once we'd maxed it out and it's been very average for the money.

Ayahuasca · 14 May 2020 at 08:41

I don't use a tablet now but when I did I had a much better time with an iPad than the Android devices I tried out and sold on beforehand.

Energize · 14 May 2020 at 08:45

Bug One said:
That's just comparing a £1000 device with a £100 device. More storage? A £400 iPad comes with 32gb and no expandable storage.

The 32GB iPad is a shockingly bad product, a tablet that barely has storage space for one photo. A £5 SD card is bigger than that.

Feek · 14 May 2020 at 08:47

Eurofighter said:
Android all the way a more open ecosystem.

I hear this all the time and when someone at work said it, I questioned him, asking what he could do differently on an android tablet than he could on an iPad. He couldn't answer with a single specific, just kept repeating that it's a more open system.

Does more open also mean less secure?

Bug One · 14 May 2020 at 08:52

Feek said:
I hear this all the time and when someone at work said it, I questioned him, asking what he could do differently on an android tablet than he could on an iPad. He couldn't answer with a single specific, just kept repeating that it's a more open system.

Does more open also mean less secure?

That's because we can't discuss those things on public forums.

robfosters · 14 May 2020 at 08:56

Energize said:
a tablet that barely has storage space for one photo.

What? That is exaggeration to lunacy levels.

Royal Fleet · 14 May 2020 at 08:57

Energize said:
The 32GB iPad is a shockingly bad product, a tablet that barely has storage space for one photo. A £5 SD card is bigger than that.

My 14 year old daughter has one of these and an Apple pencil. She also has a Windows laptop we expected her to use as her primary tool through lockdown. The laptop is now in the corner gathering dust. She uses the Ipad for all her school work including being able to 'write' on the worksheets being sent through by school and then resubmit without having to scan etc. She can access all the school websites and supplied documents on it. She can use it to talk to her friends through Facetime and/or Zoom. Also Netflix; a good Sky App etc.

32GB is small; but after OS she has access to about 22GB of it. That is more than enough for her needs and it is currently less than half full.

I think it is a perfect device for her and I am really impressed with how well she has adopted it and made it suit her work.

CHokKA · 14 May 2020 at 08:57

I don't find iPads good value for money at all. I've got a Fire HD and it does everything I need it to do for a fraction of the price of an iPad. They also have expandable storage, which is a huge plus. Their speed isn't bad at all, and the system on the Fire tablet works and runs very well. If you're happy with what the Fire tablet does, why do you think you're missing anything by not having an iPad? You're actually gaining by saving loads of money by getting something that's perfect for your needs. I can buy a Fire tablet for everyone in my house and it still wouldn't total the cost of one iPad, and they will do the exact same job for us. To me, that's value.

I had an iPad 2 many years ago and upgraded to the Fire tablet after the OS was slowed down by a new OS update, and I've never thought to myself that I miss the iPad.

LeeUK · 14 May 2020 at 09:00

I have an Android tablet, it's a few years old now though, just couldn't get used to using it and I much prefer using a PC for everything. I suppose the target market for tablets is for the social media generation, kids to keep them quiet, and those who never used computers (or on a daily/regular basis) before tablets came about.

There was a post on a local social media group from someone asking where they could get their laptop repaired, other people were replying saying they should get a tablet instead and ditch the laptop. The difference is chalk and cheese! I'd never want to replace a laptop with a tablet.

Bug One · 14 May 2020 at 09:09

CHokKA said:
I had an iPad 2 many years ago and upgraded to the Fire tablet after the OS was slowed down by a new OS update, and I've never thought to myself that I miss the iPad.

iPad 2's were horrifically slowed down by Apple. I know they got cobbled by doing it to the iPhone 6's, but what they did to the 2's were terrible. My company had a fleet of them and they became completely unusable in just a few years. Nothing to do with the battery - pure corporate underhand greed.

Funnily enough, I had an iPad 1 and because that never got any updates, it still ran really well compared to all the iPad 2's. That iPad actually still works perfectly well now. I had it loaded up with apps and games for the kids.