Tablet - Apple vs Android

[Texas Proud]

To be fair, how did it happen? Most tablet and smartphone screens are fairly tough, so it doesn't happen without a significant impact, and they can be replaced. And there are screen protectors, cheap insurance.

DW said she did not do anything to it.... she did buy a cover for it... she had been planning to go that day and then noticed the crack...

Take it to an Apple store--they might consider there was a flaw in the screen and just replace it or repair it.

Might be worth a try.... the good thing is it is at the very corner and not in the way...

 

[bUU]

If he's saying a WiFi only iPad can't text when it's not connected to WiFi, that's true, but that's true of any WiFi only tablet - not just iPads.

I can send SMS messages using my Verizion Wireless account or using my Xfinity Home phone account, either one via my WiFi only tablet, either through apps they provide for that purpose or through their website, my choice.

 

[target2019]

Double check the dings against Android.

If you use an Android phone, it should require no transition. I use both, and prefer Android.

 

[OldShooter]

T ... with most Android devices, you generally only get one OS upgrade. ...

Errr .... not exactly. As Android version upgrades come out, they include features that are not supported by some older devices and/or have speed requirements that older devices cannot meet. So for Nexus devices, which are the only pure Android devices, Google will specify which of the older devices can support the upgrade. Sometimes it can reach back several years, sometimes not. There is definitely no rule that you only get one upgrade.

As far as third parties (Samsung, etc.) are concerned, they control what and when for upgrades so I suppose it is possible that some will have a policy of denying upgrades in hopes of selling new devices. After having been on Android for quite a few years I have never suspected Google of doing this.

 

[Lsbcal]

...
Like to get a tablet for the DW. She uses her current Windows laptop mainly for internet access, emails. Her new Samsung S7 Android phone she uses mainly for email, text, phones.

I am looking to get her a tablet so its easier for her to carry when on travel than a laptop but provides a better viewing capability than a phone. Her eyesight is getting limited so real emphasis on brightness and clarity.
...

When we travel we each have a phone and a tablet. That way there is some redundancy in case of damage, theft, etc. Our tablets are smaller ones to keep the weight down. Mine is a Nexus 7 and still works with updates from Google. Hers is an Ipad mini which is just starting to show some speed issues now.

If it were me, I'd rely on the phone for voice, text, and email. The tablet is for ebooks, and web browsing. I would get a new tablet with fingerprint sensing as this is a good way to login to some apps using Lastpass.

I haven't tried using a full Ipad (about 1.4 pound weight I think) for reading. Is it easy to hold for long reading periods? I'm thinking of when one is in their hotel and reading a novel or browsing the web. I don't know the answer but maybe others here can reply. The Ipad mini is more like 0.68 pounds. Seems like it might be more comfortable.

Regarding screen protection, I'd only use a sleeve for transport but not add the extra weight of a full cover.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I prefer keeping out of "Apple Jail". I have both but use the Android(s) (x2) a lot more. But DW likes her iPad......... as long as I am around to keep it working . Seems every time she upgrades IOS her email quits.

 

[Midpack]

You won't be able to send text messages, meaning SMS over telephone networks, to non Apple devices.

iPads and iPhones come with iMessage, which can send messages between rpeach other as long as you have Internet access.

That Internet access could mean wifi at home or iPads which come with cellular data modems for $129 more. Notice I said cellular data modem. You can't send voice or SMS messages like you can on iPhones or Android phones.

So iPad can send iMessage to other iPads or iPhones. You can also get third party apps like WhatsApp or Viber to send free messages over the Internet or send SMS messages to phones for a small charge.

There have been some apps which promised to send "free" or ad-supported SMS but I don't believe those have lasted, since phone companies will charge you to connect voice or SMS to their phone networks.

I imagine the situation is similar on Android tablets.

Generally, iPad has way more apps. With layouts designed for the larger screen, which usually have different aspect ratios, than Android tablets.

Out can get an iPad with a data modem. It can't connect to vice and SMS networks though.

The tablet data plans you can get from the carriers are data-only.

But iPhone plans include voice and SMS as well as data so iMessage on iPhone can send texts to any phone.

That is why phone plans cost more than the data-only tablet plans.

Yes you can use Continuity to send voice and texts through iPhones. But if you have an iPhone around, use that instead of the iPad.

Still can't figure out what you're trying to say. Any iPad (WiFi or cell) can send email or text MMS/SMS to any brand tablet, smartphone or dumb phone that can receive them using the software that comes with it - I do it all the time. No extra software or charges involved. Of course a WiFi only iPad has to be connected to WiFi to send or recieve, but that's true of any WiFi only tablet - Android, Apple or other.

 

[Fedup]

I rarely have problem with my 4 year old iPad mini. But I'm one of those who rarely upgrade. But I think they must have tricked me into automatic update now because I don't see the update reminder that often. The reason I upgrade is I want better camera from my iPad so that's why I bought iPad Pro with bigger screen too.

 

[stepford]

I bought my Galaxy Tab (Android) for $80 on sale last Black Friday. Works just fine for folks like me that don't need their devices to form an "ecosystem".

 

[audreyh1]

DW said she did not do anything to it.... she did buy a cover for it... she had been planning to go that day and then noticed the crack...





Might be worth a try.... the good thing is it is at the very corner and not in the way...

This is definitely worth a try if it is pretty new, and still worth a try if it is less than a year old. If she says nothing happened with it and it was just noticed, I bet they would do something for you.

 

[audreyh1]

When we travel we each have a phone and a tablet. That way there is some redundancy in case of damage, theft, etc. Our tablets are smaller ones to keep the weight down. Mine is a Nexus 7 and still works with updates from Google. Hers is an Ipad mini which is just starting to show some speed issues now.

If it were me, I'd rely on the phone for voice, text, and email. The tablet is for ebooks, and web browsing. I would get a new tablet with fingerprint sensing as this is a good way to login to some apps using Lastpass.

I haven't tried using a full Ipad (about 1.4 pound weight I think) for reading. Is it easy to hold for long reading periods? I'm thinking of when one is in their hotel and reading a novel or browsing the web. I don't know the answer but maybe others here can reply. The Ipad mini is more like 0.68 pounds. Seems like it might be more comfortable.

Regarding screen protection, I'd only use a sleeve for transport but not add the extra weight of a full cover.

I had a couple of generations of iPad - the original, and upgraded when when the retina screen version was introduced.

I then got an iPad mini for travel as I didn't like lugging the larger own around. Once I started using the iPad mini, it because my all-time iPad. I read a lot, and switching to vertical reading one page was just fine. It's great on the plane, tucked in my purse, taking on trips, etc.

 

[explanade]

Still can't figure out what you're trying to say. Any iPad (WiFi or cell) can send email or text MMS/SMS to any brand tablet, smartphone or dumb phone that can receive them using the software that comes with it - I do it all the time. No extra software or charges involved. Of course a WiFi only iPad has to be connected to WiFi to send or recieve, but that's true of any WiFi only tablet - Android, Apple or other.

Read this article. You can't send SMS directly from iPad.

How to text on an iPad: Send SMS from iPad to non-Apple phones - Macworld UK

You can relay sms message through an iPhone:

How to set up and use SMS/MMS relay to send and receive texts on your iPad | iMore

 

[explanade]

iPad mini is definitely easier to hold with one hand, such as when you're lying in bed.

But they don't sell as well as the full sized iPad. As a result, it hasn't been updated in over 2 years.

There are suppose to be new iPads coming this year, including rumors of a new mini. It was suppose to happen in April but instead, they announced just the new iPad, no upgrades to the iPad Pros, which are all at least a year old now.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Read this article. You can't send SMS directly from iPad.

How to text on an iPad: Send SMS from iPad to non-Apple phones - Macworld UK

You can relay sms message through an iPhone:

How to set up and use SMS/MMS relay to send and receive texts on your iPad | iMore

Wrong. Those 2014 articles are about an older IOS. Here is one from last week: https://toolbox.iskysoft.com/ipad-recovery/send-sms-from-ipad.html. I send sms messages directly, all the time from my iPad and my Macbook. I did not download an app for this--there is the same messages app on all my devices that is part of the operating system, with the same icon.

 

[explanade]

Wrong. Those 2014 articles are about an older IOS. Here is one from last week: https://toolbox.iskysoft.com/ipad-recovery/send-sms-from-ipad.html. I send sms messages directly, all the time from my iPad and my Macbook. I did not download an app for this--there is the same messages app on all my devices that is part of the operating system, with the same icon.

First line of your link says:

iPad is basically a bigger iPhone without a phone or SMS capability.

iPad doesn't have the type of modem for sending voice or SMS directly to mobile networks.

But it can use Continuity to send calls and SMS through a nearby iPhone.

You can also use third party VOIP apps for free phone calls to other Skype or WhatsApp users. But if you want to connect those calls or SMS to real phones which aren't running those apps, you have to connect to real phone networks and there, you have to pay real connect fees.

Some apps and services have rolled out free calls and texts but they're paying for the connect fees themselves in order to acquire customers. Many of them don't stay in business that long.

If you want to use Skype or WhatsApp to call or SMS a foreign phone number, then you really have to pay.

 

[Fedup]

My iPad Pro with an Otterbox case is a bit heavier than my iPad mini, but that one has a lighter cover. But my left hand is getting used to the weight now. It was a bit sore in the beginning.

 

[Rambler]

I'm on my 3rd iPad...just bought this on two weeks ago. Is a 9.7" pro model. I had the previous one for 4 years and 3 months, and it has been slowly dying for abou 6 months, but i kept nursing it along hoping for an iPad pro2 to be announced. With the latest announcement, we decided to bite the bullet and upgrade. DW had a mini, the first one out, that the earphone jack no longer worked. She got a mini 4.

We are consolidated on the apple platform now, but a year ago, i bought a droid tablet for my 80 year old parents. I spent a few weeks playing with it so I could teach them how to use it. I bought it in hopes that we could use it for them to communicate with their grandkids a bit more. They are the type of older folks who only have an old $10 a month AARP flip phone, that they ONLY turn on if they need to make a call, and then turn off...because they don't want to waste the battery. So communicating with them is sometimes a problem. But I digress. After opening it and staring at the icons for a couple moments, they couldn't follow the the instructions I left for them, even after showing them and having them walk thru them with me. Next time they saw me they gave it back.

Anyway, I did find the android a bit less user friendly than the iPad. The newer iPad Pro is also much faster. More than that, the Apple eco system allows you to buy an app once, and use it on several devices. I have numerous apps that I have on both my phone and my iPad, and with iCloud, I can pick up on my other device exactly where I left off on one device. I'm sure google has similar functions, if you stay on one platform, but not so sure what hoops you have to jump thru if using two different ecosystems. At the very least, paid apps must be bought again in the second ecosystem. Barring future quality issues, I won't be leaving an "all Apple" platform for my personal needs.

 

[Midpack]

Wrong. Those 2014 articles are about an older IOS. Here is one from last week: https://toolbox.iskysoft.com/ipad-recovery/send-sms-from-ipad.html. I send sms messages directly, all the time from my iPad and my Macbook. I did not download an app for this--there is the same messages app on all my devices that is part of the operating system, with the same icon.

iPad doesn't have the type of modem for sending voice or SMS directly to mobile networks.

But it can use Continuity to send calls and SMS through a nearby iPhone.

You can also use third party VOIP apps for free phone calls to other Skype or WhatsApp users. But if you want to connect those calls or SMS to real phones which aren't running those apps, you have to connect to real phone networks and there, you have to pay real connect fees.

Some apps and services have rolled out free calls and texts but they're paying for the connect fees themselves in order to acquire customers. Many of them don't stay in business that long.

If you want to use Skype or WhatsApp to call or SMS a foreign phone number, then you really have to pay.

We've gone off in the weeds here, but like Bestwifeever said, your linked article is more than three years old, and it's no longer true. I'd never noticed, but when I send a text it's blue when it goes MMS and green when it goes SMS. I use iMessage on my WiFi only iPad and nothing else, no other apps or even special settings. It's automatic and has been for quite a while. If it works (and it does), I don't think most people care what goes on in the background.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm on my 3rd iPad - an Ipad pro. Use it all the time - mostly for surfing online, email, and texts. I hardly ever use my computer. I like the iPad because its reliable and there is an app out there for almost anything that I want to do.

I don't think i would ever go to the Android platform since I've always been an apple person and the learning curve to Android would be too steep.

 

[folivier]

"More than that, the Apple eco system allows you to buy an app once, and use it on several devices."

Android also allows that at least for the apps I've bought.

 

[Rambler]

"More than that, the Apple eco system allows you to buy an app once, and use it on several devices."

Android also allows that at least for the apps I've bought.

I thought so, but if you use a droid phone and an iPad, that doesn't work. Besides liking iOS and Apple products better, this is a strong reason that we stay on the iOS platform. We use so many apps on all our devices. OP may want to consider going with one or the other for this reason, instead of having one droid and one iOS.

 

[Lsbcal]

I thought so, but if you use a droid phone and an iPad, that doesn't work. Besides liking iOS and Apple products better, this is a strong reason that we stay on the iOS platform. We use so many apps on all our devices. OP may want to consider going with one or the other for this reason, instead of having one droid and one iOS.

I don't want to get to far off the OT but could you just name some of these got-to-have apps? I don't think I've had to buy any apps for my Google phone or Google tablet. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something I should know about.

 

[OldShooter]

... I'm just wondering if I'm missing something I should know about.

Well, one I like is Copilot GPS, available for both platforms. I have only used the Android one, though.

Copilot is a Google Maps workalike with one huge difference: All of the maps are stored on the device. So the device need not have cellular data access and, even if it does, you don't have to worry about whether you have data coverage or not. Copilot just chugs along, oblivious. (It does need a GPS, which is standard in my Nexus/Google devices but IIRC not always with Apple.)

The only disadvantage is that a few times a year you have to let the device spend a couple of hours loading updated maps.

 

[target2019]

I don't want to get to far off the OT but could you just name some of these got-to-have apps? I don't think I've had to buy any apps for my Google phone or Google tablet. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something I should know about.

+1

 

[Rambler]

Without naming particular apps due to their sensitive nature, a few health related apps come to mind as well as a few different retirement finance calculators. I also have a few paid camping and RVing related apps, such as Allstays that I've paid for...not big bucks but don't want to pay for them twice. There is also one I'd like to get, but so far have not, costs $99 or so...cant recall the name off the top of my head but I think its made by Rand McNally. It is an RV trip planner, that from what I understand allows you to put in your starting point, destination, and will calculate a route and suggested RV parks based on a range of miles you want to drive daily. Problem is that they've reportedly still got some issues to work out. Anyway, in most cases it isn't BIG bucks, but it IS bucks.