I’ve had the pleasure (and displeasure) of using both an iPad Retina and a Nexus 10 for the last week or two last month and a half. (this post was started in the last week of December)
This year, the iPad wins.
Nexus Failures:
- In Facebook, a link to a video sent me to a mobile facebook website; the Nexus crashed and rebooted. This has happened almost nightly.
- In Facebook, pictures crop too much. I couldn’t see the meme text without clicking in to the photograph.
- In Evernote, linked to a Bluetooth keyboard, trying to organize the list of stuff that I want to get done for the weekend: a total disaster.
- I could NOT use the arrow keys to navigate through the document.
- Copy and Paste did not seem to work.
- In the Trulia app: browsing real estate with the wife… Pictures much larger and UI worked better on the iPad. I was jealous that she was using the iPad and I was using the Nexus.
- Schlock Mercenary on was unusable – the UI elements fused together overlapping in a horrible way.
- Battery on the Nexus seemed to drain faster… Two days to empty instead of four. Note: This is not a measured, scientific observation.
- Watching Videos on YouTube:
- If the video started rebuffering, I could not tell the video to pause for a while (to let it get ahead). I could only pause when it was buffered and playing. On the iPad, pausing was independent of rebuffering.
- I experienced rebuffering when their appears to be data still available in the buffer.
- Netflix: About the same, till I went to make a 30-second rewind (to show my wife something awesome). On the Nexus, it did not register the shuttle change unless I did it for more than a minute. When you’re trying to show a skeptical loved one something awesome, a minute is a LONG time to wait. On the iPad, the shuttle resolution was better.
Nexus Successes:
- Watching YouTube videos was a better experience – mostly due to the form factor, and better contrast. (I was watching video on both devices – letting one “buffer” up while I watched on the other)
About the same:
- Kindle Book Reading about the same on both.
- Visiting a website with Flash – without working around it on the nexus – failed equally on both. I tried working around it on the Nexus, but I couldn’t get that to work (probably the wrong browser)
- Reading email via the Gmail app was about the same on both. Both of them, I wish they fit more data on the screen.
I dearly wanted the experience to be equal.. I have a soft spot for Android, I love its “intent” system for hooking apps together.. but as an honest consumer, the iPad experience for me in December 2012, January 2013, was better. And for $100 more.. yes, I’d say it was worth it.
Addendum 2/9/2013: My wife took over the Nexus for a while. She is frustrated with it, HOWEVER, having multiple users on the device was clearly a win. She’s going to get an iPad Mini, it fits her collection of purses better. (Women are weird) (I like them like that)
