The era of the laptop is over; the dawn of the tablet is upon us. Ever since Apple released the iPad in 2010 to thunderous response (300,000 units were sold on the first day itself), laptop and desktop sales have been on a nosedive. In the last quarter of 2011, Apple sold 15M iPads, even as research agency, Gartner, reduced laptop growth projection from 9.8% to just 3.8%.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of tablets. Small, light, and extremely portable, they are ideal for consuming media. Designed especially for the
average, non tech-savvy user, they offer a rich range of applications and software to make media consumption ridiculously easy. The days of sitting on a table before the ‘family computer’ are long over. It’s not unusual to find someone huddled up on the sofa with a tablet in their hands, browsing through a magazine app or watching some YouTube videos, even as the telly remains switched off, and the laptop consigned to some unused corner.
The iPad, of course, is the ubiquitous market leader, accounting for nearly 83% of all tablet sales. But it’s not the only tablet in the market – not by a long shot – and there is a wide range of equally impressive and (often) more aggressively priced tablets on the market. Here are five top alternatives to the iPad that can make any Apple fan envious.
Amazon Kindle Fire
If there is one tablet that can dethrone the iPad from its Numero Uno position, it’s the Amazon Kindle Fire. This 7-inch tablet packs a gorgeous high-resolution touchscreen capable of rendering 16M colours, a dual-core processor, 8 GB of storage space, and Amazon’s highly customized Silk browser. On the software side, it lets you access Amazon’s wildly successful and extensive movie, music and eBook database, alongside hundreds of thousands of dedicated Kindle Fire apps. And best of all, at just $199, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket. If the iPad (or its $499 price tag) isn’t your cup of tea, you can’t go wrong with the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Samsung is locked in a tight battle with Apple for the title of the world’s foremost mobile computing manufacturer. It’s Galaxy S and SII mobile phones have already given stiff competition to the iPhone in markets across the globe. Now, Samsung has jumped into the tablet fray with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet to replace Apple from the top of the pecking order.
Gorgeous, functional and exciting are some of the words that can be used to describe the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Weighing in at just around half a kilo (565g), this is a lightweight 10.1-inch tablet that boasts a 1280×800 screen resolution, 1GB of RAM, and up to 64GB of storage space. Built on the Android platform, it allows you to access all the wares from Android’s extensive marketplace, including millions of songs, videos and eBooks.
At $529, it’s not exactly cheap, but if power is your credo, you can’t go wrong with this tablet.
Asus Eee Pad
Is it a laptop, or is it a tablet? The answer is: neither. The Asus Eee Pad is the first in the line of revolutionary products that aim to bridge the gap between tablets and laptops. You can use it just like a conventional laptop, complete with a keyboard, or you can remove the screen and carry it around like a tablet. The end result is a product that combines the ease of use of a tablet with the efficiency of a laptop. With 1GB of RAM, a 10.1-inch high resolution screen, up to 32GB of storage space and 16 hour battery-life, there’s little that you can’t do with the Asus Eee Pad.
On the price front, at just $299, it definitely beats spending $499 on the iPad!
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet
What happens when one of the most respected business laptop manufacturers decides to dip its feet into the growing tablet pool? The answer: all round excellence, courtesy of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. Boasting the iconic ThinkPad expertise, this is the ideal tablet for businessmen on the move. Loaded with features and productivity software that would make an iPad blush (including the unique note-taking ‘tablet pen’), this 10.1-inch Android tablet boasts high resolution graphics, an extensive and expanding selection of apps, and 64GB of storage space. Rounding up these features is the Lenovo trademark of reliability and top-notch performance. All for a starting price of $499.
Acer Iconia Tab A100
Acer’s first 7-inch tablet was bound to be a hit even before release date. As one of the top laptop manufacturers in the world, Acer’s entry to the tablet space was much hyped, and not without reason. The end result is the Acer Iconia Tab A100 – a gorgeous, portable, lightweight, blazingly fast and, most importantly, affordable tablet that beats much of the competition out of the water.
Powered by the Android 3.2 operating system, the Acer Iconia is fast, making short work of any of the thousands of Android apps you can throw at it. At 7-inches, it is also extremely portable, while storage space of up to 16GB takes care of all your media. But the best part is the price: at $329, it is extremely affordable and a good enough reason to skip the iPad!
