Choosing a tablet?

1. iOS tablets

First group of tablets is manufactured and designed by Apple Inc. They are called iPads. iPad history dates back to 2010, when first iPad was presented. iPads are considered to be first commercially successful tablet projects that pushed this market into mainstream. iPads are considered to be the most pleasing to the eye devices on the market complemented by speedy hardware which makes them super quick, and backed up by best displays on the market (Retina). First iPad has featured a 9.7-inch display. The iPad Pro now gets 12.9 inches. Display offers a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels, which is 264 pixels-per-inch, that is A LOT. That sums to more than 5.2 million pixels packed into the LCD. Display is resistant to fingerprints and includes an anti-reflective coating.  Here is a quick list of cons and pros in considering whether you should buy an iPad.

Pros:

• great display
• speedy hardware
• quick operating system
• all sizes available
• big application market
• great design

Cons:

• latest iPads feature reduced battery life compared to predecessors
• price is high
• will not substitute laptop for business use

Areas of application:

• web surfing
• books reading, mailing, working with documents (backed up by recently introduced original keyboard by Apple)
• music listening (great choice considering latest introduction of Apple music application, a subscription based music streaming service with the biggest music content database that allows you to store music offline)
• design (latest iPads feature iPencil for more accuracy and precision)
• music (great platform for performing/recording/editing music backed up by professional apps on the market)
• due to a huge application market iPads can be used in various industry specific areas like sales, b2b, etc.

This group of tablets is not specific to one manufacturer. Tablets running Android operating system by Google vary in shapes and sizes. In this group you can find a cheap device as well as an expensive flagman like Galaxy Tab S2 by Samsung for example. Android tablets all differ from each other, so be careful in choosing the right one for you. You have to clearly understand reasons why you need a tablet as price is your enemy here.

Pros:

• available in all shapes and sizes
• you can find them very cheap (but of course you will sacrifice either in display quality or performance)
• big application market (however smaller market of tablet-optimized apps compared to iOS)
• fully customizable OS design
• Android is an open source platform that is available for third party developers that allows them to alter OS visually and functionally

Cons:

• android is not as smooth of an OS, especially on older processors
• battery life is usually lacking on Androids
• insufficient professional application coverage compared to iOS or Windows

Areas of application:

• web surfing
• mailing, book reading, working with documents (you can purchase additional keyboard for conveniency)
• music listening ( Google Play music or Apple music apps that allow music streaming and saving content offline)

Windows tablets are not specific to just one manufacturer, just like Android tablets are. However there are flagman tablets that are manufactured by Microsoft and are considered to be the best tablets on Windows OS due to finely selected and tuned hardware accompanied by great displays. Screen sizes also differ with Windows tablets. But the biggest difference of this group of tablets, something that makes these devices stand out is…. they are not really tablets… they can be your main workhorses. Which means that you can use them as your e-book goodnight companions, and at the same time your main computer hub running Outlook, SQL, Adobe Photoshop or video editing software of any kind, it’s the vast and enormous professional application area that separates this group from the rest. These are tablets that can be used for creating new operating systems, for coding, for creating games and movies! You have to understand, just like with Android tablets, what aims you pursue and how you are planning to utilize Windows tablet, as price tags vary too much. But be sure that even on the cheapest of Windows tablets you will be able to do so much more than on an iPad or Android. You will be able to launch any application there is. Devices that feature usb & video out connectors can easily be plugged to your monitor and quickly turn into your main desktop.   

Pros:

• quick OS
• available in different sizes
• can be purchased as cheap as cheapest Android tablets
• you can launch any Windows desktop application (and that means pretty much all applications that matter)
• covers basic user and professional application areas
• flagman ones can substitute your desktop for good

Cons:

• very small application market for tablet use (however sufficient for regular tablet use)
• cheapest models tend to feature low-quality displays
• battery life is usually less than that of an iPad

Areas of application:

• cheaper models will limit you with what you can do on Windows based tablet successfully, but with some more expensive hybrids and flagmans from Microsoft you will find that only sky is the limit.

I hope my personal thoughts after using all 3 types of tablets will help you to come to a decision on which device is best for you. Simply understand what are the reasons you need a tablet, and then choose several to test based on your budget. Cheers!