Ask HN: Has the iPad Won the Tablet Wars?

I think the iPad did win.

But more importantly, if you have an iPhone and a MacBook, will you be using an iPad at all?

I used to only have an iPhone and iPad and yes, I used the iPad for all my studying and annotations and stuff (with an Apple Pencil), but since I’m using a MacBook Air I barely touch my iPad.

I guess if you have kids who want to play games an iPad is still useful?

One serious downside to the iPad (unless I'm doing it wrong) is that you can't hyperlink text in an email using the Mail app. I would love to use my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard to do email, but since I send a lot of emails with hyperlinked words, it doesn't work for me.

The only workaround I'm aware of is that you can hyperlink a word in another app, then copy/paste it into Mail. That's too much of a hassle for me — I'd sooner use a different mail client and enjoy better search while I'm at it.

The old saying "You don't gift an Android tablet to someone you love" still applies.

> thinking about getting a new tablet for the house

Interesting that’s how you are approaching it. We have found that tablets are very much more a “household” or “family” device than a personal one.

It’s the one serious frustration with the iPad, I wish Apple would acknowledge that this is the way a large proportion of their customers use them and enable multiple user profiles (like that have on the Apple TV).

I thought the tablet fad was over already, I remember considering getting one back when they were a big deal, but now it seems phones grew to the point of being actually usable, considered buying a samsung note or similar sized phone instead?

Was there even a tablet war? Was anyone even close to iPad? I've had several Android based tablets and each one had its own quirks. With iPad you exactly know what you are getting into.

iPads are GREAT value. I can still count how many iPads I've had since I got into it:

- around 2011 I had an iPad 2

- resold it half a year later, granted, because I wanted the new RETINA version ... which I used until late 2016 !! It was still usable for anything but browsing, when browsing the the 512 MB RAM wasnt keeping up with the bloated web, and it wasnt holding more than one tab in memory so it was becoming a hassle, otherwise back then all my RSS apps etc worked just fine

- then I bought an iPad AIR 2 early 2017, which I am still using today! I could probably get another couple years out of this one

That's 3 iPads over 10+ years.

Nowaadatys the iPad is also pretty much a PC if you connect a USB hub you can use a keyboard, a mouse ...

For now, yes. Just a couple of weeks back, I was looking for a tablet with decent specs and a headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor (I don’t trust face unlock). And there were zero android tablet matching that criteria. While budget iPad line has fulfilled those requirements for a couple of years.

Now, There have been many android tablets released in recent years. And if you don’t have “peculiar” needs, you might find something worthwhile.

I do not like Apple’s ecosystem. And would prefer android ecosystem. But Apple has best hardware and offers twice the longevity of an android. So, I have chosen to use iPad

Because at every price point other than $100 throw away/kids tablets they are the best option.

Even the cheapest iPad runs like and feels like a premium product.

You get years of software support, apps do just work and battery life is great.

The last Android tablet I had was a 2015 or 14 Samsung Note 10.1 it was awesome for the time but it only received updates for like a year and despite the pen and the rest it never felt more than a large and within 6 months laggy phone.

I don’t know if Android is better now but back then they had no fucking idea what to do with tablets.

You could download an app and you would have no idea if and how it would run, this is something I’ve never experienced with an iPad.

For a reality check compared to the echo chamber, statcounter has the iPad usage share at 55% (and stable over time):

https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/tablet/worldw...

Analysts put the iPad market share at 34% in 2021 (modest growth):

https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS48826122

(I don't know who buys or uses Android tablets these days; they were always miserable devices, and I got off that train somewhere around 2015. But it does appear that they're sold in greater numbers than iPads, and actually used a decent amount rather than just thrown into the bin.)

The iPad is a nice piece of kit, no doubt, but the walled garden was too much for me. I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Unfortunately, like all tablets, the narrow escutcheons make using it in bed a real annoyance.

There are still some not too terrible alternatives in the Android world, but overall yes the iPad has won the tablet wars.

What is a bit scarier to me is the idea that the iPad might win the general computing wars. I don't mind secondary devices being somewhat locked down for the same reason that I don't care if I can't install Linux on my microwave, but the idea that many people's entire computing experience nowadays happens on a platform that is controlled in the way that iOS is feels like bad news to me.

The iPad conquered the premium tablet market and left pretty much no survivors (if we count convertible laptops separately - but even if we don't, I assume they don't really make a big dent in numbers, esp. if we checked how many are actually used in tablet mode. That's just an assumption though - reader beware).

On the low end, I guess it's more of a mixed bag, with hundreds of models from hundreds of brands, some quite ephemeral or existing on Amazon/Aliexpress/eBay only. But indeed the kindle fire stands out for delivering amazing value for money - I have 3 at home (a 10inch, and a 2-for-1 8inch promotion they run periodically) and, while they are very, very clearly no iPad, they work remarkably well once you add the Aurora store to them (admittedly not the most newbie friendly operation, but most people can find a techie friend to bribe with a pizza).

If Amazon ever puts out one with a true USB-C (capable of video out, unlike current ones), I'll try going on a short holiday with only one of these, just to see how it works out.

If they make one which ships with Google Play Store/Services out of the box (or find a legal way to proxy to the Play Store through their own), I expect they'll sell well.

Depends why you need it for.

If you need a phone in a tablet form, buy an iPad.

If you need a computer in a tablet form, buy Microsoft Surface Go. I give nothing but raving reviews for it.

The iPad did indeed win.

But there is healthy competition from brands like Samsung (I have a Tab A [1] and it works ok-ish), Xiaomi (Mi Pads), Huawei, Kindle Fire...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_series#Sams...

For younger kids, the Amazon Fire 10 kids edition tablets are nice (nearly indestructible, cheap, parent controls and a lot of content if you subscribe to Kids+). If you have several kids, you can get 3 Amazon Fires for the price of an iPad. They are useful as long as kids don't need to use a browser, because Amazon's Silk is horrible. And you should probably avoid the Fire 7/8, because they are too slow... (haven't use the latest 7/8 models, but they still have slower CPUs than the 10 inch models)

But for adults, I don't think Android tablets are worth the trouble. iPads just work, while Android apps do not always work that well on tablets. Also, iPads are really fast. And while they are more expensive, they have a much higher resale value.

IMO, the iPad is really the best option — and other than that, I'm not in the Apple ecosystem at all, so I feel fairly unbiased. But in terms of build quality, responsiveness, and overall tablet-optimized app library, nothing else really comes close.

The Surface Pro line of hybrid laptop/tablets is pretty interesting as a lightweight laptop replacement with pen support, but I suspect that's not what you're looking for in a "tablet for the house" — the OS is definitely not touch-first.

If you are on US most likely, outside US or countries with similar economies, hybrid laptops with detachable keyboards/touch screens running Windows have kept their kingdom, as Android tablets are mostly running phone apps on a bigger screeen and not everyone has disposable income for iPads.

You can get cheaper tablets, but it's hard to beat the value: OS updates for longer periods, decent performance, and premium build.

My daughter has a cheap Lenovo tablet and the amount of crap apps she asks authorization to install is astonishing. If feels the Android store is full of grifters (the Amazon one is worse, which is really hard to conceive).

I've tried out an iPad pro two years back. I returned it after testing for three weeks (great return policy in that particular chain).

It's magnificent hardware, but the software side was such a gigantic letdown if you're any kind of IT person. I really tried for three weeks to get used to it, but nope. It's too locked down for my use.

Things that immediately popped to mind:

* non-existant multi-tasking.

* no support for more than one user (really? wtf?)

* lack of any form of file management

* policy of the AppStore that you cannot test apps (I know this changed meanwhile)

* Certificate management is a pain unless you use Safari

* Lack of choice of apps (I really don't like apple mail)

* "The Apple way whether you like it or not".

I went with a Samsung S6 (upgraded to S7+), and I'm really happy. I can't say I'm missing anything - I've got dedicated apps for the things I want them for. The lifecycle of Android is improving - it's not to the same level yet as Apple, but we're getting there. Big pro (for me) is that you can also install 3rd party ROMs, which can extend the longevity.

Yes, the tablet wars were won around Android 4 when it was clear that Google didn't care about the large screen format.

My kid is around 10 and they're on their second iPad. The first one was an iPad 2 I got used and had to upgrade when it was too old to run Netflix.

The only true use-cases for Android tablets are for home automation.

With Fully Kiosk Browser[0] you can have the screen activate on camera motion and automatically load the home automation front page. Any $100 tablet can do this until the browser is too old and you can't update it. Then you throw it away and get a new one.

This is the one thing the iPad can't do. You could theoretically put it in a box and use the built-in kiosk mode to have the screen on at all times with the Home app enabled. But the screen will burn in and you'll have a bad time.

(There are some extremely ruggedised Android tablets for industrial use, but I'm not counting those)

[0] https://www.fully-kiosk.com

I bought a Galaxy Tab S6 Lite last year and I prefer it over my iPad Air.

I actually think the iPad has horrible usability. My only recourse is a friend who is an Apple Fanboy and can give me hints like "you can search for apps by swiping with your finger up (or down, can never remember) from the middle of the screen". Before that, I was unable to discover apps I was sure I had installed.

Also every iOS app seems to have its own approach to navigation, as iOS doesn't have universal back and home buttons like Android.

Unfortunately Android is also copying more and more of the Apple approch and introduces undiscoverable gestures. I personally hate gestures with a passion.

But to each their own.

Where Apple my score big time is with longterm support (security updates).

Ultimately you have mostly the same apps on both platforms.

Every android tablet I tried essentially has performance problems and uninteresting apps. Phone doesn't have this problem because I never game on my phone, I'd rather read a book. Given this, I suspect the problem might be related to tablets being more "leisure devices", basically a game console. Now, a game console that doesn't perform and doesn't have good games ends up in one place: the closet.

Steam deck might replace all usages of a tablet from my perspective (and Apple should be more concerned about them).

iPad it's not laggy and has good games, so that serves a purpose.

Check out these apps if you do buy an iPad:

[1] Infinite Painter

https://infinitestudio.art/painter.php

[2] Procreate

https://procreate.art/

[3] Notability

https://notability.com/

[4] Pushover real-time notifications

https://pushover.net/

[5] Shapr3D 3D-modelling

https://www.shapr3d.com/

If you’re planning on using it for productivity purposes, rather than as a detached-keyboard Windows PC, then the iPad is your best choice (Pro devices being the best option, new or used).

Amazon-curated Android-based Fire tablets are cheaper, but with a shorter lifespan and dodgy expansion storage (WTF is wrong with Android platform storage?!?).

If you’re located in a developing market, stick with pen, paper and bicycles: decent data throughput is a hard requirement for high-end tablet use.

I'm in the market for a new tablet as well. I have a pretty old iPad that I'm happy with, but I really dislike the Apple ecosystem except for the Macbooks. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 should be releasing soon and that's probably the closest competitor. Other than that, yes, the iPad seems to have won.

The longevity of iPad is unbeatable, even by iPhone. I bought new in late 2016 the first iPad Pro 12.9" released in late 2015. Today it still works great without lags whatsoever. And it is still be supported by the latest iPadOS! My only complain is that the battery doesn't hold up as it used to be.

There's some okay-ish Android tablets (Lenovo's Pxx pads, Nokia's new one seems promising, Samsung's if you somehow can stand their atrocious interface), but it has been less a war, and more the equivalent of the US Invasion of Grenada. Nobody really bothered putting up much of a fight.

I don't think ipad won or lost , but I believe tablets lost the war to phones. As phone screens got bigger and more capable need for tablets went down. Tablets promised to be used for content creation and work but that never really took off (except for some niches).

The Ipad (mini 2021) is the only Apple product I now use. When looking to replace my previous with a non apple alternative nothing was even close when considering performance, screen, build quality.

Currently for me yes Ipad won the Tablet wars.

Samsung are pretty good but the integration inside the walled garden of ios/osx is amazingly good. I'm android-osx but help osx-ioad-iphone users and its exceptionally self consistent.

It has certainly won the content-creation/audio-workstation war. I don't know anyone who uses Android for music-making, but the growing horde of iPad-using musicians is impressive...

I got the Lenovo Duet chromebook for the little one and I was honestly impressed. For me, though, iPads have won me over even though I used to be a Surface fan.

Our iPad 2 still gathers dust somewhere in a drawer. The 2-in-1 mini laptops killed its use case for good.

I'm perfectly happy with my Kindle Fire 10. Makes a great comic reader and video device.