[Galaxy Tab General] samspunker:
Tabs and iPads - The discussion will never stop, the comparisons will go on forever.

But I am beginning to think that there actually is no comparison to be made because the two are totally different products, and have different concepts behind their creation.

First, look at the iPad. Yes, it is better at computing, and has the wonderful iOS and graphic interface that Apple is famous for. It has a faster processor, longer battery life, better display, and so on and so forth. It is a fine computer.

The tab on the other hand has been called an overgrown cell phone, why it even has a cellphone OS.

Of course, it has a bigger screen, cellphone capabilities, and those two cameras (even though the current Tab's cameras aren't great, they are decent). It comes with apps already built in and more available, just like iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. It is smaller than the iPad, and I have heard one iPad lover say that a 7 inch screen is too small to read on. To that person I say you need glasses because the standard book page prints in a less than 7 inch area and people have been doing fine with that for a few hundred years.

The main difference between the two devices, as I see it, is the iPad is based on an old concept of computing and the Tab is based on a new concept of portability connectivity.

The iPad has been in development for many years, beginning before smartphones were popular and readily available. It was developed based on the computing concepts of years ago, when laptops were still expensive, desktops were the main stay and netbooks were unknown. The iPad was designed to replace notebooks and netbooks, and be more portable than desktops. But they were stilled designed to be a portable desktop computer giving the desktop experience.

The Tab, however, is an outgrowth of the smartphone. The irony of this is that the Tab is an outgrowth of the popularity of the iPhone itself! As the iPhone grew in popularity Apple totally overlooked why it was popular. People didn't need the desktop experience when they were on the go. They wanted a phone in the beginning, but when they saw how much it could do the phone became a secondary part of the iPhone.

So Apple made the iPod Touch. Essentially an iPhone without the phone. Now people began to use these two devices (and all the clones) to do the main things they used the desktop for outside of productivity and work. They began to check their e-mails, get directions, chat, listen to music and watch videos. With the camera they began to take pictures and upload them to the web. And the web was now available anywhere: while waiting on the bus, sitting in the subway, waiting for your food to be prepared, and all the countless other times that used to wasted but now could become productive or entertaining.

Let us not forget the games! When PCs first came out everyone was scared they could somehow break them. After all the movies showing the Evil Supercomputer blowing up at the end with just a few keystrokes from the hero, everyone was afraid they would do this to the extremely expensive box they had just put on their desk. (The truth was that there was a way in some early computers to overclock the CPU that resulted in overheating and burning up the computer.) So games were installed in the OS's to let people become familiar with using the computer and get over their fears of it. Solitaire? It taught people how to use the mouse.

So fast forward to 2010. The iPad is introduced as the first tablet computer to be usable. It's initial success was because of the following that Apple had so carefully built up over the years. Is the iPad a good computer? Is it a good computing experience? The answer is a resounding yes to both questions.

The iPad is a good computer.

The Tab is a good portable computing device.

It is designed to fall into the area of portability and usability. When you are on a train, in a taxi, or in the doctor's office do you really want to work on a document. First of all there is the issue of privacy, and even trade secrets. You would, however, play a game, listen to music, or read a book.

And therein lies the difference between the two devices. The iPad is a portable computer, the Tab is a portable computing device. The iPad was built to replace your notebook. The Tab was built to be usable on the go. Try standing in line at the pharmacy and reading a book on your iPad. How easy it is on the Tab.

To be fair, writing a long document on the Tab is not feasible. But then who can concentrate on their work while they are out and about.

So to sum it all up, I propose that when someone starts touting the benefits of either one, point out that there is no real comparison. To compare them is to compare a notebook with a desktop. Or a stationary desktop with portable connectivity. The iPad has its place as a desktop replacement, and the Tab has its place as a mobile device that supplements the desktop.

I would not replace my Tab with an iPad, I have two notebooks and a netbook for that kind of work. I did replace my iPod Touch with the Tab. Ironic, isn't it?