Apple iPad vs Netbook PC: which one is best?
This weeks post on whattabletpc.com looks at how the iPad stacks up against a Netbook PC. We’ll break this into two posts with the first half today and second half next Monday.
I would have liked to include a Windows tablet PC in the comparison here but given the ones already on the market are weak, they would have lost most of the categories hands down. So, for the time being it’s the Apple iPad versus the Netbook…
Design – Winner iPad
iPad 1 Netbook 0
The iPad is sleek, minimalist and stylish, netbooks are getting better but they’re just not as hip.
Portability – Winner iPad
iPad 2 Netbook 0
The iPad is ultra-portable and at half a pound, is about half the weight of the lightest netbook. Tag on the netbook’s bulky netbook power adapter versus the iPad’s smaller Smartphone-style power supply and it’s even more pronounced. On top of this ,the superior battery life of the iPad makes it an even stronger proposition when travelling.
Cost – Winner Netbook
iPad 2 Netbook 1
Netbooks are generally substantially cheaper than the iPad. The iPad can be up to twice as much as a standard netbook.
Start Up – Winner iPad
iPad 3 Netbook 1
If you treat your iPad as you would your iPhone then the iPad is going to be charged most of the time and powered up most of the time too so there is no lag in booting it up. Even if you do reboot you’re looking at a short time to get everything up and running. The shorter battery life on netbooks means you’ll be booting it up each time you use it and that means a wait whilst Windows gets going. The experience is therefore effortless on the iPad and much more geared to casual web surfing etc. when you’d jump on the device to check something without the whole effort of getting it going.
Email – Draw
iPad 3 Netbook 1
The iPad has a great email application and interface but a netbook gives you the option to use numerous email clients plus the use of a proper physical keyboard that’s easier to type on than the iPad’s touchscreen keyboard.
View Photos – Draw
iPad 3 Netbook 1
The iPad has a far superior screen with fantastic viewing angles for passing the device around in a group that are looking at photos. But the lack of a USB port means you have to pay for a camera accessory to take photos directly onto the iPad unless you want to hook up to iTunes on your desktop. A netbook will have a minimum of 2 USB ports and simple drag and drop function to get the photos on the desktop. Numerous apps can then be used to view the photos but the bulk of the netbook makes it a bit trickier to pass around and generally the iPad is easier to swipe through them.
Typing documents – Winner Netbook
iPad 3 Netbook 2
A physical keyboard beats a virtual one. You get better typing speeds and accuracy on the physical one. Apple do a great job with their auto correction typing function but it’s generally still a hunt-and-peck experience compared to touch-typing. Add the keyboard dock to the iPad and you overcome this (extra cost) but it can’t be used for typing on your lap. You also really need to use an elevated case if you’re typing on a table without the dock. On top of this, netbooks are much easier to print from – an easy win for the netbook.
Video Chat – Winner Netbook
iPad 3 Netbook 3
Netbooks generally have webcams so you can video chat using apps such as Skype. It may come in a future iPad, but for now the iPad does not have a forward facing camera.
Half time
iPad 3 netbook 3
All to play for, the second part of this post will be published next Monday. Do you agree with the scoring so far? Let me know on the comments.
Related Posts:
The Amazon Kindle Death by iPad
iPad Alternatives – Netbook Tablet PC Hybrids
What does the Apple iPad tablet do?
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