Kindle Fire loses ground while Apple and Samsung gain, latest report suggests

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

What good is NFC if there's nothing that takes advantage of it? It's just a wasted piece of tech inside a device that nobody is actually using.

Are you serious? I use NFC daily to automate tasks. If you don't know what its uses are, that's a different story, but there is more to it than payments. You can do plenty with it, as long as your device supports it.

[Teknikal]

Use NFC myself my bluetooth speaker automatically turns itself on and plays just by touching the phone to it, very handy and much faster than manually turning on bluetooth looking for the device and connecting.

Pretty sure all bluetooth devices will soon have it built in along with things like hifi's etc.

[Jessica Lares]

The only Bluetooth device I have is a keyboard and a mouse, and when it comes out, the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom. Automation is nice, until you start doing it by accident or you expect it to do it and it's not happening. Considering I walk around the house at 4AM and carry my phone around, I wouldn't want to set off any speakers/the wrong lights and wake up everybody. And it's TOO EASY considering that people here sleep on the couch here. I would hate it if something didn't work the way I set it up either.

I don't have any need for it anyway. Had it on my other Android phone and never used it.

Oh, and about losing old apps? I can still open and use apps I got in 2008 for the iPhone 2G on my iPad under iOS 7. Letterboxed, but they work and look good.

But sure, you can replace your tablet every year/2 years while I stick with the one I have right now until it breaks in more than 5 years.

I don't need shortcuts on my notifications drop down, nor do I need widgets. I just need robust apps that I can open and do what I need to do in.

Your needs may vary, but those are mine, and I HATE it when people say otherwise, because I HAVE access to two Android tablets, and I have an Android smartphone. The new Google services are killing my battery, which usually lasts me over 24 hours without a recharge when I use it constantly.

I was able to find a basic text editor (Draft), I use Expense Manager, MathStep, and Timetable for my college classes. But not much else. JotterPad HD is close to what I want for writing, but the interface is still annoying, especially on a 7 inch screen.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

But sure, you can replace your tablet every year/2 years while I stick with the one I have right now until it breaks in more than 5 years.

There are plenty of iOS games that won't run on the iPad 1 anymore (and many more that run but lag heavily), and it's only three years old. That trend already started to happen over a year ago. The number of games that won't run on the iPad 2 is increasing as well. I mention games because that's what I'm most familiar with. The non-game apps I use have equivalents on any platform.

Also, iOS 7 doesn't support iPad 1 or iPhone 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations, and only has limited support for the iPhone 4. Even the 4S doesn't get all features.

Apple wants you to buy a new device every two years at the latest too. If you'll be fine with 5 years old tech in five years, I don't really think it matters whether you use an iOS or Android device. (Now at least; I'd have agreed with you 2-3 years ago.)

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Mivo

There are plenty of iOS games that won't run on the iPad 1 anymore (and many more that run but lag heavily), and it's only three years old. That trend already started to happen over a year ago. The number of games that won't run on the iPad 2 is increasing as well. I mention games because that's what I'm most familiar with. The non-game apps I use have equivalents on any platform.

Also, iOS 7 doesn't support iPad 1 or iPhone 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations, and only has limited support for the iPhone 4. Even the 4S doesn't get all features.

Apple wants you to buy a new device every two years at the latest too. If you'll be fine with 5 years old tech in five years, I don't really think it matters whether you use an iOS or Android device. (Now at least; I'd have agreed with you 2-3 years ago.)

Games addiction is not Apple's fault... and you can get treatment for it...

As far as the OS is concerned, you'd be amongst the 1st complaining about it not making use of improved hardware but seem to think that it's wrong that some things won't work on the older kit - it's always been that way - it is possible to actually use what you've got (after all, it was fine until something that didn't previously exist came along) but if you must have latest games etc then that's hardly a new thing (and certainly not an Apple/Android invention) as it's always been a trend in PCs...

[Jessica Lares]

But as long as I keep working backups of my apps, they will always work on my hardware.

Don't get yourself stuck into services. That's the simple solution. I buy all my music so I don't have to depend on the internet to listen to it. I buy all my movies and TV shows for the same reason. I strip DRM off eBooks so I can use it in any reading app.

As for games, it's the same thing. Just keep the backups so you don't run into those issues. All the games I play don't get an update after a year or two.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by elcreative

... but seem to think that it's wrong that some things won't work on the older kit - it's always been that way - it is possible to actually use what you've got...

My point was that this is the same for both Android and iOS. Jessica's post implied that the longevity of Apple devices is notably better (if I read it correctly), but in my view that is no longer true. No matter what you buy, you'll have to upgrade in two years if you want to keep up; and if you're fine with old apps, then you'll be fine with Apple or Android devices just the same. 2-3 years ago it mattered, but I don't think it matters now.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mivo

and if you're fine with old apps, then you'll be fine with Apple or Android devices just the same.

Owning both an Apple and an Android tablet, my impression is that o/s upgrades tend to break Android apps more often than they break Apple ones.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Owning both an Apple and an Android tablet, my impression is that o/s upgrades tend to break Android apps more often than they break Apple ones.

Definitely agree... but it doesn't matter as it's all anecdotal...
Just thought I'd save someone else from making the comment... of course, what gets forgotten about anecdotal evidence, is that if it happens to you then that evidence has an extra validating weight...

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Considering I walk around the house at 4AM and carry my phone around, I wouldn't want to set off any speakers/the wrong lights and wake up everybody. And it's TOO EASY considering that people here sleep on the couch here. I would hate it if something didn't work the way I set it up either.

Jessica, you're really scrapping the bottom of the barrel with your excuses. I am certain you know that NFC only works at a very short range, meaning that devices need to be almost in physical contact to be able to exchange data, so the chances to "set off the speakers while walking by" are simply nil.

We get it, for whatever reason, you don't like NFC, but you can't deny that it has some very valid uses cases, like the one Teknikal highlighted, Bluetooth pairing becomes a simple tap, instead of having to manually enable Bluetooth and then entering a code. Another example is task automation, for instance, when I leave work I simple tap on an NFC tag which disables WiFi, increases the ringer volume and sends a "I'm on my way" SMS. Yes, I could do all this by fiddling with my phone for a minute, but why do it when you can just achieve the same with a simple tap?

Technology is there to simplify our lives, we can either embrace it and enjoy its simplicity, or dish it with lame excuses. It's your choice.

[Jessica Lares]

See, I don't use NFC, and that's why I don't know the specifics. Easier just to use the simple slider at the side of the iPad and iPhone to put it on silent than it is to hold it up to a tag on the wall.

Plus, those tags cost additional money.

It's not an excuse, it's just I could spend the money more wisely, especially when I'm going to forget to use them anyway and do it manually.

I find the Profiles feature in Android more useful and in the past have had Home, Shopping, School, Outside, and Sleeping presets. But even then, I would always forget to use them. I'm on Jelly Bean 4.2.2, and the drop down tiles can be accessed from the lock screen by just swiping to the right.

But then I'm not even bothering to turn on and off GPS or my Bluetooth anyway.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Plus, those tags cost additional money.

Yeah, I feel you, $1 for a tag is serious money...

Source

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by afv011

Yeah, I feel you, $1 for a tag is serious money...

Source

Free shipping available for orders over $50. (US only)

So I end up spending $3.55. I could buy 1-3 nice apps with that money instead.

Again, it's not something I would use.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

It's all about the ecosystem. And honestly, I'm tired of waiting for Android to mature.

As someone who is on both iOS and Android, I can honestly say there is nothing of major significance I can get on iOS that I can't get on Android. The Android market has matured a lot so that it now offers more apps than iOS.

Sure, there is an app or two that I have on iOS that I can't get on Android, but the opposite is also true. Calibre Companion, the best mobile e-book management app bar none is on Android only. For this app alone, I would stay with Android for my primary mid-sized tablet that is also used for reading.

Additionally, there are more reading apps to choose from on Android than there is on iOS.

Then there is the screen of the iPad Mini. I find it more difficult to read on that than higher res screens such as the wonderful one on my Nook HD. You couldn't pay me to switch to a lower res screen for reading. If I were given a Mini, I'd give it away as a gift or sell it on eBay. Obviously, the equation may change a little once the Mini goes retina, but even then, it still would lack Calibre Companion.

Especially for those who like e-books and reading, I think high-res screens, Android, and Calibre Companion provide the optimal experience.

--Pat

[Jessica Lares]

The whole point I'm trying to get across is that there was a justifiable reason for me to get an iPad Mini vs an Android tablet, and that for me was the apps that I could get for it.

I don't care about resolution. I care more about being able to push fonts up, and make lines tighter.

I don't care about NFC because I don't have a need for it.

I don't care about the processor. Why do I need a Tegra chip if I'm doing calculations and drawing? The games are optimized to work perfect on the A5 anyway.

My usage of my iPad doesn't primarily depend on the internet. I do not depend on APIs that would break if I didn't update the app. Besides the streaming over wifi one, but that's okay, that is something I can deal with and work around.

I just use Calibre to convert to DRM. I don't use it to manage my eBooks as I prefer the tagging system in the new OS X. I can find the file, and then drag it over into iTunes File Sharing, and it goes on my device with no problem.

The MAJORITY of the apps I use are not on Android. NoteLedge, SketchBook Ink, and Photoshop Touch are, but the rest aren't. There are lots of todo apps on Android, but none of them are as robust as Firetask and let me organize and break down a project into multiple days and steps. And there are nice calculators, and even a TI-83 emulator, but it's not as good as being able to do charts, graphs, and spreadsheets of data in one app.

That's more of a niche use of a tablet I know, but that's why I have one. Because when I'm not venting out on a forum, I'm doing something productive on my computer because I have no life outside of being productive.