[J-75]

I use a laptop and a cellphone for their usual applications.
My reading vision isn't great so the cell is frustrating beyond its primary use.
I'm disappointed with my laptop for many reasons.
I think a tablet is what I need (no jokes,please).
I took a short look at some in Best Buy - Samsung(android), Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Apple(IOS), Microsoft(Windows), etc
Can anyone here offer opinion or suggestion (ideally based on your personal experience)?
Thanks

 

[amagras]

Both of my kids got Samsung Elite tablets on my son's last birthday, these are pretty good tablets for the price (and they are durable for sure!).

 

[keto]

I'm not an Apple fanboi, but I have an ipad Air2, and it has replaced my desktop computer for almost everything.

I resisted ipads at first, my family bought me one 5 years ago and I had them return it. But they gave me this one 2 years ago and it is fantastic.

 

[butterknucket]

My completely uneducated opinion would be the iPad for the fun factor.

I also have vision problems and would prefer to look at a tablet screen over a cell phone when traveling.

 

[vokey design]

I have been using an iPad for the past 5 years, the only time I go for my laptop is when I need to write more than a few paragraphs.

Very simple to use and battery life is very impressive considering how thin these things have become.

 

[Kerry Brown]

I have had several Android tablets and was satisfied with them. A couple of years ago I was given a iPad Air to use by a board of directors I was on so I gave away the Android I was using. My term on the board was up in September and they wanted the iPad back. I looked at the price of Android vs iPad thinking about a replacement. I decided I could get way more bang for the buck with Android. I went shopping and tried half a dozen different Android models. I sat on it for a couple of days then decided there was no way I was going back to Android. I much prefer the iPad. I asked it it was possible to work out a deal to keep the iPad. They said if I made a donation of $50 to the charity of my choice I could keep it. I donated $100 to the local food bank and am a happy iPad user.

 

[butterknucket]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but is there looping software you can for guitar on an iPad?

 

[Kerry Brown]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but is there looping software you can for guitar on an iPad?

Garage Band is built in. It's a little complicated to use as a looper but it can be done. I recorded a 12 bar blues with several tracks, e.g. bass, rhythm, and used a built in drum track. I set it on repeat play and play along while trying different leads. You need an interface to plug in the guitar to the iPad. I use the Apogee Jam.

 

[boyscout]

I have an iPad Air 2 like @keto but I haven't adapted my work to it. Too many silos, in which work done in one application can't easily be shared with other applications. I use it very heavily - hours per day - as a reader for news, books, browsing the web... information gathering. But anything requiring typing and creating documents to be archived and shared is still done on PC.

However I'd like to have everything in a single device, and am getting close to buying something in the Microsoft Surface lineup, probably the new Surface Book 2 which is a full-blown powerful notebook with a screen that detaches to be used as a tablet (the newest model is just about to be released). Best of both worlds, maybe.

Others might be interested in the Surface Pro, which is a tablet with a pretty good keyboard when needed (I know several people with this, they love it.)

Home of the Microsoft Surface Device Family | Surface

 

[butterknucket]

Garage Band is built in. It's a little complicated to use as a looper but it can be done. I recorded a 12 bar blues with several tracks, e.g. bass, rhythm, and used a built in drum track. I set it on repeat play and play along while trying different leads. You need an interface to plug in the guitar to the iPad. I use the Apogee Jam.

Thanks!

 

[Guncho]

You cannot go wrong with an ipad.

 

[Mooh]

No advice, just my anecdotal testimony that I'm in love with my iPad, it's kind of the mistress to my iMac wife.

When I'm away I use it to connect online (usually using my phone as a hot spot). Carries small and light, charges fast and holds it. I don't use it on stage as I'm too far sighted, but I've played with folks who do.

 

[TVvoodoo]

we purchased the first gen Surface years ago and while it has several limitations, overall it is still pretty useful, and has been happily reliable for years.
Any shortcoming of our unit were addressed in later incarnations of the Surface which has become progressively more powerful and useful but rather more expensive as well.
The Surface looks and acts like a tablet, but has serious computing power too, replacing many a laptop in a compact format for business.
Unless something better comes along I think I will purchase another in the next year or two. Android stuff kind of terrifies me for some reason, due to the big brother power, but really who am I fooling? They are all surely mining us for everything we are worth.

 

[Player99]

If you are a hard core Windows user you might like a Microsoft tablet. I have some Android tablets and they are really bare bones as far as features if you compare Android to Windows.

 

[BSTheTech]

The only thing I regret about the iPad (and probably all tablets) is they have shiny screens and often aren't bright enough to use as an e-reader while on vacation. For that reason you still need a separate e-reader (or go analog).

 

[Hammerhands]

The best thing I have is a keyboard case. The first one broke after about a year and then someone bought me a regular case, which lasted another year. I couldn't wait to get back to the keyboard.

If I had it to do over again, I would never have bought anything Apple.

It's A Tarp.

Everything is expensive, everything gets obsoleted, cables are crap and expensive.

It started with one iPod I got as a gift, then all the accessories to make it useful. I am thousands of dollars into this now, no way out.

I'm on this iPad all day, all the time when I'm at home. There are going to be new bateria that will take us out. This is a digusting piece of equipment.

 

[Hammerhands]

And use landscape mode.

You can try that on your phone, too.

 

[hammerstein]

Personally I would suggest an iPad for a few reasons(price not being one of them unfortunately).
As much as apple annoys me, they do one thing that I really like as far as mobile products are concerned, and that is make every single one the same. It’s a lot easier to make software only have to work on one set of hardware than literally thousands of possible configurations, I find apple to overall and overtime be much more stable than my previous android devices.
I also find it easier to pick up and use than android, mostly probably because you lose a lot of customization. If that’s your thing then maybe consider something else, but personally I don’t care about customization.. hell, I don’t even change my background picture.

 

[greco]

The best thing I have is a keyboard case.

It's A Tarp.

Like this?

 

[BSTheTech]