Asus Transformer or iPad?

Hi ZU!

So my parents are going to be buying me a tablet for my birthday (yaaaay), but I'm still trying to decide which one I want to get. It's down to the Transformer or the iPad, but I'm still kind of mming and ahhing, although at this point I'm definitely leaning towards the Transformer. I've used both an iPhone and an Android phone (iPhone 3GS with iOS4 for nearly two years, and now a Galaxy S2 running ICS since late last year), and I found both the systems really great to use, but on my phone I definitely prefer Android, just because it offers so much more in terms of customisation.

Right now, here are my thoughts on both. As a note, too, I don't plan on rooting or jailbreaking whichever device I go for; I'll be running the standard OS regardless of if it's iOS or Android.

Asus Transformer (or Prime, if I'm willing to pay the extra, which I'm considering)

• As far as I'm aware, has better hardware than the iPad (correct me if I'm wrong)?
• Includes the keyboard dock for extra battery life and keyboard functionality
• Runs Android, same as my phone, so I could sync things up between them
• Easy file management, drag and drop any sound/video files and they're ready to use
• Offers more in terms of customisation

iPad 2 (or possibly 'the new iPad')

• App store offers better app support (mostly for games) than Android's market

That is actually all I can really think of for the iPad, but I've asked a lot of people, and been told that an iPad is the superior choice.

Help me out, ZU!

So these are the choices, right?
-New iPad
-Transformer Prime
-Original Transformer

If I were going for the Asus, I'd personally go for the Transformer Prime instead of the original Transformer. I have the original Transformer (which isn't bad, but I've heard that the Prime is just smoother and stuff, whereas the original Transformer from personal experience can be pretty sluggish at times - though it's far from a dealbreaker if you don't really care about the greater "smoothness" of the Prime) The original Transformer is also relatively hefty compared to both the iPad and the Prime (again, not a dealbreaker if you don't care about tablet-weight). I'm sure that the Prime does other things that the original Transformer doesn't, but I don't remember any of them (if there are any).

As an owner of the original Transformer (disclaimer: I've never handled the Prime before), I feel the need to tell you that the keyboard attachment is more than just a keyboard/battery. It also has a USB port (or two - I don't really remember) and an SD card slot. The tablet by itself also has a microSD cardslot and a microHDMI port which, as far as I'm aware, the iPad lacks. Presumably, all of this should also be true for the Prime as well, though if you want an iPad you can probably buy some doohickeys to add these functionalities (iunno).

Also, the Asus tablets are widescreen, which can cause minor inconvenience when tablet-surfing in landscape mode.


But the most important part of it is what you're going to use the tablet for, and how much of a compromise you're willing to make. From what I've heard (take with grain of salt), the iPad simply offers a more user-friendly/satisfying experience for more mundane things, whereas the Transformer/Prime offer a satisfactory experience for mundane things as well as being better at slightly more high-end jobs (after all, they ARE netbook-tablet hybrids).

Personally, I'd get the Prime if those were my choices.

i got the Sony tablet S recently over the iPad. Mostly because i felt that the iPad was an oversized iPod and i wanted something fresh... and sony.

it really all comes down to how you use it and your personal preference.

[ I wrote an entire paragraph not directly related to your dilemma... dope ]

but uh, yeah... i agree with Double A, get a prime.

Optimus wants YOU to get a Transformer!


But seriously, DA summed up pretty great, I would also go for a Transformer as well, it'd be a fresh experience instead of an iPad. I've had an iPad at one point, but I sold it because it felt like an oversized iPod or iPhone without the capabilities of calling and texting.
Call me Anti-Apple, but... don't get an iPad.

Call me Anti-Apple, but... don't get an iPad.

I wouldn't be so quick to offer such advice. Remember that the majority of people looking for tablet computers only care about really mundane stuff, and hands-down the iPad handles that mundane stuff incredibly well. Seeing as I already own a netbook which I use for higher-end jobs, I would personally rather have an iPad than the original Transformer which my dad owns that I occasionally use for the News and Browser apps.

But yeah, I'd probably still vote for the Prime. What I'd really like though is a netbook-tablet hybrid like the Transformer, but running Windows 8 and NOT made by Acer (seriously, I really dislike that short right-shift key), that can multitask like a real netbook.