By: Aseem Gaurav, April 5, 2011 (New Delhi)
The American magazine Consumer Reports have released their tablet ratings, and found that the iPad 2 handily beats its rivals in nearly every category.
Consumer Reports tested tablets from Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and ViewSonic, as well as several models from Apple. All tablets (10 in total) were evaluated on 17 different criteria, including touch-screen responsiveness, versatility, portability, screen glare, battery life and overall ease of use, and testers found several models that outperformed the rest.
The Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi plus 3G (32G), costing $730, topped the Ratings, scoring Excellent in nearly every category. The original iPad too scored very high and beat most of the models but tied with the Motorola Xoom, $800.
When it comes to “versatility,” which Consumer Reports defines as “the presence of useful features,” the new generation iPad scored the second highest rating of “Very Good.”
In terms of battery life, Consumer Reports said while the iPad 2 boasts the longest battery life — 12.2 hours — the Archos 70 Internet Tablet could last for a mere 3.8 hours.
But the tests suggest that the Motorola Xoom comes in close to the iPad 2′s as its chief rival. The Xoom tablet adds conveniences that the iPad lacks, including a built-in memory card reader and support for the Flash videos and animations found on many Web sites.
“So far, Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced,” said Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports. “However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”
Before choosing a tablet, Consumer Reports recommends that consumers consider the following:
Many features are almost universal. Easy-to-use touch screens based on capacitive technology are now widely available. All the models Consumer Reports tested feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a front-facing webcam, and GPS capability. Android-based models can be expanded using built-in USB ports or slots for SD flash-memory cards, but the iPad 2 lacks both.
You get what you pay for. With prices for the best tablets still too high for many budgets, consumers may be tempted by lower-priced competitors. Don’t be, says Consumer Reports, whose tests have found the performance of models costing $300 and under to be at best mediocre. Buying a tablet with a data plan may lower the initial cost of the device, but cancelling early may result in a stiff penalty. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to buy a 3G-capable model without a contract.
Future-proofing will pay off. Hardware specifications don’t tell the whole story. Portability, storage capacity, and weight are important. But less obvious differences in software, connectivity, and upgradability are critical too. And with faster 4G data networks becoming more widely available, 4G capability (or at least the ability to upgrade to it) is also a plus.
The full report including Ratings of tablets is available at www.ConsumerReports.org.
