Nexus 7

iPad and alternative tablet gifts: 2012 holiday guide

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Nov 22, 2012 a 9:12 pm

If you're looking at getting someone a tablet this year, chances are you're looking to get them an iPad. For most people, most of the time, the iPad remains the best combination of hardware, experience, and content on the market. But which iPad should you get, the latest, greatest iPad 4 or the thinner, lighter, iPad mini? Should you consider an iPod touch instead? What if Apple isn't the right answer, should you look at a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10, or an Amazon Kindle Fire HD or a Microsoft Surface instead? The black and white choices of the past have become increasingly, confusingly gray-scaled. Do you want maximum power or maximum portability? Do you want something that's more mobile or more computer? Do you want a way to easily consume your content or create it as well? With all these choices, which tablet should you get?

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Which should you get?

By Rene Ritchie, Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 a 8:07 pm

Apple has introduced their lighter, thinner, more "concentrated" iPad mini but they certainly weren't first-to-market with a small tablet. Most recently, Google and their partner, Asus, launched the Nexus 7, the best Android tablet to date.

Still, the Nexus 7 hasn't really caught on beyond Android aficionados and gadget geeks. And that's despite it's decent build quality, ultra-modern operating system, and the full-on Google support only Nexus-class devices enjoy. It remains to be seen if Apple's small tablet will fare any better in the thus-far completely big iPad dominated market, but if you're looking for an alternative, there's very few other places to look.

So what happens when you put Apple's iPad mini up against Google and Asus' Nexus 7? Apple's engineering precision up against Google's Android power? Let's take a look.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD: On display size and density

By Rene Ritchie, Sunday, Oct 28, 2012 a 7:06 pm

When Apple introduced the iPad mini, they spent quite a bit of time comparing it to the Google Nexus 7, especially when it came to the merits of the iPad mini's 4:3, 7.9-inch screen over the 16:10, 7-inch screen of the Nexus 7. Physical screen size is only one factor, however. There's also screen resolution to consider, something Apple often touts with their Retina display products like the iPhone 5, iPod touch 5, iPad 4, and MacBook Pro. But not the iPad mini. So, when we put everything on the table, how well does the iPad mini stack up not only to the Nexus 7, but the similarly screened Amazon Kindle Fire HD?

Tim Cook addresses Steve Jobs' 7-inch tablet remarks, says iPad mini in a whole different league

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Oct 25, 2012 a 8:12 pm

During Apple's Q4 2012 conference call Tim Cook was asked about the iPad mini, and why Apple released it after Steve Jobs had previously called 7-inch tablets "terrible".

Apple's Phil Schiller defends iPad mini pricing

By Joseph Keller, Wednesday, Oct 24, 2012 a 1:47 pm

After yesterday’s introduction of the iPad mini, Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Product Marketing, found himself defending its $329 price tag. While Apple’s biggest competition in the category of smaller tablets, Google and Amazon, price their small tablets starting at $199, Schiller defended the iPad mini as a premium product worth the higher price, and said that customers understand this and are willing to pay.

iPad 4 vs. Kindle Fire 8 HD vs. Nexus 7 vs. Surface RT vs. PlayBook: Spec shootout!

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012 a 8:18 pm

Apple not only released the iPad mini but also a brand new iPad 4 to sit on top of the tablet food chain. It's got the new Apple A6X processor, the new Qualcomm international LTE radio, and the new Lightning connector.

iPad mini vs. Kindle Fire 7 HD vs. Nexus 7 vs. Surface RT vs. PlayBook: Spec shootout!

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012 a 6:29 pm

Apple has just announced the iPad mini and that means they've fully entered the small tablet space. Priced starting at $329, however, they didn't obliterate it as some (including yours truly) thought they would. There's now plenty of room under Apple's umbrella for competitors to compete on price.

Tim Cook: Customers aren't looking for tablets, they're looking for iPads

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jul 24, 2012 a 6:52 pm

During the Q&A following Apple's Q3 2012 conference call, CEO Tim Cook was asked about the competition the iPad faced from smaller, lower priced tablets like the new Google Nexus 7. Cook's answer, paraphrased, was that there remains no competition to the iPad.

Google Nexus 7 vs. iPad 3, unboxing and first impressions -- from iMore!

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jul 20, 2012 a 10:58 pm

No, that title isn't a typo! Sure, I'm the editor-in-chief of the #1 site for everything iPhone and iPad, but I've gotten my hands on Google's brand new Nexus 7 tablet, running the all new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, and I aim to put it head-to-head, tablet-e-tablet against Apple's new iPad.

And I'm starting with the traditional unboxing and some quick hardware impressions.

Apple iPad or Google Nexus 7: Which one should you get?

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jul 9, 2012 a 4:27 pm

Up until now, the question "should you buy an iPad or [blank]?" was almost always answerable with "iPad unless you don't like Apple." The Amazon Kindle Fire tried to change that equation, but Amazon has been coy about sales numbers, and beyond the U.S. border its content is so anemic it's still closer akin to a paperweight than a tablet. Now Google is taking its shot with the ASUS-manufactured, Google Nexus 7.

With that in mind, does the introduction of a Google branded tablet running the latest, greatest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software stack still offer a better alternative answer to iPad?