By Alan J. Pierce EdD

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Does it Leapfrog the Apple iPad?

Apple iPad 2 (9.5 x 7.3 x 0.36 inches)

Apple introduced its first iPad in April of 2010. Just like the iPhone before it, the Apple iPad was an instant sensation and Apple sold three million iPads in less than three months. In the consumer electronic field being first out of the gate with a new product doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to hold your lead when your competitors introduce competing products. The question becomes can Apple keep its lead as other companies introduce tablet products?

For the consumer the best thing about product competition is that it forces companies to push product enhancements into new models while staying competitively priced. In my opinion the strongest current iPad challenger is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I believe your past experience with Apple and Android products will definitely influence which product is best for you.

The outward appearance of the two tablets is so close that anyone viewing both at the same time might think that they are two different models produced by the same manufacturer. They both use the same hand gestures for scrolling, zooming, and selecting screen items. So when it comes to their outward appearance, functionality, and ease of use, in my opinion they are a tie.

Apple agrees that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 matches their iPad when it comes to the above features. However, in current lawsuits Apple’s lawyers identify the reason for these product similarities as Samsung’s patent infringements of Apple patents. Samsung agrees with Apple’s contention that patent infringements have occurred. Samsung only differs on who is infringing on whose patents. So Samsung lawyers have filed lawsuits against Apple claiming that the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod were all constructed

using design features that were covered by Samsung patents that were filed while Samsung worked as an Apple partner working on the development of these Apple products. Experts expect that both companies will eventually settle with cross licensing agreements that cover each others patents. You can read about the lawsuits at http:// www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-29/samsung-files-patent-suit- against-apple-over-iphone-technology.html

Samsung Tab (10.1 x 6.81 x 0.31 inches)

The problem is how do you decide which is the better machine for you. If you are an iPhone/iPod Touch enthusiast you probably already love everything Apple and iTunes. So the best choice for you is probably an iPad. To me one of the strongest Apple selling points is the fact that you can walk into an Apple store and have a real person help you figure out how to get your different Apple devices to follow your commands.

If you are a PC and Android phone user you will probably be happier with the openness of the Android Honeycomb platform. You won’t find Adobe Flash on an Apple iPad. Adobe Flash is on the Samsung Galaxy Tab and it enhances the streaming of video, the playing of games, the appearance of onscreen animation, and your general interaction with the device when you are running Android Marketplace or Samsung apps. Samsung indicates that there are 175 million compatible Adobe Flash games and video sites on the Internet and Samsung feels that their inclusion of Flash in their operating system will make your user experience much more pleasurable.

When all is said and done Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a hair lighter and also a hair thinner than the Apple iPad II. . Both machines have front and rear facing cameras. The Samsung has a flash for you to take pictures in poor lighting, the Apple regrettably doesn’t. Both machines have 1 GHZ dual-core processors and they both handle multi-tasking extremely well. Having spent a great deal of time testing both units my conclusion is you won’t be making a mistake whichever one you chose.