iSuppli went and did the math: how does Apple get away with using half as much memory in its iPads compared to the competition yet still manage to just mop the floor with Samsung, Motorola and RIM in performance?
The secret sauce? The fact that Apple designs both the hardware and the software.
iSuppli believes that even though the iPad has only 256MB of RAM and the iPad 2 only has 512MB of RAM, both tablets keep up because they are more efficient. iOS is designed from the ground up for the iPad’s specific hardware configuration in mind, while other operating systems, like Android, need to be hacked by manufacturers to fully take advantage of their tablets’ beefier hardware.
If iSuppli’s take on this is right, tablets running Android might never be as efficient and fast as an equally specced iPad, and the only real hope for the competition catching up with Apple’s performance is from the companies who design both their own hardware and software: HP and — heh — RIM.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
55 responses to “How Does The iPad 2 Do Twice As Much As Other Tablets With Half The Hardware?”
And all of those Microsoft fan-boys have been complaining for years about the very thing that makes this iPad (and all apple products) tops!
-Chris
http://friendsofmac.net
Because the iPad 2 is magical.
Hell, the iPad 1 is still pretty competitive against the other tablets.
This has long been a concept in Apple products, although the iOS line really ramps it up. There’s really no way that other companies can compete in this way. Apple has been doing vertical integration for years, and for most (yes, even RIM and HP) it’s a fairly new concept.
Since Google makes Android and hardware like the G2, it makes sense that they could do the same as Apple does
Um, I don’t know how accurate that list is. Last I checked the 7 inch Galaxy tab /NEVER/ cost $750.
“Motorola Xoom ONLY comes in 32GB which retails for $799.”Um, Motorola Xoom 32GB costs $500.
“We’ve normalized capacity for propose of this comparative exercise”
you do realize that EVERYBODY you listed makes a 32GB version?I’m sorry, that list of tablets is absolute crap.
#1 make sure you have the prices correctly
#2 compare equivalent tablet. (everybody makes a 32GB tablet, so why not compare that?)
#3 compare tablets that are released similar. Why is the old samsung Tab on there and not the new 10.1 inch version?
This is well known by proper hardware engineers that if you design the hardware then write the code the, it will absolutely fly. This why the old 486 CPUs are still widely used for embedded systems although you wouldn’t dream of putting one in your computer.
It’s also important to remember that Apple didn’t put anything in iOS that they didn’t need.
Android is designed to be a fuller OS on many different hardware platforms.
Check out this great Apple blog for all the latest Apple news!
http://applefanboynews.com/
Apple has developed some great tricks over the years. Going back to the first Macintosh, Apple had built-in optimized routines that every developer could use. Apple has perfected the art of only loading the parts of a program that have to be in memory, and now has come up with a great transparent way of moving suspended apps out of RAM. Apple owns its operating system and has now ported it to three different archictures (iOS is OS X at its core). And finally, Apple is now building its own CPUs designed specifically for its iOS devices. Couple that with the advantages Apple has being the world’s leading user of flash memory, and it’s no surprise that other tablets are unable to create a price advantage without going with really low-end specs.
Check out this awesome and relevant site as well: http://goo.gl/IMRDL
1. What do prices have to do with performance? (they aren’t talking about cost here. They are simply stating how the iPad completely mops the floor over the crap copycats that the android sheep only buy because its ‘not apple’)
2. Equivalent is relative.. It’s like comparing a 92′ Ford Taurus to a brand new Mercedes because they both have a V6 engine.. Again, like the android/microsoft herd of sheep out there, you still seem to think its the HARDWARE that makes the difference.. My god. How obtuse and clueless can you be?
3. Because even though the new one is better than the old, an upgraded piece of shit is still a piece of shit.. Not because of the hardware, but at the end of the day, because its RUNNING THE ANDROID TABLET OPERATING SYSTEM.
We clear? Good. Let’s try to follow along next time and not throw a frenzy because someone is statistically confirming through DATA that even though you THINK you’re iPad knockoff is better…… You wont accept its a lesser product with 1/8 the time frame of R&D into it, with a company whose products NEVER leave the ‘beta’ stage.
Thanks.
I just paid $22.87 for an iPad 2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/aRG4
Sounds like Steve Wozniac had a hand in making the iPad 2 :D
Check out this great apple blog for up to date news on everything apple.
Including the iPhone 5!
http://applefanboynews.com/
Did we read the same story?
1) I didn’t see prices mentioned
2) they were speaking about MEMORY, not storage.
3)They compared all tablets, the iPad and it’s competitors that were released a year later, and the iPad2 (also released a year later)
Please read the story, it saves everybody a lot of time
If you do not have correct information (correct pricing) how do we know that what you are taking about is correct in the first place? It raises a red flag. Where they just sloppy, didn’t care or did they have wrong information? The thing is, why should I even bother reading this or looking at this in the first place if they got a simple thing wrong? If they got a simple thing wrong, how do I know that they didn’t screw up the whole thing? No matter how tiny or big your mistake is, you want to make sure that you don’t have a mistakes in it, because if you have a simple mistake, how do we not know that they are larger mistakes in there?
Equivalent is relative. So question is, why are they comparing Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and Not the newest Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? They have the iPad 1 and iPad 2. why not the Galaxy Tab 7 and Tab 10.1? Look above, they have 3 iPads listed. No other tablet besides the iPad is listed more than once. They have the new iPad, they have the old iPad. but only the old Tab and not the newest?My dear friend, HARDWARE matters. Don’t have the hardware, won’t get the experience. Except all apple fanbois don’t get that. Why? because if Stevie told them that hardware matters, well, nobody would by apple devices in the first place. ;oP
3. Have you even played with a android tablet OS? Guess not. Its funny, all the apple fanbois (and girls) I know REFUSE to even touch or look at an android device. So how can you even tell if its good or not? I’m pretty openminded and play around with all the OSes. webOS, android, iOS, and even Blackberry’s tablet OS. is android tablet OS piece of shit? Well, if its a piece of shit, iOS is a piece of shit as well. I have played around with it, and its (easily) as good as iOS.
I’m sorry to tell you, I don’t think that my iPad knockoff is better. I know for a FACT its better. Why? because I looked at all and researched and found whats the best. ;oPPPPPP
But good hardware on an inefficient OS negates the good hardware piece. Yes.. The new Samsung tablet is solid hardware. The ASUS is actually pretty decent hardware. But at the end of the day, when developers are SLOW to write quality apps, customer satisfaction is actually substantially LOWER than iOS devices (Android user retention is roughly 40% to iOS’s 96-97%), and the failure percentage of the Android based devices is SUBSTANTIALLY higher….. Every single reviewer says the same thing: “it still cant touch the iPad”…. And this comes from people who on average knock Apple products. SO.. If you are doing online research, you are completely incorrect. I have read probably 50-60 reviews by EVERYONE on every single one of the products.. I have yet to READ ONE where they vehemently stated the other products are better..
At the end of the day, I have played with EVERY SINGLE TABLET. It took them 15 to get TWO that even remotely started to approach what iPad 1 gave as far as usability. But the fragmandroid OS is confusing to the AVERAGE CONSUMER. Thats who buys 90% of products.
And again, you are missing the point: the experience doesn’t come from the hardware, the actual user interaction occurs at the software level. You can slap a nice piece of hardware together, thats just mechanics.. Its the part where the user CONNECTS with the device.
Hype gets you one month of sales.. I work in an environment where we sell all the products. I have to know them all. And the hype is already waning on the Android/WebOS products (lets face it… I had high hopes for the Blackberry tablet and it was an epic failure by RIM). Android tablet sales are already tapering off.. And returns are happening.. And the iPad continues to skyrocket at an ALARMING rate..
Reality:
Battery: ipad
speed: ipad
apps: not even funny.. iPad went from 50 to 105,000 in 1 year. Android went from 0 to 230 in 11 months.. The developers write for where they get paid and where THEIR INVENTION works best..
user satistfaction: ipad
it goes on and on..
Give me 3 reasons why the Android is better, and Ill maybe consider your argument, but all youve done is flamed and said its better with zero reasons why.. And one quick thing to note:
You can’t use “it plays flash”. If you actually do research, you would know about the 3 major industries that account for 85% of flash video on the net that are phasing to HTML5 in the next 6-12 months.. Flash is on the way out, and Adobe and even Google have created ways to easily port to HTML5.. Adobe already conceded.. And enjoy your flash.. And your viruses. And your lame battery life due to it. Flash was brilliant in its day, but its a 20 year old technology.. And Adobe needs to realize they are a revolutionary company that is picking the wrong soapbox to stand on. Innovate.. Dont be stagnant.
What will the android fanboys have to argue about when flash is obscure and nonexistant??
remember back in the day during the iPad 1 launch EVERYONE was moaning about apple using the same iPhone os on iPad well look at the iPad success now! ppl want simplicity and ease of use Apple understands that
hmm is this real , can anyone confirm that this website is legit
Absolutely legit — that’s why you see them posting a comment in pretty much every Wired article. It’s where *all* the legit companies advertise.
It’s a true testament to the ease of modern computers’ use that someone as close to braindead as you must be can find their way here and post a comment.
“Last I checked the 7 inch Galaxy tab /NEVER/ cost $750. ‘Motorola Xoom ONLY comes in 32GB which retails for $799.’ Um, Motorola Xoom 32GB costs $500.”
It helps if you actually check the specs in the chart — both of those are correct prices for the 3G versions.
This comparison is very true yet I still love the iPad compared with the other tablets that are coming out in the market these days. I find the iPad efficient, useful, entertaining and helpful. There is an offer that you can participate on, all you have to do is sign-up with your e-mail and you might get a chance to have a free iPad 2 with smart cover, http://freegadgetsonline.net/f….
Why is it that when they do comparisons and such, if there is false information, completely wrong information or misleading information it ALWAYS plays in Apple’s favor? This is not one article, but at least with 100’s of articles. At first I thought, there must be a mistake, but after 100’s no, its not. What they are doing is spinning it in Apple’s favor. Two reasons why. #1, Apple articles will get the hits and #2, most (if not all) of the people doing these reviews and such are Mac users. The question that arises is, are Apple products so bad, they have to life, mislead or give wrong information to make it seem that its the better if not best device out there? Because it sure seems so! I have played with enough electronics and researched enough to find out that if you toss out the “OMG!!!!!! IT’S AN APPLE PRODUCT!!!!! ITS THE BEST!!!!” out, these other products are (easily) as good if not better. Yes, easily as good if not better. Once you get pass the flash and bang the apple product has its no better than these other products. The thing is, throw out what the media says, because a HUGE percentage is bias to Apple. It’s bluntly amazing. Apple product comes out, they have the review/comparison out within 24 hours, non-apple product? Be lucky to have one come out within a month for a majority of things.
The media LOVES Apple, if you can’t tell already. They aren’t interested in anything else, if it’s Apple, they are right on it. And those two things I listed above are huge reasons why.
The reasons why non-iPads are not doing so well (well in reality they are doing very well, but not to the numbers like the iPad is doing) is Media. Everybody knows that there is an iPad, but these other tablets? not so much. Why? Media is always harping and telling the people that its the best, its the best, its an iPad. the average person does not research and find out whats the best out there. Don’t think that is true? Why are some of these stupidest things popular then? They want to have their iPhone/iPad/Apple device because they want the “popular” device to feel hip, fit in and such. Thats why. Is it a better product? No. Is is more popular, hip, cool to have? defiantly yes. Why? because the Media is presenting it that way. Apple products are the best and you don’t want anything else. Apple products are indeed great, but not to the point where the Media presents it. For about every single Apple product out there, you can find many other products that are as good, and you can find some that are better.
It’s ironic, how you’re touting Apps, Apps, Apps. That’s important! That’s hugely important! Well, if the amount of apps is so important, maybe we should buy Windows powered machines, since there is a lot more software (apps) for Windows powered machines than Mac powered machines. Windows machines have much more apps, so that means their better right? ;oP
battery life? well, depends on how you use the device. Its really interesting seeing how one reviewer gets a 10+ hour battery life and then another gets sub 5 hours battery life on the exact same tablet. Its really amusing. But, it all depends on how you use it. Plus it dosen’t hurt if your tablet is limited on doing stuff. Doing less stuff will (always) use less power. ;oP
speed? it’s the same. Android tablets are as fast. Maybe iPads are (slightly) faster loading webpages, but thats because with Android tablets, they download the full website unlike the iPad. If you’re downloading the full website, of course its going to take longer, since its lager, but in many cases the time difference is so minimal, nobody will notice the difference, unless 0.1 of a second is really important to you.
Give you three reasons why Android is better? Maybe you need to start researching Android my dear friend. ;oP
Gosh, where to start, soo many things. Soo many things.
actually, I think I will narrow it down to two things.Choice and Freedom.It literally comes down to those two things. You have Choice and Freedom.
Thats really sums of why Android is better.You have choice. You have choice.
Want to run flash? Your choice.
Want to download applications that are not in the Android market? Lets say from Amazon App store or another? You have that choice.
Do you want to spice up your device and customize it? Your choice. The sky is the limit.
Want to drag and drop files? Yes, plug your device into your computer and click on that file of music and drag it to your device. It’s as easy and simple as that. Your choice. Don’t want to drag and drop, your choice, there are soo many options out there.
iOS? Well, you’re going to do it one way, The way apple approves of. you can ONLY do what Apple approves you of doing.
Android? The sky is the limit. Google dosen’t care at all what you are doing.
Choice and Freedom. That basically sums up all the advantages into two things.
well, you may say! thats not an advantage! that is disadvantage!Is it? To an extent it’s a disadvantage, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Its actually quite hilarious to see the iPhone users and iPad users around me. I swear, they are dropping like flies. They are dropping their iPhones and iPads for Android powered devices. To tell you the truth, the Retention rate of the Android powered devices around me? almost a solid 100% Retention rate of the iPhone? about 25%, if that. Basically the people who are sticking to their iDevices (or actually Apple devices) are the die-hard apple fanbois and girls. (who will buy ONLY apple products) and the people who don’t know whats the best phone out there. Everybody else, I swear, researched or started researching to find out whats the best device out there.
The media LOVES to blow things out of portion. They just LOVE two. All these so-called HUGE android problems? I have yet to hear one android user complain about it. I remember hearing a while back that Android was doomed! there was a malware outbreak! the Media went on and on and on about. I and others were like, WTF is going on? What malware? We we started to research and found out that the MOST this malware could effect was 0.01% of ALL Android users. Yes, 0.01% of ALL Android users. The media was making a huge deal about and making it appear that ALL android users could be effect. The most amount of Android users that could be effected? Yes, 0.01%. That tells you something right there.I am (absolutely) astounded of these so called Android problems. I swear, those “android problems” must be put out by Apple users or something because NONE of the Android users I know EVER mentioned them.
1. Flash is crap. I have yet to hear one single Android users complain that flash is crap. I have heard majority of them saying, how well it works. They are amazed how well it works on a mobile device. Actually? 30% of iPhone users I know COMPLAIN about flash. Not that its crap, but how they want to have it. They are sick and tired of running to “sorry, no flash” signs, while their Android counterparts go right through.
2. Fragmentation. Oh, a biggie. Same as above, I have yet to hear a single android users complain about Fragmentation. Actually its the iPhone users who complain. “I can’t download the latest update, I can’t run this app.” etc….
3. Battery life. Its amazing, apparently Android devices have HORRIBLE battery life. Interesting, almost 80% of the ones I know, say the complete oposite. They are amazed at the battery life of Android devices, how long it lasts! the other 20%? they say average battery life. actually, I have heard several iPhone users wishing that they had replaceable batteries since they ran out of juice on numerous occasions, and if their android counterparts ran out of juice they just put a new battery in while they looked stupidly around, trying to figure out what to do.
4. Lack of applications? I have yet to hear an android user complain. on numerous accounts they raved on the quality of applications and the amount of applications there are.
5. Build quality/ durability of phones? I have yet to hear an android user complain that its not up to par to an iPhone. Matter of fact its the iPhone users (especially the iPhone 4 users) who are complaining. Not about the Build quality, but durability, I cannot tell you how many iPhone 4 users I know who end up going to an Apple store to get their iPhone 4 replaced because they dropped the phone and their phone shattered. I swear all the iPhone users I know have heavy duty cases on their phones, especially the iPhone 4 users. Android users? I know maybe of /two/ who have cases on their phones, all the rest? Don’t. Why? They said they don’t need a case, since they don’t need to worry about their phone shattering into a thousand pieces if it gets dropped.
And I could go on.I have talked with people around the world and they have seen/heard the same thing. Apple products are popular and fly off the shelves. But when people start to research and not go off by what the media says, Apple products don’t fly off the shelves. In many cases people find a much better device and go with it. Thats the #1 thing I see and they see is that the absolute #1 reason why other devices are not selling anywhere close to the amount Apple products are, is because they have no clue that it exists in the first place. I have seen and they have seen countless of iPhone/iPad users who wished they done research in the first place because they found a device they really wanted by just some light research. They absolutely had no idea that it existed until they found. That is probably the #1 reason why these other things are not selling as well. #1 people have no idea that they exist in the first place and #2 they have no idea what it is or capable of. We (the people I talk with around the world and I) all agree that Apple products are great products. They are. But they are tons of products that are AS GOOD as Apple products, and when people come to us for help, that is what we stress. Apple products are great/amazing, but there are tons of products that are great out there. We all agree that once people know that there are other devices out there Apples popularity will drop like a rock. Apple will still be popular, but no where close to the popularity it was. There was a survey that was done that said that like 66% of people wanted an iPhone for there next phone. Is that accurate? Well, to tell you the truth, we would all be surprised if even half of that 66% will end up getting an iPhone. Why? Because its clear that those people have no idea whats in the horizon. They have no clue what android devices are coming, what window powered devices, webOS or even blackberry devices are coming. All they know is the iPhone 5 is coming and thats it. Its obvious, if that many people want one particular phone, its not because its the best out there, but because they have no idea what /WILL/ be out there. And once these other phones start rolling out, it will drop like a rock, especially once these high-end, flagship phones begin to hit U.S. soil or start to sell. Oh, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 will defiantly be popular, but nowhere popular that people are lead to believe. Apple may have began it, but tons of companies have caught up with them, and several will start to surpass. Apple makes great devices, but you have tons of devices out there that are as good. The thing is, you might need to do some research to find them, but once you do, you will start stumbling across them.
Well, will you believe this? Most likely not. People like to see what they agree with and tend to throw out the stuff they don’t agree with no matter how much facts back it up. So it really dosen’t matter what I said is completely true, or completely B.S. And there is no possible way to prove that comments like this our yours are completely true or completely false.
Articles, studies, surveys like above? How do we know if they are true or complete B.S.? Oh! the article could be 100% true. Their may not be any lies at all, but could be complete B.S. how? it dosen’t tell the whole store.”I am tall.” is that true? Yes, I am indeed tall. is it B.S.? well lets look at the Whole story.”I am tall. I am tall compared to 4 ft person.” Oh, first thing I was not lying at all. I was telling the truth, but not all the truth.
A survey is huge. its more than just number. how many people did the interview? what is the make up of the group? what is the knowledge of the group? How are the questions asked? what are the questions? etc…
I could write a 1000 page book that is completely true. there is NOT a single wrong, false thing in there. But it could be complete B.S. why? Because I could have picked everything that proves my point and tossed all the facts that proved my point false.
I probably have confused everyone now. ;oP
But the point is:
#1 people tend to believe stuff they agree. It dosen’t matter if its complete B.S. or completely true. Because if you don’t agree with it, you probably won’t believe it.
#2 How do we know if the article is true or complete B.S.? or same with a survey or study? It can be completely true but complete B.S. at the same time. Because you can take stuff you only agree with and toss all the other stuff out and say, I researched this! Everything is true! Well that is true, but you were selective. You’re only presenting one side of the story not the whole story.
We absolutely don’t know. It can be done very scientifically and be hugely biased. And nobody knows for certain until they do it themselves and/or look at all the information.
Well sir (or madam) you have a nice day. -sent from my Motorola Xoom running iOS 4.3.3 ;oP
HA. I got MY iPad for free. Check it out: http://goo.gl/nL07I
Wow. I had to take a break mid-scroll for lunch. Next time keep it concise – that’s just too much to read.
The other tablets also run Flash too.
Steve talked about exactly this in the “Apple Special Event, March 2011”. Fast Forward to 1:09:06
Hardly mops the floor. The Asus tablet is $100 cheaper, and has a docking keyboard that doubles as an extra battery, 2 USB ports to plug your devices into… And so many more things… Sure seems to me like Asus is the one doing the mopping.
iPad owners = PADophyles :-))
Great riposte. Made my day, and my blog. http://crocodilejock.posterous…