Worth buying an iPad 1, Archos 10.1 or Galaxy Tab right now?

Pyongyang

Sure, you could say technically these devices are out of date but the prices are pretty unbeatable right now, especially a refurb iPad 1 at just 340 euro from Apple.

I know the Archos lacks pace on the RAM and CPU front compared to the Advent Vega and as much as I try to convince myself that the Vega is a good buy, under the hood it's fantastic, the dealbreaker is the catastrophically rubbish display. Compared to the iPad it's a no-brainer on the display comparisons.

I like the Archos mainly due to price and that I prefer the Android OS. What I don't like is that you have to pay for extra codecs and the tailored OS is somewhat limited.

The Galaxy Tab can be had for 299 GBP but will soon be superseeded by the 8.9 and 10.1 but I would wager the prices will be astronomical especially given the markers set by the Xoom and the Playbook. It's a lovely tablet, no denying it, but is it worth buying now so close to release (well, June apparently). At which point in another 6 months or so the iPad 3 will be close to release or have been announced meaning it's probably the better time for iPad 1 owners to properly upgrade.

I don't need a camera, I have an HTC Desire with a perfectly good camera for quick snaps on the go and Twitter uploads. For proper shots I have a Nikon D3100. I've a Probook 6555b for mobile computing/video conferencing and a LifeCam HD web cam. So in essence, a built in camera means nothing to me either way on a tablet.

I know all of the above sounds like modern living and the endless catch up game we play with gadgets today. No sooner do we buy a new gadget than the next snazzier version is just about ready for release.

I guess what I'm trying to boil this down to is whether it's worth sticking with a proven tablet device for now while the market itself settles down over the next year. The original, the iPad 1.

All I really want from a tablet device is:

• Something I can sit on the sofa with and surf the Internet at home
• Flick through PDF's and office docs (can you install MS Office on it just like a Macbook?
• Read comics, gnovels and technical text books on it (I have a Kindle 2 from the USA but hate that all of these look poor on it. I'll continue to read normal texts on my Kindle however)
• Something to watch TV shows, YouTube and educational DVD's on the train (CBT Nuggets videos etc)
• I don't care that an iPad is 16gb as I wouldn't buy a larger SD card for another flashable tab anyway
• A tablet I can tether to my HTC Desire (and any future Android phone I buy) and have my HTC Desire set up as a WiFi hotspot just for me. Can the iPad do this?
• The ability to cloud print to my HP Photosmart Plus printer. My printer apparently has an iPad app available for it. No Android App, only Snapfish.

Any thoughts and advice? Is it worth taking the plunge in to Apple's walled garden? I must confess it would be a big step for me as I'm not an Apple hipster and furiously support Open Source but at the current price for an iPad 1 refurb from Apple it's proving very hard to dismiss.

scwazrh

Just like yourself I was recently trying to decide what gadget to choose next.I initially said I'm going to treat myself and get the 64gb Ipad 2.
But when it got to this week and the time of handing out some 680 euro on a gadget that I know myself is something I want , not I need I started to reconsider.

My first decision to make was which tablet ? For me this is easy as I always sway towards Apple , so my choice was the ipad , but the price ????So after weighing up the pros & cons of Ipad 1 vs 2 I decided that I can live without a camera on it and seen as I have not had an ipad before the ipad 1 seems very fast and extremely thin & light to me anyway but I would need the 64gb. I checked apple and still thought the €580 was too much to spend on a " toy". After searching adverts.ie for a while I found a "used 64gb" for €420 which I bought.

My ipad looks brand new , not a mark on it.It does everything from a software point of view that the ipad 2 does plus it cost a reasonable amount not an excessive amount.It will do everything that you have said you need from a tablet and if you only want 16gb , you'll find a second hand one for about €300 http://www.adverts.ie/mac/ipad-16g-wifi/517554

So my advice is go for an Ipad 1 and if you can do without the " box fresh" , save yourself another €50 - 60 and buy 2nd hand.

Eoin

I have a few Apple devices, but they're not my default choice. I was completely open to buying a device from another manufacturer.

I played around with the Archos 101 tablet and the iPad 1 within a day of each other. I thought the iPad was far nicer to use, and the "closed shop" attitude of Apple doesn't really bother me much. I also tried out some cheaper models with smaller screens, but they didn't really do much for me. I don't need a really portable tablet, so having a 7" screen just seemed like a waste. I found the resistive touch screen devices awful to use.

The Samsung looks great, but is out of my price range - I actually think the iPad is actually priced quite reasonably, compared to other Apple products.

I ended up getting a base iPad 1 from adverts.ie for an OK price. Not a bargain, but compared to the other devices in the same price range, I thought it was pretty good value.

I think it should do much of what you're looking for:

Something I can sit on the sofa with and surf the Internet at home
Yep - although typing a long post like your one would be a drag.

Flick through PDF's and office docs (can you install MS Office on it just like a Macbook?

PDFs definitely - I think MS are still on the fence. There are productivity apps out there, but not sure if they can open office docs.

Read comics, gnovels and technical text books on it (I have a Kindle 2 from the USA but hate that all of these look poor on it. I'll continue to read normal texts on my Kindle however)

Comics look great. I'm not really into them, but just downloaded a couple to see what they look like. I also have an eReader, and definitely won't be giving it up.

Something to watch TV shows, YouTube and educational DVD's on the train (CBT Nuggets videos etc)

I downloaded a free app which converts AVI files to MP4 which works great, but I understand that there are lots of apps which can render AVI files without conversion.

I don't care that an iPad is 16gb as I wouldn't buy a larger SD card for another flashable tab anyway

I'm the same, though the low cost of SD cards does make upgrading another device pretty simple and affordable.

A tablet I can tether to my HTC Desire (and any future Android phone I buy) and have my HTC Desire set up as a WiFi hotspot just for me. Can the iPad do this?

Lots of people do this using iPhones as it is. I presume it's the software on the phone that determines if this can be done or not - the iPad should just think it's a normal WiFi router?

The ability to cloud print to my HP Photosmart Plus printer. My printer apparently has an iPad app available for it. No Android App, only Snapfish.

No idea!

I must confess it would be a big step for me as I'm not an Apple hipster

This is probably where the whole "Apple lifestyle" marketing crap works against them. You don't have to buy into all that nonsense. Just recognise what the limitations are, and if the device still ticks the boxes, then go for it.

Captain Commie

funny enough, just last week I had decided that I deffo wanted to get myself a tablet and was torn between the iPad1 and the Galaxy Tab.

In the end I got a good deal on adverts.ie for a Galaxy Tab and havent looked back.

I'm not one that goes for the latest and greatest, I prefer my products to have a proven track record rather than getting something which is likely riddled with bugs that the dev's have not go round to fixing before release.

Ive been using the tab since tuesday of last week and am in love with it, goes nearly everywhere with me, have yet to use the camera on it as I dont tend to go for mobile photography (have a Canon 1000D for that), but the screen is simply amazing, very clear and great graphics on it.

Pyongyang

Thanks for the input everyone, much obliged.

On Saturday night I actually ended up buying a refurbished Apple iPad 16GB WiFi from the Apple Store online for a bargain 339 Euro inc. shipping.

I did a bit of prior research in to just what an Apple refurbished product constitutes and you might as well call it a 99% new item. The fact it comes completely repackaged, in a whole new shell, cleaned inside and out, tested and ships with a brand new 1 year warranty (which will handily lead up to the iPad 3 by buying it now and going according to Apple's hardware refresh timeline) just tips the balance really.

Additionally I see it as a proven product. It's a year old, but in reality, now hipsters have had time to cool their heels over the iPad 2 and the die hards have had time to play with it, the reports buzzing around the web actually seem to be advising consumers that the iPad 2 is not an essential upgrade for iPad 1 owners. That just sent the swingometer even further in the iPad purchase direction for me!

The market really is in it's infancy though and I think sticking with the proven option, at least for now, is the right thing to do. No matter what some dancing silhouette-shaped, iPod earbud wearing, rose-tinted, tie-dyed, bongo playing hipster thinks or otherwise!

It does hurt a little. Not so much being buyers remorse, more that I caved in to everything I believe in regarding Open Source and DRM. The real fact of the matter is though, when the boxes really are all ticked and you can swallow even a little of your pride, you really need to just go ahead and get on with whatever it is and do it. Thus with this in mind I made the decision to buy an iPad 1. I'm just going to have to put up with a ribbing from friends for the next year or so for caving in!

Finally, let me put it to you this way. For 299 Euro you can get an Advent Vega which admittedly is great under the hood, but the screen is like watching Linda Martin's neck skin dance when she talks on You're A Spa.

For 40 Euro more you could buy a refurbished (basically brand new) iPad 1.

What would you choose?

EDIT: In fact, here is an unboxing of a refurbished iPad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWtBGIaXhk8