back to article Asus will bung 'Nexus 7 2' fondle-droids on Blighty's shelves this month

Asus has confirmed the UK release date of the new Nexus 7 tablet, or 7 2 as it has become known, the latest Android 4.3 fondleslab it makes for Google. The quad-core, full HD 7in slab will be available from 28 August in both 16GB and 32GB capacities at £199 and £239 respectively. Google Nexus 7 2 flanked by the Asus MeMo Pad …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

    It was bad enough before, with specs from 2011, but the mini is now REALLY dated and REALLY overpriced.

    1. Lusty
      Thumb Up

      Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

      Perhaps iPad users run things other than benchmarking software and as a result are blisfully unaware that their device is "slow". In fact, perhaps the iPad isn't slow at all, hence the lack of complaints of slowness from their users. Perhaps the obsession with benchmarking on Android has stemmed from a feeling of sluggishness on these devices?

      1. William 3 Bronze badge
        Thumb Down

        Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

        Yada Yada.

        No mention of the screen, just warbling on about benchmark.

        It's all about the screen baby.

        Don't forget that.

        Retina boy.

        1. ratfox

          Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

          The screen of the iPad mini is slightly bigger, but the higher resolution of the Nexus is the biggest difference here.

          Of course, the iPad mini is almost one year old, and the soon-to-come new one will undoubtedly have a retina screen (and cost a lot more, too).

          1. William 3 Bronze badge
            Thumb Down

            Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

            Sorry, I was under the impression that specs don't matter according to the previous post.

            Now they do, and to a product not even with a press release, just speculation.

          2. h3

            Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

            Pity the Nexus has the wrong aspect ratio.

            Arcade shooters all use 3:4 which works great with the ipad not so much with anything else.

            I own a fair few Android tablets but have come to the conclusion for the Apps I want they are better on the ipad so I will get one as soon as the controller support is fleshed out.

            16:9 is useless for anything other than video (Which I would never want to watch on a tablet).

            1. ThomH

              Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

              I own: an iPad 3 and a new Nexus 7.

              The 7's user experience still isn't quite as smooth as the iPad, for technical reasons that are fairly easy to understand: iOS has Core Animation, which handles 60fps user interface transitions in a separate thread with all the tricky main thread interaction stuff handled for you, and has essentially programmatic layout where writers need optimise for only three screen layouts. Android is declarative and people can't reasonably optimise for every device out there.

              If there's a reason the iPads feel more responsive then it's probably that, but it's a very shallow impression. If I actually do things like time how long it takes an application to launch, how long it takes a web page to appear, etc, then the Nexus wins — and it does so for half the price.

              1. Lusty

                Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

                "If I actually do things like time how long it takes an application to launch, how long it takes a web page to appear, etc, then the Nexus wins — and it does so for half the price."

                So what you're saying in effect is that the iPad seems faster and more pleasant to use and that Android only wins when you sit there timing it or running benchmarks to prove it actually is faster? I think I'll stick to the one that seems nicer in use :)

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

              > 16:9 is useless for anything other than video

              Then avoid the Windows tablets by all means since AFAIK that's their aspect ratio. Most Androids and indeed the Nexus 7 and 10 are 16:10 which is bearable, though I have to agree 4:3 or at least 3:2 like the Chromebook Pixel are preferable. But ever since Apple had me pay EUR 89 for a laptop charger when mine died I've gone elsewhere for my computing needs, so no iPad sale to be made over here.

            3. Mark .

              Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

              "Arcade shooters all use 3:4"

              Since when? Different games use different resolutions, and Android games will be more optimised for wider aspect ratios.

              Being a portable video player is surely when of a few things a tablet does well. Whilst having higher depth can be useful for productivity, it's not like a keyboard-less device will do that well anyway.

              And there are 4:3 Android tablets, anyway, as well as lots of other ratios - that's the good thing about Android, you have the choice, unlike Apple. Even if you went for a costly low-spec ipad mini because it had the aspect ratio you liked, what if the next version isn't 4:3 (Apple has changed the aspect ratio of their devices, e.g., iphones)? You'd be stuffed, and have to switch platform when you want to buy a new device. With Android, you can keep buying whichever aspect ratio you want.

        2. `TSeng
          Facepalm

          Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

          I hear pretty much zero negativity from iPad Mini owners, yet the Nexus 7 (2013) has complaints about Wifi, GPS, the dreaded RAM issue and device freezing already...

          Yada Yada.

      2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

        Perhaps iPad users run things other than benchmarking software and as a result are blisfully unaware that their device is "slow".

        I don't believe anyone has accused the iPad, mini or otherwise, of being slow. They're not. Well my iPad 1 never recovered from the update to iOS 5, which slowed it to a crawl sometimes...

        Anyway, the problem with the iPad Mini is that it's got a pretty low resolution screen by modern standards. Lower res than the much smaller iPhone. And it's very expensive in comparison to Android tablets at nearly half the price, which have better screens (the most important bit of any tablet).

        Personally I'm starting to think disloyal thoughts. I'm not planning to upgrade my iPad 3 this year, maybe I'll get tempted next. But I'm rather tempted by a Samsung Galaxy Note of some description. Sadly they seem to be marketing them as premium - and matching iPad prices. But I think the pen is mightier than the (bluetooth) keyboard. I find handwriting recognition is so much nicer than an onscreen keyboad.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

          "Anyway, the problem with the iPad Mini..."

          Weird how they've sold an absolute boat load of them then. Perhaps consumers want what the iPad mini has and couldn't give a shit what a bunch of geeks on a website think?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

            The problem is that there is no way of doing a product comparison that does not take marketing spend, market presence and other externalities into account. Ford sell a lot of Fiestas. Would they sell so many if they had a different badge?

            What is needed is human factor benchmarks, but they are pretty hard to design because people are so influenced by familiarity and peer pressure.

          2. Mark .

            Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

            Ah yes, it's the appeal to popularity fallacy. I don't know about you, but when I buy, I care what I want, not want a bunch of Apple fans want.

            I guess we're agreed that Android phones (and Symbian before that) are much better than iphones, and Windows PCs are much better than Macs, by your logic? Oh, and Android tablets are now outselling ios ones - the ipad mini just has the advantage that there's just one device of that size, whilst there are hundreds of Android tablets.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

        Who mentioned benchmarks? Yes, the iPad Mini is rather rubbish in that front, but the abysmal screen, lack of GPS and other sensors are what really let it down. (aside from the obvious walled garden problem).

      4. Mark .

        Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

        If you don't care about specs, and are happy with low resolution, 512MB RAM etc, that's fine - but you can get that with a budget £100 Android tablet. But why not get the Nexus 7 - you get something better, and you save around £60 (or £100 for the 2012 version). But, the moment Apple bring out something that beats other devices on some contrived spec, you'll be first in line claiming how it's the most important thing ever (e.g., "PPI! PPI!" for 2010).

        Sluggishnesh? I don't have any problems on my 18 month old Galaxy Nexus - but even that has better specs that than much larger and newer ipad mini.

    2. LarsG
      Meh

      Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

      Yes and maybe the next ipad mini will make the Nexus look dated. The longest race in the world and the lead changes day by day, the end is not even in sight.

      As to bench marks, they ALL cheat. The bottom line is this,

      does your tablet work smoothly?

      does your tablet freeze?

      does your tablet require regular re-booting?

      does your tablet require an anti-virus program?

      does the anti-virus slow it down?

      does it take ages to get hold of the newest operating system?

      does the manufacturer withdraw support for older models?

      If you answer YES to the majority of the questions you know what you need to buy to end your frustration.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

        "If you answer YES to the majority of the questions you know what you need to buy to end your frustration."

        Surface RT?

        1. DJV Silver badge
          Meh

          @AC 03:14

          You forgot the sarcasm tags...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: @AC 03:14

            No he didn't

        2. simon gardener

          Re: Specs make the iPad Mini look REALLY crap.

          Yes, quickly now, before the rush !

  2. Buzzword

    LTE / 4G

    What about the LTE / 4G version?

    1. WonkoTheSane

      Re: LTE / 4G

      Apparently going to cost £299

  3. h3

    Android doing what it does with the controls is stupid. (Nothing should ever cater to sloppy devs).

    The way it works on my Xoom means you cannot connect to something at 1280x768 even. (On a 1280x800 screen).

    3rd parties manage it to a point using the power button to turn it on and off but they don't fix the way the OS reports the resolution so it is of no benefit.

    1. M Gale

      I'm not sure quite what you're on about? I have a TF201 with a 1280x800 screen. I have no problem connecting to an MS terminal server and running the Remote RDP app at 1280x768, ditto the Splashtop HD/Gamepad THD streaming server at 1280x720.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Weird how phones keep growing and adding more features yet tablets tend to stay in a variety of sizes with much the same sort of features.

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