The New Ipad or a New Laptop or a New Laptop and Android Tablet

[TheBigBadWolf]

Hey all,

So I need a new computer, this laptop is getting old and we now only have one (fiancees is broken).

So the question is what do I get.

The new ipad (64gb wifi), say £600 with case etc

A new laptop, say one costing around £600

or as someone has suggested

A new laptop and android tablet total £600

Being able to play games on the laptop isnt a necesity, it would ne nice but im not too bothered.

Any suggestions welcome, I am looking to buy by the end of the week, as I finish early on fridays

[Torga_DW]

Myself i have i think a sony s android tablet (i think thats it). But really i just use it for surfing forums and listening to my mp3s while in bed. Maybe showing videos to people where i can't access youtube. But as to forums i just use it to read, typing on a touch screen is a pain in the ass compared to using a proper keyboard. Tablets are good at what they do, but they're no computer (desktop or laptop). I would give thought to what you would do with the tablet. I've looked for games for mine, but i can't see anything that i find really appealing (like hardcore rpgs).

I would probably look at getting a higher-end gaming laptop. Even if you don't plan to play games on it initially, at least you'll have the option down the track. Personally i find the higher end i build a computer, the longer it lasts and can run things (like games) before i need to replace/upgrade it. Unless you're just planning to surf the net on it, in which case you might go back to considering a tablet.

On the topic of ipad vs android, well i'm really not a fan of apple.

[blackcherry]

I would go for a laptop personally. Not quite as portable as the tablet, but you can do a whole lot more with it.

[Grimmeth]

I've used both the iPad (supported at work and testing) and an Asus eee Transformer (android tab) as well as various laptops.

The overall advice I can give is DON'T try to use a tablet as a laptop replacement, you'll be sorely disappointed. It simply isn't what they're meant to do.
From there you need to assess what you use your laptop for and what you'd like it to do. I much prefer Android tabs to IOS (I find IOS very limiting as I like to tinker) but I know a lot of people who disagree with that.

[Fanny Crowbar]

I had to make that decision only this week. I went for the iPad and I must say I'm more than happy with it. Like blackcherry says you can do more with a laptop, but it really depends on what you want to do with it.

[Bombot]

What do you actually want to do with the device? Do you have a lot of music, movies and /or photos to store? Do you need it for work, or do you have a work computer?

All the details are essential to understand before you can really decide. Outside of work, I use an iPad far, far more than a laptop, but you don't just take all your files off your computer and plonk them on your iPad.

[TheBigBadWolf]

I really just browse the internet and do the odd presentation or word document (I have a work laptop for doing actual work on )

I have been looking at getting a laptop as I am unsure about the restrictiveness of the ipad, currently looking at
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/toshib...20768-pdt.html

Question is what kind of games could I play on it, I know next to nothing about PC gaming, would it play the likes of starcraft or warcraft, stratagies and the like as anything else I would probs get on my 360 or PS3

[Wintermute]

You could try this from Sainsburys.

[Bombot]

Hmm, with a work computing available, and an XBox to put into your TV, you are potentially in iPad-only territory. As I say, I use my iPad way more than my actual laptop, but I do still have the laptop to fall back on.

I'll break it down like this:

- You probably don't need a 64Gb iPad. I have a lot of music, but it's stored on line through iTunes Match. I can get tunes as and when I need them. I have other friends who just pay for Spotify monthly and don't need to store any music anywhere.

- I have movies stored on a hard disc. Using a tablet to store these not an option (not enough space). If you don't have movies to store, this is not an issue. Rent them one at a time through your tablet, computer or XBox.

- Photos can be stored online (I use Sugarsync).

- Word documents can be stored online using something like Google Drive or Dropbox. I have one single personal Microsoft Office file now (an Excel file). Otherwise I find Google Docs are good enough. I can use Google Drive to store Microsoft Office documents still and edit them on my iPad. Occasionally they do come out looking like nonsense on the iPad though.

So consider the above. Happy to expand on details if you want. If you do want to go the laptop route, I did look at laptops not so long ago for my girlfriend, and thought Acers were decent machines. This one is similar in spec to the one Wintermute posted:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-a...48375-pdt.html

[Voss]

I really just browse the internet and do the odd presentation or word document (I have a work laptop for doing actual work on )

I have been looking at getting a laptop as I am unsure about the restrictiveness of the ipad, currently looking at
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/toshib...20768-pdt.html

Question is what kind of games could I play on it, I know next to nothing about PC gaming, would it play the likes of starcraft or warcraft, stratagies and the like as anything else I would probs get on my 360 or PS3

Honestly it sounds like you want a cheapish tech toy for the sake of having a tech toy (and I say that as someone with too many techtoys). Buy a reasonably priced modern tablet and call it a day.

Personally I picked up a kindle fire earlier this year. Completely replaced my laptop (which was good, as it fragged itself shortly thereafter) for idle internet usage. Still have my desktop (which also serves as tv and music center), so the laptop became essentially useless anyway.

[TheBigBadWolf]

So consider the above. Happy to expand on details if you want. If you do want to go the laptop route, I did look at laptops not so long ago for my girlfriend, and thought Acers were decent machines. This one is similar in spec to the one Wintermute posted:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-a...48375-pdt.html

Quite like the look of that one, similar to the one I posted but with a faster processor

[Bombot]

Assuming its like the last Acer I looked at, it has a decent (for a PC) touchpad with two finger scroll.

[sheppe]

If you haven't decided yet -

I love my iPad, it's everything a laptop is and you don't have to gie it a few minutes to turn it on if you suddenly want to google something.

I have the 64gb wifi only, and that holds roughly a thousand books and the 4 seasons of bsg, with space to go.
You won't be typing essays on it, but if you feel it necessary you could purchase te case with wireless keyboard.
You or your fiancé (congrats btw) could use it in the car on longer trips, and get a ca charger for it.
Be warned - it guzzles battery life and really to charge it fully you need to plug it in overnight and it's an obvious target for criminals if left in a stupidly obvious place.
You can pick it up with one hand and doesn't need chargers and mouses and a big case to carry.
It will be outdated in 12 months and unless your a technical savvy you can't upgrade it

Edit: option 3- buy the iPad through Argos on a buy now pay X months later, and get a laptop with the cash

[Bombot]

I don't understand the comment about the iPad having a poor battery life. It's better than any laptop or smartphone isn't it? I do find it slow to charge though.

[TheBigBadWolf]

Went for the toshiba the £100 cashback swayed it for me, and they didnt have any of the acer in stock