Is there a single key to Android tablets' future success? It's a question many of us have been asking lately. We're not unfamiliar with the contenders: Here at PCMag we've spent a fair amount of time with the Apple iPad (this author owns one) and an increasing amount of time with a variety of shipping and pre-production Android-based tablets (the Samsung Galaxy Tab is a frequent guest here and we saw numerous devices at CES 2011). What we've seen, thus far, offers few concrete answers.
Android tablets run a variety of OS flavors: we've seen Froyo (Android 2.2), and a handful with Gingerbread (Android 2.3) on board. Honeycomb, the 3.0 version of the OS, which features a redesigned, tablet-friendly interface, is months away. While the Apple iPad continues to dominate the tablet landscape, some here believe that Android can't make serious inroads in the tablet space—and take a bit of that Apple iPad pie—without this new OS. Interestingly, developers feel otherwise.
In an IDC survey of over 1,500 developers, price was listed as the most important factor in Android tablets' future success. Honeycomb came in at a distant fourth. Also noted as highly important to Android's triumph was "defragmentation" of the platform. As we often note in our Android tablet and mobile-phone reviews, there's rarely consistency in which version of Android that OEMs will choose, and upgrade cycles are spotty at best. On the other hand, how many consumers notice whether their handset has Android 2.0, 2.2, or 2.3?
Instead of relying on the opinions of developers or our guesses at what consumers think, we decided to ask them. Below and through this link is a survey that asks many of the same questions the IDC put to developers. However this time we're opening it up to all of you—those who may be in the market for one of the many Android tablets heading to market this Winter and Spring.
Understanding the Poll
We want to understand what you think will make Android tablets more attractive as a consumer purchase option.
Better Hardware: As Apple has proven, design and creature comforts matter. Things like the wrong case or too many buttons can be a turnoff.
Honeycomb OS: Android 3.0 will not only work better on tablets, some say it's designed exclusively for slate-style devices.
New Apps: The iPad has access to over 300,000 apps, of which more than 60,000 are designed specifically for the iPad. Android has only a handful of tablet-designed applications.
New App Stores: It seems like every company that builds an Android Tablet makes its own App Store. Is this variety what consumers want?
OEM Platform Adoption: Exactly one company makes iPads, but the number of Android tablet manufacturers grows by the day. Is this a sign of success? Does it make Android tablets more attractive?
Minimized Fragmentation: When Apple upgrades its iOS mobile platform, virtually every product running it gets the update at almost the same time. No one is rolling out a different iPad with a different version of the OS. Android devices often arrive with older versions of the OS, or they're slow to upgrade. If all Android tablets upgrade in lockstep, will that make the difference between success and failure?
Price: Some think the iPad, which ranges in price from $499 to $829 (depending on storage and connectivity options) is too expensive. We've seen Android tablets for as little as $199. Is anyone buying them? Does price matter that much, or are the other factors above more important?
Vote below and we'll follow up shortly with poll results.