Can the iPad Pro or Galaxy Tab S3 Replace Your Computer?

I’ve been seeing a lot of commercials lately insinuating that you no longer need a laptop.  Instead, buy a tablet and use that.  While I agree, tablets are amazing and are a great “interim” measure.  But I don’t believe that they can or should replace a laptop.  That being said, tablets have come a long way.  Remember the old Palm Pilot?  That was all the rage in the late 90s.  And while it wasn’t necessarily a tablet, it certainly provided users with some similar abilities.

I for one, love a tablet.  I was in Toronto last week for meetings, and instead of driving, I decided to take the train.  The one day, I had an extremely tight deadline to meet and was struggling to meet it.  With almost an hour on the train, I was able to use that time to get a jump start on the project.  But, I only had my laptop and my iPhone.  My laptop is a bit large and the train isn’t very accommodating from a work perspective.  So there I was, typing furiously on my phone.  I’m sure people were wondering what I was doing, and with such intensity.  But like I said, I was on a deadline.  In this case, my phone just didn’t cut it.  Would a tablet have been a better option in this scenario?

With so many options on the market now, which is the best choice?  And it seems that every time I turn around someone is coming out with something “better” than the last.  Don’t get me wrong, I think this is great, but if I’m looking to buy one, I’m feeling overwhelmed.  Apple has recently released their new iPad.  It’s the 5th generation.  It was anticipated to be released last September, but it didn’t start hitting the shelves until March.  It’s your standard, run of the mill iPad, in my opinion.  But the selling feature for Apple seems to be the price point.  Coming in at $329.  Making it currently the cheapest iPad available.  Yes, even cheaper than the mini.

The mini is great from a size perspective, but I wonder if people will pay the price to get a smaller tablet?  Apple also has their iPad Pro.  It comes in two sizes – 12.9″ and 9.7″.  The smaller version has a True Tone display.  Meaning, it uses ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the screen to match the light in your environment.  How many times have you opened up your device, only to find it too dark to read?  Not any more.

Further, the iPad Pro suggests that it is faster than a laptop.  Which may be true, but I’d like to see some testing on that as I’m still a skeptic.   Apple is really pushing this idea that you can use the iPad Pro, instead of a computer.  Overall, it looks really nice, and if I had one, I could see myself as a power user.  But I’m still not convinced that it’s better than a computer.

The iPad Pro is not as affordable as the Plane Jane iPad, but it does start at $599. Which is comparable to the Galaxy Tab S3.  Which was also released in March.  The Tab S3 comes in at the same size – 9.7″ and oddly enough has some similar features to the iPad Pro – including four speakers and a fancy pen to use on the tablet.  But what the Tab S3 doesn’t seem to have is the True Tone capability.  Will that make a difference to users?  The Tab S3 appears to be a contender.  What I don’t like is how there is so many comparable features to the iPad Pro.  Or vice versa.  However you want to look at it.  I prefer to see some differences.  Giving one a leg up over the other.

The Apple – Samsung competition seems to continue. I always wonder if users are loyal to “their” brand or if these amazing new devices on their rival’s platform entice them in any way?  My questions for you are: which do you prefer?  And would you consider switching from a laptop to one of these devices?  In my opinion, the products are so comparable, that when making a choice, you are going to stick with the brand you are loyal too.  You likely have a phone using that platform, so why switch?  If you like the Android platform, you will love the Tab S3.  If you’re a die-hard Apple user, you will likely stick with the iPad Pro.  Either way, I’m still not convinced to get rid of my laptop for one of these.  But you be the judge!