iPad vs. Galaxy Note 10.1: Samsung Unloads On Apple

Add Samsung to the list of those in the tech world unimpressed by the new iPad.

Samsung responded to the unveiling of Apple's latest tablet -- which the Cupertino company showed off in a typically well-hyped media event in San Francisco on Wednesday -- with an email to the press, sharing a grid that compares the content creation and multitasking capabilities of Samsung's new ten-inch Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet with Apple's new ten-inch tablet, the iPad.

Here's the grid:

Samsung introduced its Galaxy Note 10.1 -- a larger, tablet-version of its 5.3-inch Galaxy Note half-phone, half-tablet "phablet," complete with S-Pen stylus -- at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Festival-goers were impressed with the 10-inch Note's sensitivity, with Cnet's Jessica Dolcourt writing that the larger Note "has the potential to offer a true tablet experience that goes beyond the usual."

The Galaxy Note 10.1 does offer tangible benefits over the new iPad: Samsung's tablet is indeed lighter and thinner than Apple's, if just barely: The Galaxy Note weighs 1.29 pounds against the new iPad's 1.44 pounds, and is 8.9mm thick versus 9.4mm thickness for the new iPad. The Note also allows the user to view and work on two apps at the same time, stacking them side-by-side (PC users should get used to this idea: This functionality is at the core of the upcoming, re-imagined Windows 8 desktop operating system).

As for the holistic claim that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is better for content creation than the iPad: Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment, though execs did demonstrate several content creation apps at the event in San Francisco. GarageBand, Apple's music editing application, made its way to the iPad in March 2011 and received a robust update and demonstration; ditto with iMovie for iPad, the movie editing application that now has a template to create Hollywood-style "trailers." Perhaps the most significant content creation news to come out of San Francisco was that iPhoto, Apple's popular photo editing suite for Mac, is now available on the iPad and optimized for touch-and-swipe-based image manipulation. (Early reviews are mixed: MG Siegler of TechCrunch called it "the way non-professional photo editing should absolutely be done"; Gizmodo's Sam Biddle was less enthused, deeming it "confusing, superfluous, and a little dumb.")

Given its email blast, it appears that Samsung would agree Biddle's sentiment, if not his exact wording. Samsung has not been shy in its attacks on Apple: As the two have battled for smartphone sales supremacy in the United States, Samsung launched a series of ads mocking the iPhone 4S and Apple fanboys waiting in line for the newest devices. The series culminated with a 90-second spot, aired during the Super Bowl, for Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphone-tablet hybrid (phablet, for short). The lengthy commercial featured Apple fanatics breaking out of the line and embracing their Samsung side. An earlier advertisement in the series featured a memorable catchphrase for Apple users who realize their devices are inferior to Galaxy phones: "Aww, we just got Samsunged!"

In some sense, Apple just got some "Samsunged" again, with its rival lashing out publicly and noting the things that its Cupertino competitor can't do. For a complete comparison of the specs and capabilities of the iPad versus the Galaxy Note 10.1, click this link to see a grid from FindTheBest.

Check out the slideshow (below) to see the 11 most important things you need to know about the new iPad.

Loading Slideshow

• Show-Stopping Display

  The photo above shows the difference between the iPad 2's 1,024 x 768 pixel display and the new iPad's high-definition Retina display, which has double the resolution and four times the pixels (2,048 x 1,536 pixels). <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features/retina-display.html" target="_hplink">Apple has described a Retina display as</a> "pixel density is so high your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels." And how does it stack up to other tablet displays? <a href="http://twitter.com/ryan/statuses/177548523254988800" target="_hplink">GDGT's Ryan Block said</a> of his first hands-on with the new device: "It's the best display I've ever seen. Anywhere, period."

• 4G, A First For Apple

  Apple's March 7 event marked a first for Apple, the arrival of 4G LTE connectivity on a mobile device. Purchased with a two-year contract from either AT&T or Verizon, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/ipad-hd-apples-next-ipad-_n_1323535.html" target="_hplink">a 4G iPad</a> will, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204603004577267441821060940.html" target="_hplink">according to The Wall Street Journal,</a> "allow users to connect a[t] speeds roughly 10 times faster than current 3G data networks." 4G models will also "work on any 3G network," <a href="http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-ipad-event-live-blog/" target="_hplink">per GigaOm</a>. New iPad models equipped with this unique feature, however, will cost users slightly more than models without 4G. (More on this later.)

• Meatier Specs

  The new iPad may look pretty similar to the old one, but it's packing some serious hardware upgrades within its thin frame. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/07/new-ipad-vs-ipad-2/" target="_hplink">These include a faster processor</a>, the "quad-core" 1GHz Apple A5X, which Apple claims to offer twice the processing power of the A5 CPU (found in the iPad2) and four times the graphics-rendering power of the Tegra 3 processor found in many Android tablets, <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/live-blog-apple-ipad3-event/ " target="_hplink">per Wired's live blog of the event</a>. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5891158/new-ipad-hd-the-third-generation" target="_hplink">Gizmodo argues</a> that Apple has also probably upped the device's RAM, "if only to handle the new resolution."

• No Siri

  The new iPad did not get Apple standout iPhone 4S feature, the voice-activated virtual personal assistant, Siri. What it did get was Voice Dictation, which will be a blessing for anyone who has ever tried to type on the iPad's tricky virtual keyboard. To use the handy new feature, just tap the microphone icon on the keyboard and start talking. <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/07/ios-5-update-siri-speaks-japanese-voice-dictation-comes-to-new-ipad/" target="_hplink">Current languages supported by dictation</a> include U.S., U.K. and Australian English as well as Japanese, French and German.

• Familiar Look

  While the new iPad offers quite a bit more than the iPad 2 in terms of display, hardware, and connectivity, the outside remains almost identical to its predecessor, measuring 9.5 x 7.31 inches. As expected, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/ipad-3-iphone-5-charger-dock-apple-rumors_n_1304388.html" target="_hplink">the biggest difference between the updated Apple tablet and its predecessor is its thickness...</a>

• A Bit More Heft

  Compared to the .34 inch iPad 2, the new iPad measures .37 inches deep, <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/" target="_hplink">according to Apple's website</a>. In addition, the new iPad has .11 pounds on the iPad 2, weighing in at 1.44 lbs. The 4G version of the new iPad is even heavier, weighing in at a whopping 1.46 lbs.

• Upgraded Photo Tools

  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/07/new-ipad-vs-ipad-2/" target="_hplink">The new iPad boasts 5-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera that shoots 1,080p HD video.</a> The iPad 2's rear camera was only .7-megapixels <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/" target="_hplink">and recorded video in a paltry 720p.</a> <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/07/iphoto-on-ipad/" target="_hplink">iPhoto</a>, Apple's photo-editing software, is now available for the iPad. The app can be used for editing, effects, beaming photos between devices and sending finished products to iCloud or social networking accounts. The app also lets users create photo journals, digital scrapbooks into which users can insert maps, notes and weather widgets. <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57392601-1/apple-launches-ipad-app-for-iphoto-updates-others/" target="_hplink">The new iPhoto app costs $4.99 and is available today. </a>

• Personal Hotspot

  The 4G version of the new iPad also comes with a feature called Personal Hotspot, which "can be used to share the fast network connection on your iPad with up to 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB," <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/03/07Apple-Launches-New-iPad.html" target="_hplink">according to an Apple press release</a>. Currently, this feature is available only for Verizon customers.

• Powerful Battery

  Even though the new features like Retina Display and 4G connectivity will be consuming a lot more juice, a larger, more powerful battery will keep the new tablet charged for the same amount of time as the previous model. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, had the following to say about the battery during Apple's Wednesday event (<a href="http://live.gdgt.com/live-apple-ipad-3-event-coverage/" target="_hplink">per GDGT</a>): "You may recall we claim 10 hours of battery life, and 9 hours on 3G. The new iPad delivers the same 10 hours of battery life, and 4G is 9 hours."

• Price And Availability

  <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/" target="_hplink">The WiFi-only iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB then jumps to $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB.</a> The 4G version starts at $629 for 16GB and tops out at $829 for the 64GB version. The iPad is available for pre-order now <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" target="_hplink">and will begin shipping on March 16. </a> [<strong>CORRECTION</strong>: An earlier version of this slideshow incorrectly listed the pricing of the WiFi-only iPad.]

• New Apps

  Along with Apple's announcement of the new iPad came a league of updated apps that will put the device's Retina Display to good use. According to Engadget, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/07/apple-ipad-3-liveblog/" target="_hplink">all of the stock apps have been updated,</a> optimized, and scaled up so text will automatically be rendered in high resolution. In addition to uniform updates, several native Apple apps also received new features. <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/03/07Apple-Completes-iLife-for-iOS-With-Introduction-of-iPhoto-Major-Updates-to-iMovie-GarageBand.html" target="_hplink">Garage Band, for example, will now allow you to save creations to and easily share them through iCloud.</a> Also, <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/165730/2012/03/apple_updates_imovie_garageband_iwork_for_ios.html" target="_hplink">according to MacWorld,</a> users will now be able to add an automatic string orchestra to their creations through the Smart Strings feature and fine-tune their recordings with Garage Band's Note Editor. Apple's updated iMovie app will feature more advanced editing tools and will enable sharing of videos in 1080p resolution to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and Apple TV, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/7/2851783/apple-imovie-update/in/2615987" target="_hplink">The Verge reported.</a> The new iMovie will also let users cut trailers while recording video, take advantage of nine different genre templates, and incorporate custom soundtracks from famous composers. In addition to its own apps, Apple also introduced a new generation of apps made specifically with the new iPad's higher resolution and enhanced hardware capabilities in mind. According to Engadget, these apps <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/07/apple-reveals-next-generation-apps-for-the-new-ipad-infinity-bl/" target="_hplink">came courtesy of third-party developers </a> like game-maker Namco, which previewed its jet combat simulator SkyGamblers, and Epic Games, the developer behind popular role-playing sword-fighting game Infinity Blade and creator of the new Retina display-optimized Infinity Blade: Dungeons. In addition, 3-D design software manufacturer Autodesk showed off its Sketchbook app, which allows for a whole new level of sketch detail thanks to the new iPad's improved display.

• ALSO ON THE HUFFINGTON POST

Comments

[Joshua Philip]

10:57 AM on 10/27/2012

I already have a Windows tablet which does what I need. But between these two, I'd definitely go for the Note 10.1. Free Polaris Office and Photoshop Touch, digital pen, run two apps side-by-side, and the much more flexible Android operating system. For productivity, this thing makes the iPad look like an overpriced toy. You don't know just how much it can do until you try it. I've tried both the iPad 2 and the Note 10.1 and the Note 10.1 can definitely do a lot more for content creation. Obviously the iPad has a higher resolution screen and more gaming apps, but I would definitely go with the Galaxy for content creation.

[Forward Times]

03:59 PM on 03/29/2012

I'm not paying a $1,000 for a Samsung tablet!

[DeFargus]

11:23 PM on 03/14/2012

So much kookiness. Getting so emotional about a toy is silly. Here is a comment tossed out there without a care for the many to masturbate to: the processor and display in the new iPad are made by Samsung.

[sssteverrr]

04:13 PM on 03/12/2012

Samsung is a joke, they list the same marginal feature 10 times and we're supposed to think its 10 different features. Apples market share will now rise again, not fall.

[Hamids9898]

03:42 PM on 03/12/2012

This is the awesome comparision i like the new i pad because it support more than hd

[Lateef Murdock]

03:29 PM on 03/11/2012

All that and I still can't do with that tablet, or any other Android tablet, what I can do with the iPad.

Its iPads for me until I get the functionality and reliability I need from Android.

[Michael Falcon]

02:37 PM on 03/11/2012

People can be f**** stupid if they buy Apple just because of the name. Compare to Samsung, its much better tablet then over hyped and over priced Apple!

[jflorish]

01:18 AM on 03/12/2012

lol ... yeah whatever.

[Nobodys Fool]

01:34 PM on 03/11/2012

iPass over the new overpriced iPad. and Apple's slick price fixing....

[JohnTheMac]

08:52 PM on 03/11/2012

right, fixing the price to a point that you sell every one you can make, as fast as you can make them! Beautiful.

[mutatio]

05:14 AM on 03/11/2012

When I saw the Super Bowl ad, claiming a stylus being included with the Samsung meant that the next great thing was already here, I nearly blew soda out my nose. It's just asinine. Seriously, going back to PDAs? WTF? If a stylus is your supposed killer app, sorry, you fail. FAIL. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Don't even bother continuing to play. A stylus can be helpful for specific purposes like signatures, perhaps, & some other limited features but the vast majority of users will have no need for it. Ironically, the apps I've used on iPhones/iPads to sign transactions at some food trucks have only required a finger & it looks surprisingly just like my usual signature.

If you ever want to get a sense as to how Samsung/Android/Google are trying to market their phones you need only look at a classic youtube satire video of Microsoft doing the packaging design for the classic iPod. e.g., Just hype anything & everything you can, make it as obnoxious as possible with all kinds of visual "glitter", & somehow people will be convinced it's the best thing since oxygen. The same appears to be the case with the Android handsets. Have a nice list of irrelevant features that your competitors don't have (nor need to have) & say that it makes your device superior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k

If you don't get that this is what you're being sold, wake up.

[ResearchtheFacts]

08:07 AM on 03/11/2012

Only thing 50% of the mobile market uses Android with 850,000 activations a day. Now, consumers have a choice of the oldest OS on any device on the market or moving forward to 2012. The stylist is the least of the best features with this new Samsung tab. The ability to run two apps side by side which means you can collaborate, cruise the web from a browser and cut and paste into another app all at the same time. For a thinking person the possibilities are endless. If you are precision drawing like most illustrators and designers do, then the stylist does come in handy.

This device is not meant for the fisher price crowd who mainly just likes pushing buttons, working in 1D and is possibly sight impaired looking at the size of the icons with the giant phone like OLD interface. But for those who can use this as a tool. Not a game, picture or movie watching device, solely but you can do all those things too. The only real satire is apple is still pushing that old circa 2008 GUI in 2012.

[mutatio]

08:47 AM on 03/11/2012

Keep milking that response for all its worth. If you honestly don't get it, there's no helping you. I wouldn't expect users of Droid devices to have an inkling about the derivative thing in their hands much less the ways in which the UI make it less user-friendly. You're right up there with all the techies berating Apple for not have a 2 hour 4G phone out of the gates when the manufacturing process was only yielding battery draining chips. Keep chasing those specs, brother. That's what it's all about, how many whiz-bang-bee-bop flashy things it can do at once now, isn't it? Nope, no comparison to the satire ad now is there? Yes, it will only be a good thing if each & every company bakes their own flashy version of Android. Oh wait, that's one of the largest problems with the OS & that's what's behind Google's efforts to reign in all of that perceived "freedom." Seriously, if you honestly don't get how fragging (a la fragmented) ridiculous that would make the Android user experience, take a gander at Windows 8. It's trying to be radical & go over the top in moving away from their classic UI elements. It's already been panned & if it's like its current shape on release it will only send more users Apple's way. Also, you're welcome to keep your Droid, provided by a company whose sole interest is to mine & exploit your information. Have fun with that.

[JohnTheMac]

10:20 AM on 03/11/2012

First, it's a "stylus", not a "stylist". But that shows your knowledge of graphic arts is from outside graphic arts.
Second, you can get a stylus for your iPhone or iPad, and a pressure sensitive version is on the way:
http://gizmodo.com/5890683/the-first-pressure+sensitive-ipad-stylus-might-just-outperform-your-fingers
I use the regular stylus so clients can pay me with credit cards through my iPhone.
Tsk! It's a shame how the money comes to me with "Parker Brothers" stamped on it though, you know, since the iPhone is a toy and all. (sarcasm, one of my chief weapons)

[NonPrawf]

12:45 AM on 03/11/2012

Wow.

This should be definitive proof that the Ipad is superior to all other tablets.

[gotanim3]

04:30 AM on 03/11/2012

Wrong

[ResearchtheFacts]

07:14 PM on 03/10/2012

Just read an article on Business Insider, over at Foxconn they are worried about sales. Number one because they are not caling it iPad 3 at factory level, just ipad. Two because of the amount of units they are pushing out 150 an  hour. Three the amount of days off they are getting and some of the workers fear they will be shifted over to the iphone part of the factory. lol

They have this to say...

  “The new iPad” was in mass production starting the beginning of this year.  Initially, each assembly line took one class (of workers), that is, production of 1000 units within every 10 hours.  However after the Spring Festival production gradually increased to 150 units per hour."

Also, find the article yourself you are not paying me to deliver your news. Just giving you this as a freebie to stop the rumor mill. Broaden you reading horizon, the info is out there.

[ResearchtheFacts]

07:18 PM on 03/10/2012

Forgot to add the worker was comparing his work on ipad 2 to this model which required non-stop production.

[JohnTheMac]

08:21 AM on 03/11/2012

"Also, find the article yourself you are not paying me to deliver your news. Just giving you this as a freebie to stop the rumor mill. Broaden you reading horizon, the info is out there."

I read this and thought it was a strange comment. There must be a reason...

http://www.itgawker.com/2012/03/11/a-foxconn-worker-shares-why-he-hates-making-iphones/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-foxconn-worker-shares-why-he-hates-making-iphones

" This is his first time in contact with other cell phone production line other than Nokia.
He wrote in his dairy, “First time work closely on iPhone 4S, it is really the best smart phone of the world, both hardware and software are great."

Quotes like this are probably the reason?

[Spartan Ideal]

06:07 PM on 03/10/2012

Lol, it's clear that a few people can't STAND the fact that their favourite device is being outsold by Apple, and they can't fathom why.

(for the record, I have an iPhone 3GS and a Galaxy 10.1, but i'll probably be getting an iPad, and definitely opting for an iPhone 5)

[jflorish]

01:19 AM on 03/12/2012

I still have the 3GS and passed on 4S to wait for 5 instead ....

[Steve Seidler]

04:27 PM on 03/10/2012

Notice how half of the items on the list are just various functions of the same feature—one that Apple can easily add to the iPad in future updates.

[Steve Seidler]

04:35 PM on 03/10/2012

(As in free software updates.)

[ResearchtheFacts]

01:54 PM on 03/10/2012

Apple will have a hard time convincing any court they are innovating especially looking at these specs. Samsung is the one innovating Apple is adding apps, a bigger battery and the next processor and mainly because they can't still get mass quantities of an old one they have to move up.

The iPad 3 just obliterated their own argument. All Samsung has to do is show up in court with 4 items. Ipad 2 & 3 and Galaxy Tab 10 1 & 2 and it is over. The oldest OS on any digital device on the market plus bulkier specs and no advancement except a brighter screen is--get out of my courtroom wasting my time.

Hey were can I get that Windows tab with XP on it you know the one with the bright screen, latest processor and free photo app?

Guess what Apple fanboys I can turn the screen up on laptop to brighter and even my Android tablet. You know its that rocker button at the top or in settings. lol  Oh, and on my laptop I have a matte finished screen and no eyestrain and glare.

[highlyqualified]

01:47 PM on 03/10/2012

OHHH another iPad killer! How cute.

[ResearchtheFacts]

04:19 PM on 03/10/2012

iPad has been dead. Even Macbook is outselling it. This latest blast to the past--the final nail in the...well you know.

The oldest OS on any digital device on the market.

[Spartan Ideal]

06:04 PM on 03/10/2012

lol, and yet they currently own 62% of the market, and are projected to go to 70% with this one.

[Charismatron]

12:19 AM on 03/11/2012

"Has been dead"--um, on what planet?