Posted on 04/05/2011 1:52:03 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Consumer Reports’ press release follows, verbatim:
After almost a year in which the Apple iPad has been virtually the only game in town in tablet computers, some serious competitors are finally hitting the market. Yet in Consumer Reports latest tests of the 10 most-promising tablet computers, the Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G topped the Ratings. The full report including Ratings of tablets is available at Consumer Reports’ website.
In Consumer Reports lab tests, the Motorola Xoom revealed itself as the iPad 2′s chief rival. Like the iPad 2, the Xoom boasts a 10-inch screen but adds conveniences that the iPad lacks, including a built-in memory card reader and support for the Flash videos and animations found on many Web sites.
“So far, Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced,” said Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports. “However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”
Consumer Reports tested tablets from Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and ViewSonic, as well as several models from Apple. Each tablet was evaluated on 17 criteria, including touch-screen responsiveness, versatility, portability, screen glare, and ease of use, and testers found several models that outperformed the rest. The Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi plus 3G (32G), $730, topped the Ratings, scoring Excellent in nearly every category. The first-generation iPad, $580, also outscored many of the other models tested but tied with the Motorola Xoom, $800.
The largest gap in performance among the 10 tested tablets was evident in Consumer Reports’ battery-life test, measured by playing the same video clip continually on each tablet and timing how long it played until the battery ran down. The top-scoring iPad 2 lasted 12.2 hours, but the lowest-rated tablet, the Archos 70 Internet Tablet, $270, lasted just 3.8 hours.
Before choosing a tablet, Consumer Reports recommends that consumers consider the following:
Many features are almost universal. Easy-to-use touch screens based on capacitive technology are now widely available. All the models Consumer Reports tested feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a front-facing webcam, and GPS capability. Android-based models can be expanded using built-in USB ports or slots for SD flash-memory cards, but the iPad 2 lacks both.
You get what you pay for. With prices for the best tablets still too high for many budgets, consumers may be tempted by lower-priced competitors. Don’t be, says Consumer Reports, whose tests have found the performance of models costing $300 and under to be at best mediocre. Buying a tablet with a data plan may lower the initial cost of the device, but cancelling early may result in a stiff penalty. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to buy a 3G-capable model without a contract.
Future-proofing will pay off. Hardware specifications don’t tell the whole story. Portability, storage capacity, and weight are important. But less obvious differences in software, connectivity, and upgradability are critical too. And with faster 4G data networks becoming more widely available, 4G capability (or at least the ability to upgrade to it) is also a plus.
Source: Consumer Reports
MacDailyNews Take: Even a blind squirrel can stumble across a nut sometimes, however this nut is typically rotten. Consumer Reports has zero credibility (see related articles below). In this particular case, look no further than the Xoom “tying” the original iPad despite Consumer Reports’ all-too-brief mention of the criticality of software. The publication also totally fails to account for third-party accessories, including protective cases, vehicle support, CE industry support, and much more; things that will actually really matter to end user; as would, of course, something as important as AirPlay.
The fact is that only a severely flawed ratings system could end up equating the original iPad and the Xoom. It’s a testament to the vast superiority of iPad 2 that even Consumer Reports couldn’t concoct enough “negatives” to knock it from the top of their totally worthless list. We wouldn’t recommend the rag to grandmas looking for vacuum cleaners, much less to tablet computing consumers. Consumer Reports remains a total joke, best left sitting on the newsstand and certainly not something to which we would ever subscribe.
LOL!!!
I got to see -- first hand -- why that is so:
One evening at dusk on my F-I-L's ranch near Glen Rose, TX, I was walking up a draw, headed for a huge culvert that the cattle use for crossing under the highway.
Just before I reached the road, I spooked an armadilo, and he ran up onto the road -- just about at my eye level. He saw one of those big, tall, "jacked up" off-road 4WD pickups coming, and the critter froze right in the middle of the road.
The driver reacted quickly enough to straddle him -- with at least a foot of clearance. Unfortunately, when the noisy truck passed over him, the armadillo reacted -- as armadillos always do when startled -- and jumped straight up!
~~~~~~~~
Dead armadillo in the middle of the road...
I'm shocked... you mean that armor didn't protect him?
Nope -- they're surprisingly fast and agile -- and, when chased, usually make it to safety under the shed or down a hole. And, I would expect their armor does protect them somewhat against smaller predators -- like coyotes. But they just go "crunch!" when my granddaughter's lumbering 120-pound Lab-Husky occasionally manages to catch up with one...
Probably got the spelling wrong, but, it was a line from the Keith Laumer stories about Jame(or James) Retief of the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrian.
For the sensitive poster above.
As as for Apple products, I plan on staying far away from them as I can. I have enough doorstops in my house for right now, thank you. I didn’t realize this was an exclusive Apple thread. It’s title suggests that it’s a thread about Tablet computers. Or perhaps you missed the inference there. Take a chill pill dude. They are just computers, not, real life.
I don’t think anyone here is ignorant to the fact that I am an Apple user (fan). But I hardly consider a Consumer Reports review as a compliment... considering this is the same organization that has put the “fix” in against some products (like the Suzuki Samurai which they deflated tires then forced rollovers to push an agenda).
This being said - after CR chose to pan the iPhone 4, despite it getting the highest marks in testing, all because of supposed issues (antennagate) that were actually non-issues)... I just don’t understand their wishy-washy reviewing.
Even my parents, who for years were loyal subscribers - and who used their annual buying guide as their shopping “bible”... have dumped Consumer Reports. After buying appliances and other consumer goods that were much celebrated in the pages of Consumer Reports - that turned out to be real turds... their faith in CR was shaken enough to dump it.
And a big one for me -— Consumer Reports once claimed that generic brands of “macaroni and cheese” taste “just as good” as Kraft brand... Hello - who’s taste buds were they using? I have tried many other “brands” and found all are absolutely nasty - none even remotely taste like cheese at all. When you look at the ingredient list, it is obvious.
so - while it is encouraging that CR decided to give the iPad 2 “top honors”... I take it with a grain of salt (and I would absolutely LOVE to have an iPad 2!).
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