Some of the apps you’ve listed are nothing for than portals for websites. I mean, The Weather Channel? Seriously? I actually have a very nice weather widget on my home screen - something that’s impossible on iOS. And yes, we’ve had Pandora (including a nice widget) for quite some time. The Netflix and Hulu apps are currently being developed, according to reports, but both are currently accessible using PlayOn thanks to another feature iOS doesn’t support - Flash.
As for productivity, there are several apps that allow for editing documents, like DocsToGo, or you can do it directly using the Google Docs site. You can also print using PrinterShare. You’ll have to forgive me if I have no use for Garageband, but I don’t think I’m the target demo for that anyway.
As for games, name for me some “really good” iOS games. You also might want to take a look at the upcoming PlayStation Suite, as well as the fact that there are numerous console emulators you can get on Android - something else impossible on iOS unless you jailbreak.
If you really think the Android ecosystem isn’t rapidly growing, I don’t know what to say to such ignorance. Have you looked at the Android market in the last month?
"Websites" aren't optimized for either the input methods of the tablets, or the screen form factor. Apps give the best experience, and provide a way for the publisher to customize and extend their content in a way you just can't with a website. So yes, seriously. ;-)
As to the rest of it, widgets might be a nice feature. Flash is a fading technology which I can personally (anecdotally;) do without very nicely. BTW, I hear repeated stories of the mobile Flash player being lackluster...and it is an acknowledged resource hog.
"As for productivity, there are several apps that allow for editing documents, like DocsToGo, or you can do it directly using the Google Docs site."
DocsToGo sounds pretty good, but IMO it doesn't compare to full featured apps with guaranteed compatibility with the desktop equivalents. As to Google Docs, I don't know about you but I'd prefer not to trust Google (or any other third party) with sensitive personal or business information. And again, you're faced with a "web experience" not a "tablet experience".
"You can also print using PrinterShare."
PrinterShare is a more limited and less convenient alternative to AirPrint.
"You’ll have to forgive me if I have no use for Garageband, but I don’t think I’m the target demo for that anyway."
Apparently you're not the target demographic for anything not available on Android. :-)
"As for games, name for me some “really good” iOS games."
5-star:
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Forget-Me-Not
Angry Birds Rio
Tiny Wings
Battleheart
4.5-star:
Fight Night Champion by EA Sports™
Hot Springs Story
Speedball 2 Evolution
NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™
Pocket HalfPipe
How many of those (top rated according to toucharcade.com) titles are on Android? You'll note two EA Sports titles there, how many EA Sports games have made it to the Android store?
"You also might want to take a look at the upcoming PlayStation Suite, as well as the fact that there are numerous console emulators you can get on Android - something else impossible on iOS unless you jailbreak."
I'm glad you brought that up. Atari just released "Atari's Greatest Hits" for iOS (iPhone and iPad). To quote the review:
Early this morning Atari released perhaps the most significant single retro gaming application yet to appear in the App Store. Atari's Greatest Hits [link] is a free Universal application for the iPhone and iPad that comes bundled with their first game ever, the 1972 classic Pong. And, while the games-for-free situation ends there, the fun certainly doesn't — not by a long shot.This app gives you access to a total of 100 classic Atari arcade hits - in some cases the full arcade machine versions, not a home version. You can buy all the games for a total of $15.
I'll leave you with one more paragraph from the review:
The stars of this collection are the arcade titles, certainly. And there are some amazing games in here — Tempest, Major Havoc, Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, and Battlezone, among others. Many of these titles were originally vectorscope games, where the screen draws the images laser light show style, as opposed to in terms of scanlines and pixels. These games translate amazingly well to the iPhone 4's Retina display which renders them at over 300 dpi, with antialiasing to boot. But, then, the iPad's larger physical display is quite a boon for these titles, as well.I sort of wish I hadn't participated in this thread, 'cause it just cost me $15... lol
Seriously. With TWC (and Weather Bug, and some other weather apps), you can tap a button to zoom in on your current location, which is great when you're on the road. You can pinch-zoom in on the radar map to see your neighborhood, or zoom out to see a wider area and swipe to the west to see where the weather is coming from (and for how long you might expect it to continue).
There certainly are apps that are just a front end for the Web site, but you chose a poor example. TWC is, in fact, a great example of how thoroughly an app can make the same basic content more accessible and useful; when I'm sitting at my computer, if I want a quick check of the weather, I pick up my phone.
The Netflix and Hulu apps are currently being developed, according to reports, but both are currently accessible using PlayOn thanks to another feature iOS doesn’t support - Flash.
PlayOn has bugger-all to do with Flash on the mobile device. And it's available for iPhone.
I'd love to see how long you can watch a movie that way.