“cheapism helps you find the cheapest "best buys"” — lifehacker
Also see our full Cheap Tablets review:
  1. Cheap Tablets
  2. Tablet Reviews
  3. Cheap Android Tablets
  4. Tablet Memory, Tablet Cameras
  5. Tablet Deals
  6. Discount Cheap Tablets Features Comparison Table
Apple iPad Review
Apple iPad 5 Star Rating: Cheapism Best Pick
Summary:
Apple's multimedia tablet broke new ground and established an entire new product category. It's the best of everything -- a great interface, a massive app store, easy network access, and an impressive platform for videos, photos, music, and ebooks. But you'll have to pay out the nose to even sniff the low end of this product line.

Apple's iPad is the top dog among tablet devices. iPad reviews loudly proclaim it does everything well, from playing games to watching videos to surfing the Web to reading ebooks. We determined in our own iPad review, surely to be echoed by any random iPad user, that the iPad's best feature is its responsiveness and ease of use. When reading an ebook, for example, simply flick your finger across the virtual page and it flips to the next page right away. Apps pop open quickly and run well, and you can find an app for nearly anything you can imagine. The iPad's video and audio playback is excellent, note iPad reviews, and it has the iTunes considerable music and video store in its corner. Along with other expert and user iPad reviews, we agree that the iPad is clearly the star performer among multimedia tablets, at least for now.

The iPad boasts a large 9.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024x768. It's powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 CPU running Apple's iOS 4 operating system. Apple offers several models of the iPad with different memory capacities, from a mere 16GB to an impressive 64GB. It supports Bluetooth connections and is compatible with 802.11b/g/n networks. Some iPads also have 3G support, which will require you to sign a contract with a wireless service provider.

The iPad is certainly a fun device to use. The only question is, who really needs one, especially at such a high price? It's too large to be portable; you can get a smartphone or a smaller tablet that can do most iPad kinds of things, just on a smaller scale. The iPad also isn't a practical desktop or laptop replacement. So, an iPad will most likely find itself sitting on a coffee table or perhaps a kitchen counter. It's a nice platform for all kinds of multimedia experiences, but its price still seems pretty steep for what you get.

By Cheapism editorsNovember 23, 2011
Apple iPad Deals
 

Other Recommended Cheap Tablets

Amazon Kindle Fire
Gold Medal

Amazon Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire may not quite be the iPad killer some people were hoping for, but it has a great chance to redefine the tablet market, because it's super affordable and still delivers most of what users hope to find in a tablet. Its performance is solid, apart from occasional hiccups, but its real strength is the ease with which users can access and enjoy Amazon's vast content library. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals
Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet
Gold Medal

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet is the Kindle Fire's closest competition in terms of price and ability. Its Android operating system is heavily customized to tightly integrate with Barnes & Noble's online services, including apps, so it has a bit of a different look and feel than other Android devices. Reviewers praise its overall performance and responsive, fantastic-looking touchscreen. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals

Asus Eee Pad Transformer
Gold Medal

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

TF101
The hardware on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is about as good as it gets on an Android-based budget tablet. This model uses Google's Android 3.2 operating system and a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. It also has a large, 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen that impresses reviewers. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals
Acer Iconia Tab
Gold Medal

Acer Iconia Tab

A500
This Acer Iconia tablet is a solid Android 3.0 model with a large, 10.1-inch screen, a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, an HDMI port, and Bluetooth support. Some reviewers note that it's a bit heavy compared with other tablets. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals