Apple iPad versus Acer Tablets

We recently ran an article that compared Samsung tablets to Apple tablets, and despite being a site that focuses on (and adores) the iPad, we were unable to separate the two and was forced to call it a tie. Samsung and Apple are big rivals, at the very top of the market when it comes to both tablets and smartphones. They are not, however, the only ones up there, and these days Acer are also getting involved.

Acer are a company that seem to have come from nowhere in the last few years, emerging out of the shadows to be one of the leading providers of technology products (computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones and more) in the world. Based out of Taiwan, Acer was actually founded back in 1976, and these days they have deals with many major retailers to sell exclusive tablets, often at prices much lower than the Samsungs and Apples at the head of the market.

Materials — Apple

Acer had a reputation for being a “cheap” brand when they were first released, but back then the tablet market was dominated by just a couple of names and it seemed implausible that a company could come into that market selling devices for a fraction of the price. They did it however, and when they did people realised that they were not low quality devices. They are well-made, and many of them were solid and sturdy.

Still, when it comes to the materials used to construct any sort of major tech, from laptops to tablets, you can’t beat Apple. Their phones and their tablets feel so much better than their rivals’ phones and tablets. They are solid, made of metals and glass as opposed to plastics. They feel like they’re worth the money you paid for them both inside and out. That’s what counts and that’s why Apple takes this match-up.

Price — Acer

As we said above, Acer are considerably cheaper than Apple and many other major brands, and they always have been. Of course, anyone could make a cheaper product, but this match-up is about value for money rather than cheapness, and Acer still wins when that is considered. Simply put, despite being a fraction of the price of the iPad, and despite missing many of the features of that iPad, it is still a tablet, it can still send emails, play games, download apps and much more.

Features — Apple

When it comes to features, one of the things that sets the Apple iPads apart not just from Acer tablets, but also from many others, is the iOS operating system. This is the best mobile operating system on the market by a long way, working seamlessly with the device to create a fast, simple and easy-to-use interface that everyone can master in no time at all. Despite that, it still have plenty of more advanced features that all keep gadget addicts pleased. That’s the beauty of iOS, the fact that it can please both amateurs and experts in one seamless and simple interface.

Acer tablets use Android, which is a very good operating system, but not quite to the standard of iOS. The Acer tablets also lack other features that ensure iPads stay at the very top of this market.

Customer Care — Apple

Customer care and customer service is an area in which Apple excels, and one that it has also focused on. We’re not talking about Apple Care, which offers you an extended warranty on many of their products, in our opinion this is often a pricy and needless addition as Apple products tend to last for a long time — you have a year’s warranty anyway, and even if something did happen, it would probably be cheeper to pay to have it fixed than to pay for Apple Care. What we mean is the fact that you can get help and advice at any Apple Store and for any Apple product. You can phone them up or email them and get almost instant assistance.

We have had a lot of dealings with Apple across many areas. From the time they refunded the cost of an iTunes rental because of something that was our fault, to the time they spent several hours helping us to fix an iMac, customer service is an area in which they excel. In all fairness, we haven’t had that sort of experience with Acer, but we have tried to contact them a number of times and everything feels a little slower and it is much more of a struggle to get anything from them.

Overall — Apple

This will probably not come as a surprise, but in our opinion the Apple iPad trumps any devices that Acer can bring to the market. That’s not to say that Acer don’t have any value, and they have released some very good tablets. In fact, as far as budget tablets go, you can’t do much better than an Acer, but when you want a machine that can do it all, then you need an iPad.