Samsung Announces The Galaxy Tab S4 - iPad and Surface Competitor

[GoodBytes]

3 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Unfortunately Samsung’s decision to only dip their toes in the water is precisely why Apple is the only successful tablet OEM right now. 

 

They went with a “more expensive display” but have little to show for it. Weak and outdated internals, no “wow” features, and an unimpressive price when the iPad ends up being cheaper.....

Well, to be fair it does have its desktop interface overlay. Sadly, their keyboard cover doesn't have a trackpad to move windows around and such, and you'll need to carry a mouse as a requirement.

[Morgan Everett]

14 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

OLED or not the screen is nowhere near being close to the iPad Pros. The iPads screen runs at 120Hz, having more accurate colors and better touch input is much more important for what the iPad is targeted for, Creators. 

I’m not too sure what this has to do with my comment, but, regardless, I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the screen “is nowhere near being close”, though undoubtedly the iPad display has some advantages (I should know, given I’m typing this post on one!).

[suicidalfranco]

15 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Yes, I’m sure that’s the case. 

 

let's judge by watching videos from people that have actually touched the device mmmkay

 

And looks like Samsung as done more than just put android and call it a day.

They've designed an interface that fits the device and, would you look at that?

It can even run multiple apps in window form, without freezing those that stay behind the currently active app

 

[mynameisjuan]

11 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Unfortunately Samsung’s decision to only dip their toes in the water is precisely why Apple is the only successful tablet

Tablets are a very niche product and most people that bought them only did because a few years ago they were game changing, but now every person I know with a tablet has it sitting in a drawer unused. 

 

Apple is trying to push it while most companies realized its a dying market. Microsoft is the only player in the game who pulled it off correctly. Just because people a leaving the game and Apple is the only one pushing it, it doesnt mean they are successful. 

[Exprima]

Got a Surface Go 128gb with signature type cover for $630. This seems very expensive for no reason.

[Sniperfox47]

41 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

@Sniperfox47 As a CAD tech I cant think of a single instance where I'd want to run any CAD software on a tablet, Windows, iOS or Android. ESPECIALLY 3D softwares. If I need a portable CAD workstation I'll use a laptop (as I already do). Your points up till then were good though. 

I'm not making the argument that tablets are good for CAD, merely that that's a place a more modern design would benefit. I know a couple architects who work on iPad Pros for reasons that boggle my mind, and even for myself on my Pixel C I find myself loading up models and diagrams now and then while I'm between workstations. The trash graphics performance of Intel Chipsets is the biggest reason I resisted the urge to trade in my Pixel C for a Pixelbook.

[TVwazhere]

1 minute ago, Sniperfox47 said:

I know a couple architects who work on iPad Pros for reasons that boggle my mind

They're Architects. They want their prints to be on 9x12 paper For "A" size and 24x36 for "D" sized. 

 

They do a lot of things that boggle the mind  

[Commodus]

22 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

Tablets are a very niche product and most people that bought them only did because a few years ago they were game changing, but now every person I know with a tablet has it sitting in a drawer unused. 

 

Apple is trying to push it while most companies realized its a dying market. Microsoft is the only player in the game who pulled it off correctly. Just because people a leaving the game and Apple is the only one pushing it, it doesnt mean they are successful. 

 

Apple's tablet sales have grown year-over-year for the past few quarters.

 

Tablets haven't become the future of computing that Jobs was thinking about (at least, not yet), but I wouldn't say Apple is unsuccessful.  Rather, it's that Google and key vendors didn't really do much to support the Android tablet market, and it showed; it's not so much that the tablet market is dying as that it's handing control to Apple.  I'm reminded of the smartwatch market.  I see many more smartwatches today than I did even a year ago, but they're almost always Apple Watches... mainly because Apple is the only company that really seems to understand and support smartwatches outside of perhaps Fitbit.

[Drak3]

56 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

@Sniperfox47 As a CAD tech I cant think of a single instance where I'd want to run any CAD software on a tablet, Windows, iOS or Android. ESPECIALLY 3D softwares. If I need a portable CAD workstation I'll use a laptop (as I already do). Your points up till then were good though. 

Certain CAD work benefits from a pen + tounch interface. However, the likelyhood of doing that on an SP4 over a medium end desktop and a Wacom is pretty small.

 

@Sniperfox47 Architects are idiots. Expect them to do stupid things.

[mynameisjuan]

1 minute ago, Commodus said:

 

Apple's tablet sales have grown year-over-year for the past few quarters.

 

Tablets haven't become the future of computing that Jobs was thinking about (at least, not yet), but I wouldn't say Apple is unsuccessful.  Rather, it's that Google and key vendors didn't really do much to support the Android tablet market, and it showed; it's not so much that the tablet market is dying as that it's handing control to Apple.  I'm reminded of the smartwatch market.  I see many more smartwatches today than I did even a year ago, but they're almost always Apple Watches... mainly because Apple is the only company that really seems to understand and support smartwatches outside of perhaps Fitbit.

You forget that Apple products will always be bought because apple. Yes they are selling ipads but I cant tell you how many people I know that have them sitting in a drawer and the amount of apple watches people have but I have a few friends that dont even charge theirs and its just for looks. 

 

Apple and sales numbers should never be used to judge a product. Until people stop buying them for status symbols then there is no comparison. Smart watches are leaving because people are buying fitbits because all they care about is health and Android tablet a leaving because people dont really have a use for tablets. 

 

Why do people need a tablet? Media consumption? Well every TV release today is smart and phones have large enough screens to enjoy on the go. Productivity? Typing on an ipad or pro is not gods gift to this world, all keyboards are pretty shit and multi window can get clumsy. Reading? Buy a fucking kindle ereader. 

 

If you want a tablet that is useful you get a surface. Not apple nor Android. 

[79wjd]

 

15 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

If you want a tablet that is useful you get a surface. Not apple nor Android. 

It depends on the use case. I don't personally see much benefit for a tablet as I'd rather use a laptop any time i'd use a tablet (writing/drawing excluded), but I do know people that would rather use a tablet in those cases. So tablets definitely do have a use case for people.

 

As someone who has owned a surface pro, I wouldn't recommend a surface to anyone unless they intend to heavily use the pen and absolutely must have x86 support. Personally, I'd take an iPad over a surface any day of the week -- Windows is pretty terrible for touch (I used a SP3 and an iPad pro for an extended period for taking notes at school and the iPad was just so much better).

[Teddy07]

How is the galaxy S4 tab supposed to be a competitor for the Ipad and surface go? It is by far the most expensive one

[Morgan Everett]

23 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

You forget that Apple products will always be bought because apple. Yes they are selling ipads but I cant tell you how many people I know that have them sitting in a drawer and the amount of apple watches people have but I have a few friends that dont even charge theirs and its just for looks. 

 

Apple and sales numbers should never be used to judge a product. Until people stop buying them for status symbols then there is no comparison. Smart watches are leaving because people are buying fitbits because all they care about is health and Android tablet a leaving because people dont really have a use for tablets. 

 

Why do people need a tablet? Media consumption? Well every TV release today is smart and phones have large enough screens to enjoy on the go. Productivity? Typing on an ipad or pro is not gods gift to this world, all keyboards are pretty shit and multi window can get clumsy. Reading? Buy a fucking kindle ereader. 

 

If you want a tablet that is useful you get a surface. Not apple nor Android. 

Few people need a tablet, but then few people need the vast majority of things they own, technology or otherwise.

 

I’ve been using an iPad for both ‘productivity’ and ‘media consumption’ for almost a year now, and am not aware of any device better for my (probably not uncommon) usage patterns. 

[Commodus]

1 minute ago, mynameisjuan said:

You forget that Apple products will always be bought because apple. Yes they are selling ipads but I cant tell you how many people I know that have them sitting in a drawer and the amount of apple watches people have but I have a few friends that dont even charge theirs and its just for looks. 

 

Apple and sales numbers should never be used to judge a product. Until people stop buying them for status symbols then there is no comparison. Smart watches are leaving because people are buying fitbits because all they care about is health and Android tablet a leaving because people dont really have a use for tablets. 

 

Why do people need a tablet? Media consumption? Well every TV release today is smart and phones have large enough screens to enjoy on the go. Productivity? Typing on an ipad or pro is not gods gift to this world, all keyboards are pretty shit and multi window can get clumsy. Reading? Buy a fucking kindle ereader. 

 

If you want a tablet that is useful you get a surface. Not apple nor Android. 

Oh no, I'm well aware that Apple has a cachet that makes them somewhat resistant to ordinary market forces... but the key is resistant, not immune.  iPad sales were declining up until the recent resurgence -- success wasn't guaranteed.  And the Apple Watches I see?  Some of them are in the gym, so they're definitely being used.  I think we can agree that anecdotal evidence can occasionally be useful, but also has its limits.

 

Also, all the statistical data shows you're wrong about people buying fitness trackers.  In fact, fitness trackers are on the decline as people switch to smartwatches.  Most of Fitbit's revenue now comes from smartwatches, in fact.

 

As for tablets?  I don't think it's that people don't have a use for tablets, although some probably estimated how much of a use they'd have from theirs.  Rather, it's that many of the tablets people bought are the cheapie sub-$200 models that can't do much, so they don't get used much.

 

I do agree that tablets are squeezed in the middle to some degree.  However, it's not hard to see the audience for it -- it's for people who want a portable computing device with a big screen but don't want the bulk and software complexity of a conventional laptop.  Done.  Surfaces are wonderfully useful machines, but they're closer to laptops that just happen to serve as tablets in a pinch.  I'm curious to see how the Surface Go fares... I just don't think it'll set the world on fire the way some think it will.

[Drak3]

9 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

How is the galaxy S4 tab supposed to be a competitor for the Ipad and surface go? It is by far the most expensive one

Some people haven't given up hope on Android tablets, for some wierd reason.

[Sniperfox47]

26 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

How is the galaxy S4 tab supposed to be a competitor for the Ipad and surface go? It is by far the most expensive one

The bigger question is how this is supposed to be a competitor for the Acer ChromeBook 10 which offers a comparable Android experience, plus a full laptop version of Chrome and Linux app support, at a much cheaper cost.

[DrMacintosh]

2 hours ago, suicidalfranco said:

It can even run multiple apps in window form, without freezing those that stay behind the currently active app

So, iOS on the iPad?

 

Also with the Snapdragon 835, you won’t be doing much multitasking to begin with. 

[Sniperfox47]

6 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Also with the Snapdragon 835, you won’t be doing much multitasking to begin with. 

You say that, but we're *far* from the days of the CPU or GPU on tablets being a limited factor in day to day use. Unless you're looking to run CAD, play games, watch videos, browse the web, and run huge computational Excel spreadsheets all at once the SD835 will be totally fast enough.

 

My Pixel C has a slightly slower CPU core and it handles watching YouTube, browsing the internet and rendering CAD files just fine all at the same time. What 90% of people do as multitasking on a tablet is less than what I do with mine.

 

The A10 and A11 are better SoCs than the SD835. The SD845, 850, and 1000 are better SoCs than the SD835. Hell even the Exynos 9810 us a better SoC than the SD835. I'm not arguing any of that, but making it out to be a limiting factor for multitasking is a bit unreasonable.

[LAwLz]

2 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

OLED or not the screen is nowhere near being close to the iPad Pros. The iPads screen runs at 120Hz, having more accurate colors and better touch input is much more important for what the iPad is targeted for, Creators. 

Please stop assuming everything Apple does is the best just because it has an Apple logo on it.

Admit it, you have no idea which tablet has the most accurate colors, or better touch input because you're talking about a tablet which is not even on the market yet.

You have absolutely no way of knowing the things you say. They are just assumptions.

 

 

21 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

So, iOS on the iPad?

 

Also with the Snapdragon 835, you won’t be doing much multitasking to begin with. 

If you think the Snapdragon 835 is "weak" and "outdated" when you're out of touch with reality.

[Sniperfox47]

2 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Please stop assuming everything Apple does is the best just because it has an Apple logo on it.

Admit it, you have no idea which tablet has the most accurate colors, or better touch input because you're talking about a tablet which is not even on the market yet.

You have absolutely no way of knowing the things you say. They are just assumptions.

It's a Samsung device. That's a pretty safe assumption to be fair. Have there been any recent Samsung devices that haven't had the vibrancy cranked through the roof?

[79wjd]

4 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Please stop assuming everything Apple does is the best just because it has an Apple logo on it.

Admit it, you have no idea which tablet has the most accurate colors, or better touch input because you're talking about a tablet which is not even on the market yet.

You have absolutely no way of knowing the things you say. They are just assumptions.

I'm fairness, Samsung does have a history of calibrating the display to oversaturate colors. (Not to say that is universally a bad thing, but rather a preference thing)

[Blademaster91]

28 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

So, iOS on the iPad?

 

Also with the Snapdragon 835, you won’t be doing much multitasking to begin with. 

You're still insisting the SD835 is for some reason "slow" and incapable of multitasking?

Engadget seems to like the tablet, and it certainly doesn't appear to be slow in Dex with a lot of stuff open. Really,try watching a video from someone that had the Tab s4 in their hands instead of some apple fanboying youtuber or obsessing over meaningless geekbench scores.

 

[Sniperfox47]

1 minute ago, Blademaster91 said:

You're still insisting the SD835 is for some reason "slow" and incapable of multitasking?

Engadget seems to like the tablet, and it certainly doesn't appear to be slow in Dex with a lot of stuff open. Really,try watching a video from someone that had the Tab s4 in their hands instead of some apple fanboying youtuber or obsessing over meaningless geekbench scores

 

I mean, to be fair, I'd still be less unlikely to buy it if it had an SD1000 in it. Just saying. Those chips look like freaking monsters. I can't wait to see a Chromebook with them built in.

[LAwLz]

17 minutes ago, Sniperfox47 said:

It's a Samsung device. That's a pretty safe assumption to be fair. Have there been any recent Samsung devices that haven't had the vibrancy cranked through the roof?

All high end Samsung devices released in the last couple of years have had exceptional color accuracy rivaling that of Apple.

Samsung ship their devices with several preset calibrations. The default one is usually very saturated, but they ship with color accurate modes as well.

A lot of times they are even more accurate than Apple, such as in the case of the Galaxy S9 vs the iPhone X.

Check out this analysis for an example.

 

DisplayMate rates the default screen mode as having a 9.1 JNCD.

In Cinema mode it's 0.7.

 

Worth mentioning that anything less than 1 is so accurate humans can no longer detect errors, and anything under 3.5 is considered very good.

 

 

15 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

I'm fairness, Samsung does have a history of calibrating the display to oversaturate colors. (Not to say that is universally a bad thing, but rather a preference thing)

No. They have a history of intentionally having saturated colors as the default, but also provide a proper color profile which is excellent.

[Sniperfox47]

2 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

All high end Samsung devices released in the last couple of years have had exceptional color accuracy rivaling that of Apple.

Samsung ship their devices with several preset calibrations. The default one is usually very saturated, but they ship with color accurate modes as well.

A lot of times they are even more accurate than Apple, such as in the case of the Galaxy S9 vs the iPhone X.

 

 

No. They have a history of intentionally having saturated colors as the default, but also provide a proper color profile which is excellent.

Ah okay maybe I didn't do enough menu diving in my time with the Tab S3.