As one who has a Sony Tablet, given as a Christmas present from Sony, and one who purchased an Apple iPad for his mother, I think I’m pretty qualified to comment on both tablets.
While the basic idea is that one is better than the other, the real question really comes down to age of the user and system preference.
In other words, if you like Apple’s World, which refers not just to the iPad, but the ability to get music from your iTunes account, or sync with your Mac Book, and you’re generally older, you prefer the iPad. But if you’re more in need of an Android tablet, and enjoy gaming, as well as the ability to control your TV, then the Sony Tablet is a better choice.
I also find that, according to The Daily Mail, even though the Pope used the Sony Tablet to turn on the lights on the The Christmas tree in Gubbio, the largest in the World, the Apple iPad is a better device for the elderly because the icons are more intuitive, there’s less fishing around to figure out what does what.
I know this from watching my mother, 78 years old, in the process of getting used to her iPad. It’s was a tough go because she’s used to working a mouse and a standard computer interface. But I’ll catch her using it and in the process of trying another icon, stopping to read the Chicago Tribune or the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
For me, the Sony Tablet is very easy to use because I’m used to the process of Internet surfing, and there’s something, perhaps deliberate, in the design of the Sony Tablet that essentially brings the surfing style to the overall tablet interface. Still, the process required to adjust to this form of working with a tablet took a few days, but after the second day of use, it was like second nature.
The Sony Tablet’s easier to hold than the iPad. It’s designed to fit in your hand, and feels great to the touch. Again, it’s not a slam against the iPad, which isn’t hard to hold, but the Sony Tablet has an ergonomic edge. The one wish I have for it, is that the Sony Tablet were better compatible with Apple products, because then it would be an excellent alternative to the iPad.
But for now, today, it comes down to your preference: Apple World versus Android World.