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Welcome to <strong>Tablet</strong><strong>World</strong> Are tablets just a fad? That’s the question we’re often asked by readers looking to justify the expense of yet another pricey gadget. After all, they’ve already got a smartphone, a laptop, a desktop PC and possibly even a netbook, too. Two-and-a-half years after Apple blew wide open the tablet market with its iPad, we can safely say otherwise: tablets are a phenomenon. The next time you get on a train, count the number of people using a tablet to browse the web, watch an HD movie, fire off an email, play a game, listen to music, read a book or get on with some work. And it’s not just adults and commuters taken in by these highly portable, always-on devices: my four-year-old nephew can barely read or write, yet he’s more in tune with the ins and outs of Android and iOS than his thirty-something parents. In fact, tablets have become so popular with the younger generation that a whole new category of devices has sprung on to the market. Children’s tablets such as the Fuhu nabi 2, LeapFrog LeapPad and VTech InnoTab are not only brightly styled and come with tough designs, helping to prevent the inevitable in the whirlwind that is a child’s tantrum, they’re safe to be left unsupervised with your kids. What’s more, the preloaded educational activities can keep them quiet for hours. We review all these children’s devices and more from page 62. Despite what some Apple loyalists would have you believe, the incredible success of the iPad isn’t the only factor in the rise to popularity of tablets. Google, with its Android alternative, can offer a much cheaper entry point to ownership, and with its latest Jelly Bean update (page 10) it closes the gap on iOS. Fact is, Apple’s products are expensive. Given that you usually get what you pay for, and the iPad is a premium device, that’s understandable. But price is an important consideration when choosing a tablet, and in recent months we’ve seen exceptional devices from Google, Amazon and B&N that cost less than half the iPad’s ticket (page 56). These are subsidised, of course, designed to encourage content sales and uptake of the Android platform, but we’re easily bought. Up your budget a little and there’s the Nexus 10 from Google. For the first time, the iPad is no longer definitely the best tablet money can buy. The Nexus is not only much cheaper, and faster in our lab tests, it bests Apple’s unique selling point: that awe-inspiring Retina display. Eventually, Apple stands to face competition from Microsoft, too, with its burgeoning Windows RT platform (page 14). Whichever tablet platform or form-factor you desire, and whatever your budget, <strong>Tablet</strong><strong>World</strong>’s 100 pages of buying advice and reviews will be your expert guide. Marie Brewis, Editor Facebook: @MarieBrewis Email: marie_brewis@idg.co.uk CONTACTS WELCOME TO TABLETWORLD EDITORIAL Editor Marie Brewis 020 7756 2868 marie_brewis@idg.co.uk Cover design/ original photography Dominik Tomaszewski ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Brian Beam, David Court, Matt Egan, Glenn Fleishman, Andrew Harrison, Mark Hattersley, Rosemary Hattersley, Brie Hiramine, Chris Holt, Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, Chris Martin, Jim Martin, Melissa Perenson PRODUCTION Head of digital production Richard Bailey 020 7756 2839 richard_bailey@idg.co.uk CIRCULATION & MARKETING Marketing manager Ash Patel ash_patel@idg.co.uk PUBLISHING Publishing director Simon Jary simon_jary@idg.co.uk Managing director Kit Gould <strong>Tablet</strong><strong>World</strong> is a publication of IDG Communications, the world’s leading IT media, research and exposition company. With more than 300 publications in 85 countries, read by more than 100 million people each month, IDG is the world’s leading publisher of computer magazines and newspapers. IDG Communications, 101 Euston Road, London NW1 2RA. This is an independent journal not affiliated with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, or any other company other than IDG. All icons and images are registered trademarks of the respective trademark owner. All contents © IDG 2012. TABLETWORLD 3
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