Professor Smith
Rhetoric and Composition
30 September 2014
IPad Mini VS. Generic Tablet It has become part of the American dream, sitting outside of a Starbucks with your apple product. According to Go Bank Rates, it is much more important for people to have the quality and social status that come with the IPad Mini than to save money by buying the generic brand that still preforms the basic tasks like Samsung Galaxy Note, Google Nexus 7, or Amazon’s Kindle Fire. I have no regrets in splurging for my IPad Mini. The IPad Mini is more of a quality product; it is dependable. The generic tablet is much more susceptible to viruses. Arthur Zilberman, founder of LaptopMD+, a Manhattan-based computer and device maintenance shop, says “the technical differences between off-brand or generic tablets and high-end tablets like the iPad are considerable.” One example of the IPad having superior quality becomes obvious when looking at the functionality of the touch screen technology. Apple brand uses devices called “captive” screen to ensure high-quality and fine touch control. The generic brand uses outdated technology call “resistive” screens that require a stylus to preform effectively (Zilberman). The problem is newer technology comes at a price; quality cost more. I had a generic tablet before I corrected my mistake and bought my IPad mini. It was a Viewsonic I got for an affordable $250 dollars. While the price tag pleased me the quality did not. The software just does not perform the same. Not very long after buying this scheming product it was taking copious amounts of time to turn on. The IPad has been a time saver for me. Another reason it is dependable is the battery life. Apple’s IPad Mini has a battery life of up to 10 hours. Google’s Nexus 7 lasts only 8 hours (Gizmodo). If you still need another reason, the IPad has LTE capabilities, where the competitors do not. LTE enables your phone to receive internet faster, based on the convenience factor alone, I would say the IPad Mini is worth every penny. I dare to say that the cost of the IPad Mini is more affordable. The IPad Mini starts out at $329 and the generic tablet is around $200. Most will look at the hundred and thirty dollar price difference and call me crazy. What you probably haven’t considered is that when you accommodate for the amount of money you are more than likely to have to spend on repairs and the amount of time the generic tablet will last you before you have to replace it all together, the IPad mini might actually prove itself affordable. Apple has always made it a priority to manufacture a product with the newest technology; fundamentally, it cost more for Apple to make a higher quality product, that’s why it cost the consumer more(Gizmodo). The generic brand tablet makers want to stay competitive with Apple but they aren’t willing to put the same amount of money into their products, and with that they sacrifice quality. There is no avoiding it, we live in a society where appearance is everything. Apple become an icon that we associated with innovative, successful, and cutting edge