ElitePad 900 vs iPad 4: Can HP Windows 8 Slate Take a Bite out of Apple Share?

When it comes to tablet market across the globe, Apple iPad/iPad mini dominate the segment till last year, but at the same time the market has shown some waves and ripples in the landscape, which can result in some dramatic changes by the end of 2013.
According to IDC latest report, the popularity of the iPad will fade away to some extent with the diversity in the tablet market. Also, IDC predicted that Android-based devices will make up about 48 percent of the tablet market in 2013, while iPad slates will settle in at 46 percent.

That's quite a drop for Apple, who would fall behind Android for the first time. But, what about Windows 8? IDC assumes that by 2017, Windows 8 tablets will have over 7% of the market share and Windows RT at 3%. That's definitely growth, which will be slow paced due to the presence of two versions of the platform.

Stats aside, so long, iPad was considered as the best business tablet, but now, with the launch of Windows 8 based ElitePad 900, it seems like HP is aiming to take over iPad. The slate has now been made available on Indian retail shelves at a price of Rs 43,500 (32GB variant).

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Now, if HP has to score an upper hand over iPad, the tablet must be having some impressive specifications and features. Analyzing these features clearly will offer the users a clear idea of which is a better one for them. Consequently, Gizbot has come up with a spec comparison of HP ElitePad 900 and iPad 4. Have a look at them below.

Form Factor: ElitePad 900 carries a dimension of 261 x 178 x 9.2 mm and weighs in at 680 grams, whereas, iPad 4 boasts a measurement of 241 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm in dimension and weighs lighter at 652/664 grams for Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi+3G variants.

On the display front, ElitePad 900 packs a larger 10.1 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and offers wide viewing angles.

In comparison, iPad 4 boasts a 9.7 inch LED backlit multi-touch IPS capacitive touchscreen display an eye-popping resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. Also, the display is protected with a fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating.

Further, HP Executive Tablet Pen lets customers write messages and notes in their natural handwriting directly on screen and then save or convert to typed text for use in other applications. However, the stylus has to be purchased separately.

Processor: ElitePad 900 is equipped with a 1.8GHz dual core Intel Atom Z2760 processor and iPad 4 is powered by a dual core A6X. Intel Atom Z2760 is known as Clover Trail and uses Burst technology and Hyper Threading technology. At the same time, Apple A6X processor is based on a 1.4GHz dual core chip and uses integrated quad core PowerVR SGX 554MP4 GPU.

Operating System: The main distinguishing feature between the two tablets is the operating system, as the ElitePad 900 runs on Windows 8 Pro and iPad 4 is based on iOS 6.

Talking about features, Windows has enhanced features like dynamic Live Tile Information, social network integration in the People hub, Skydrive and Office 365 documents synchronization, Facebook-events integrated calendar, visual voicemail, threaded email conversations support and many more.

At the same time, iOS 6 is loaded with 200 new features including Apple Maps, improved Siri, new Safari browser, iCloud cloud storage, deeper integration to Facebook, new PassBook app, PhotoStream app and more.

Camera: ElitePad 900 has an 8MP rear camera and a 1080p front camera for video calling. On the other hand, iPad 4 has a 5MP iSight rear shooter and a 1.2MP front camera with 720p video recording ability.

The iSlght camera will offer features including hybrid IR filter, f2.4 aperture, five element lens, backside illumination and panorama mode.

Storage: ElitePad comes in two variants - 32GB/64GB eMMC internal storage both with 2GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting additional storage. On the other hand, iPad 4 has 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB internal storage and 512MB RAM.

Connectivity: Both ElitePad 900 and iPad 4 come packed with connectivity features including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G (optional). Further, ElitePad 900 has micro USB port allowing it to be connected to other devices, while iPad 4 has Lightning Connector for the same purpose.

Battery: HP ElitePad 900 has a battery offering up to 8 hours backup, which can be enhanced to 19 hours with the accessory called Expansion Jacket. On the other hand, iPad 4 comes loaded with a 42.5 watt-hour Li-Po battery offering 10 of backup.

Price: While HP ElitePad 900 is priced at Rs 43,500, the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi models are priced at Rs 31,900, Rs 37,900 and Rs 43,900 and the Wi-Fi+3G models of the same are priced at Rs 39,900, Rs 45,900 and Rs 51,900 respectively.

Verdict

Both HP ElitePad 900 and Apple iPad 4 are high-end tablets with impressive specifications. However, they will offer different user experience as they are based on different operating systems.

When it comes to ElitePad 900, the tablet is suitable for those consumers who like to have a long battery backup. At the same time, iPad 4 is for those consumers who like to have better camera performance and improved display.

At the end, the buying decision will depend on the users as to which platform they like to work on and based on the price of the device.