The Battle of the Tablets: JooJoo Vs iPad
There’s a lot of buzz about Apple’s iPad and the delay in the UK release due to huge demand in the US.
In comparison, there’s been very little talk about the iPad’s main rival, the JooJoo Tablet, which is a shame as it’s shaping up to be a serious competitor.
Stylistically the two devices are very similar with minimalist black border, brushed aluminium back and slightly curved profile. For my taste the JooJoo has too high a widescreen ratio, leaving it looking stretched in portrait mode.
Courtesy of Fusion Garage
Courtesy of Apple
Looking at the specifications side-by-side, it doesn’t measure up too badly technically either – bigger screen, faster processor, built-in camera and a USB port.
| JooJoo | iPad | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Atom 1.6GHz | Apple A4 1GHz |
| Graphics | Nvidia Ion | Not provided |
| Screen Size | 12.1″ widescreen | 9.7″ widescreen |
| Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1024 x 768 |
| Connectivity | WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, EDR | WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, EDR; +3G |
| Storage | 4GB SSD | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB |
| Connectors | Charger port, 1 x USB, Microphone, 3.5mm headphone | Charger port, Microphone, 3.5mm headphone, Micro SIM card (3G) |
| Camera | Yes | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Ambient light | Accelerometer, Ambient light |
| Dimensions | 324.5mm x 199mm x 18.9mm | 242.8mm x 189.7mm x 13.4mm |
| Weight | 1.1kg | 0.68kg (WiFi), 0.73 (WiFi + 3G) |
| Price | £319 | £429 (16GB WiFi) to £699 (64GB WiFi + 3G) |
Having not yet had my hands on either device it’s difficult to compare the real-world performance of the two, but press comments on the JooJoo have been favourable so far. After spending some time with it Charles Arthur, the Guardian’s Tech editor, described the JooJoo as “an iPad on steroids“.
So the JooJoo looks to be a serious contender in the tablet arena and, in the short term at least, the fact that it is available in the UK gives it a huge opportunity to grab some market share. Once the iPad is with us (current indications from Apple is that we should begin seeing it mid-May, but stock is likely to be short during the intial rush) the playing field gets a bit more interesting. The JooJoo is likely to be the winner on price, as Apple products in the UK tend to be around 20-25% more than their US conterparts, which would put the basic iPad at around £400. The iPad’s big plus-point will be the App Store and the larger on-board storage to accomodate files, making it a viable device even without Internet access; by comparison the JooJoo could feel a little limited. I suspect the final decision will come down to personal taste.
For me? It’s a difficult call, on paper the JooJoo looks like a good choice. My head likes the linux based system, USB and flash support. That being said, I think the iPad may have stolen my heart with this…