Apple products have become some of the most desired items in the technology world. The problem with buying Apple products is that they are usually much more expensive than the rival goods released by their competitors. While Apple products often have the highest reviews because of their user friendliness, there are some great alternatives to their items that match or exceed what they can do. Here are five great alternatives to some of the most famous Apple products.
1. Motorola Droid Razr Maxx over the Apple iPhone 4S
The Droid Razr Maxx is the same price as a 32GB iPhone 4S and it is $100 cheaper than a 64GB 4S. Not only is it cheaper than the top iPhone, but the Maxx also has a 4.3 inch display compared the 3.5 inch screen of the 4S. The biggest difference between these two phones is that the Motorola phone runs on Verizon’s 4G LTE network while Apple’s phone only runs on 3G. Considering the fact that the 4G LTE network runs nearly 10 times as fast as the 3G network, the iPhone is very overpriced for the technology it uses. On a side note, this June, 2012, the Maxx officially passed the iPhone as Verizon’s top selling phone.
2. HP Folio 13 over the MacBook Air
The HP Folio 13 is very similar to the current model of MacBook Airs being sold by Apple. The Air and Folio have roughly the same screen size, dimensions, weight, memory, and run at equivalent speeds. In terms of battery life, the fully charged battery of a Folio laptop will last about nine hours, while the fully charged battery of the Air will only last about seven hours. HP’s laptop also comes with free Microsoft Office software. Considering everything, the Air and Folio are pretty identical in terms technology and performance. While the Apple laptop may have a more attractive design, it costs $1,300 and the Folio only costs $900.
3. Asus Transformer Prime over the iPad 3
Companies like Sony, Samsung, and Archos have been trying to come up with a tablet than can match the iPad, but so far have been unsuccessful. However, Asus’ new Transformer tablet not only matches the iPad, it outperforms it. To begin with, the Transformer Prime costs $500 for the 32GB version, while the iPad costs $500 for only the 16GB version. The Prime is also lighter and skinnier than its rival even though it has a slightly larger screen. Apple’s tablet carries a 5-mexapixel camera with only a one sans flash. Asus’ tablet on the other hand boasts an impressive 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. Other things that the Prime has that the iPad doesn’t include an HDMI-out, a USB port, longer battery life, Adobe Flash, expandable memory, and a GPS on all of their devices.
4. HP TouchSmart 610 over 21.5 inch iMac
Both the TouchSmart 610 and 21.5 inch iMac start at about $1,500 so they are similar in price. The difference is that you get much more for your money with the TouchSmart than you do with the iMac. HP’s desktop has a 23 inch screen, a 26 percent faster processor, twice as much memory, twice as much storage, a TV tuner, a better speaker system, and a Blue-Ray DVD player. The TouchSmart is clearly the better choice over Apple’s iMac in this competition.
5. Roku 2 over Apple TV
Apple TV is one of the few popular Apple products that is priced evenly with its competition. It costs $99 for the box, which is the exact same price that the top version of the Roku 2 is sold for. Both devices are ready to use with Netflix and run at about the same speed. What the Roku 2 has that Apple TV doesn’t is games, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, and it works with both HD and non-HD televisions. If your a sports fan, then you definitely want to go for the Roku 2 over the Apple TV because the Roku has a variety of subscription services to watch all of your favorite sports teams live.
