Tablets need no introduction, they’ve been mesmerizing people for almost 2 years now and without one it’s impossible to claim yourself a tech geek. 2012 turned out to be a feast for the tablet fans.

It wasn’t just about Apple vs Microsoft anymore, other powerhouses jumped on the tablet bandwagon and produced some of the best tablets currently available in the market. Some of the important tablet brands are:

• Apple
• Asus
• Acer
• Amazon
• Sony
• Google
• Microsoft
• Samsung

The fierce competition between these tech giants turned out to be a treat for the tech geeks. In an effort to become the top dog, the world was introduced to some of the very high end tablets by the pioneers of the tech world. The downside of all this is the actual selection of the best tablet on the market. With so many options available to the consumer the best tablet on the market becomes a matter of personal opinion or choice. Essentially there are three factors that constitute this personal choice or opinion.

• Cost
• Operating System
• Specifications

The factors listed above are not in any specific order, everyone prioritizes them according to their own requirements. So the best tablet on the market will be the one that gives you the highest satisfaction in the three categories mentioned above.

Price Range of Tablets:

A common misconception among the populace is that the most expensive thing will be the best. There is no doubt that something of high quality will be expensive but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive. This misconception has been exploited by a lot of powerful brands in the history but none more so than Apple in the computing world. More often, competing brand provides equal if not better features in the same or lesser price range. But usually people are attracted to the popular brand. So while selecting a tablet for yourself keep in mind that the best tablet on the market isn’t the one with the highest price tag.

The tablets currently available in the market are split into three main price ranges; tablets less than $200, tablets ranging from $200-$600 and tablets costing $600+. The screen size is the highest contributor to the price of a tablet. The lower priced tablets come with small screen sizes but as the price range increases the screen size of the tablets follows suit. The tablets in the $600+ range might have the best tablet on the market but that isn’t necessary. However there is a high probability that you’ll find the best tablet on the market in $400-$600 price range. These tablets will have almost all the features that any $600+ priced tablet might have to offer with just a few exceptions.

Tablet Specifications:

If we overlook the cost and operating system of the tablet, it is very much possible to determine the best tablet on the market by just comparing their specifications. The specifications of a tablet include:

• Display size
• Quality of the display
• Display colors
• The weight of the tablet
• Hardware
• Storage capacity
• Battery
• Portability
• Response to the touch on the screen
• Overall size of the tablet
• Another emerging, yet popular feature is the 4g compatibility

Most of the people make up their mind based on these specifications. They set their budget according to what specifications they want in their new tablet. Once they have a shrewd idea of what specifications they need, only then they start planning their budget in order to make the purchase. In this scenario it’s evident that the best tablet on the market for these people might differ a lot. With so many companies actively competing in the market, it’s hard to find all these features in a single tablet. As of yet it’s hard to find all the features listed above in a single tablet. The features listed above are the accumulated characteristics taken from some of the popular tablets available.

Tablets and their Operating Systems:

The operating system is another critical aspect of a tablet. The three major operating systems currently in use are:

• Microsoft’s Window 7 and 8
• Apple’s iOS
• Android

All of these operating system’s have their pros and cons. The app markets of these operating systems are the most important part of its rating and popularity among the users. The app market has to be rich in content and quality. People are more inclined to use the operating system which offers them more content on this domain. For now, Android is leading the charge with iOS not so far behind. However Microsoft’s Windows is struggling to keep up with the pace. But the release of Microsoft Surface might just turn out to be a real trend changer. For a lot of people, the best tablet on the market is categorized by the operating system being used. The Microsoft surface is an extraordinary tablet with high end specifications but concrete and established conclusions can’t be made, yet. Nonetheless Microsoft surface is the best tablet on the market by Microsoft.

To ascertain the best tablet on the market, specific criteria need to be understood and laid down depending on the individual and his/her economic situation. This aids in reaching a swift and logical decision for the selection of the most suitable tablet for that prospective user. Apple’s iPad mini has certainly created waves in the budget friendly domain equipped with the 4g technology it has been introduced to compete with the low cost tablets like Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. When it comes to the low cost tablets iPad mini wins the best tablet on the market award.

In the high cost category there are three main competitors Asus’s Transformer Pad Infinity TF700, Apple’s iPad (4th generation) and Microsoft’s Surface. The Microsoft’s Surface has a new operating system “Windows RT” it is relatively new and the app market is not rich enough. Only because of that reason it misses out on the best tablet on the market award. Apple introduced the tablets to the computing world and the forefathers of tablets haven’t run out of steam yet. The iPad 4th generation is equipped with a high resolution display of 2048 x 1536 with 264ppi giving a tremendous display quality. This and a few other features clearly makes the new iPad to be the best tablet on the market. Starting at $500 compared to Asus’s starting price of $450, the new iPad is indeed the money worth spent.