Geek Girl Report: Nokia vs. Apple – Which Tablet Comes Out On Top?

Last week was a busy week for the tablet market. Not only did Apple announce the latest iteration of their wildly popular iPad, but competitors Nokia also threw their dog in the fight by coming out with a new tablet of their own on the same day: October 22nd. But after the digital dust settles, which tablet will come out on top at the consumer favorite? Here's a closer look at our contenders:

Apple's iPad Air and iPad Mini

As one would expect from Apple, the launch of their newest iPad was met with plenty of pomp and circumstance, but surprisingly from Apple,. not a whole lot of innovation. The new iPad, dubbed the "iPad Air," is about 20% thinner than the regular iPad and is the lightest tablet on the market, weighing in at only 1 pound. It also features the same 64-bit A7 processor that Apple added to their much highly-touted iPhone 5S. At the same event, Apple also announced a new version on the iPad Mini, boasting the same A7 processor and an improved retina display.

Sure, the new iPad looks snazzy, but it's no great leap ahead for Apple. It's more a case of them maintaining their status quo as leaders of the tablet market instead of trying to do something new and innovative, a trend that they've seem to be stuck on since the passing of company founder Steve Jobs. However, there's no doubt it will still sell like crazy, if for no other reason than simply because it's an Apple product.

 
Nokia's Lumina 2520

The other competitor in this race is the Lumina 2520, the first Windows tablet from Nokia. Nokia tried to get a leg up on Apple by making their press release several hours ahead of the iPad announcement, . The tablet itself runs the latest version of Windows RT 8.1, Microsoft's mobile operating system, but is much more powerful and runs smoother than the previous Microsoft Surface with a 2.2 GHz Quad-core processor. It also has an gorgeous 1920x1080 display, one of the most impressive ever seen on a tablet.

The Lumina looks nice, but is in many ways identical to the Surface 2, which also released on October 22nd. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering Microsoft is now the parent company of Nokia. In fact, about the only thing that separates the Lumina for the Surface is an extra $50 and a shiny red back plate. I really don't get why these two companies would release near identical products. But whether it's to create the illusion of competition or just lack of ideas, the only tablet battle here will be between Nokia and Microsoft. With over 80% of the tablet market in its back pocket, Apple's the clear victor here.