While Apple gets the lion's share of media coverage, Android smart phones outsell Apple by a 5:1 ratio.

During the most recent 90-day reporting period, 75% of smart phones sold were Androids and only 15% were Apple. Yet based on the media coverage you see, you'd think it was 99% Apple and 1% everybody else!

The thing is, the general public just wants a deal. They're not as wedded to Apple as the media types are.

I was looking at Virgin Mobile, which is a non-contract carrier for smart phones. They offer both the iPhone 4S and various Androids.

The iPhone 4S is $650 because it's unsubsidized as a non-contract purchase. Yet you can get a highly capable Android for $199 non-contract. The difference is that stark.

And if Apple keeps the price of iPads so high, they'll continue to be outsold by Android tablets.

Moreover, a year ago, the number of apps available for iPhone and iPad were many times greater than for Android. But today, it's the opposite. The app developers go where the eyeballs are. Remember that 5:1 ratio I told you about?

So if you've only considered the incredible sleek elegance of Apple, I ask you to reconsider.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do travel with a MacBook Air. I paid an obscene amount of money for it because I travel a lot and it keeps battery power from coast to coast on my flights. I had a very specific reason for buying an Apple in that case.

There's no denying Apple makes works of art. But Android has good ease of use, and then it opens you to the orbit of all non-contract carriers to get a much lower price on your monthly service.

So when you're weighing the iPad 2 versus the Nexus 7 this month, consider the $329 versus $199 price tag. After all, it's your money!