But what about the iPad? Ho-hum. You need the run down?
First when you import a RAW files into iPad, it creates an embedded JPG file. You can't open the RAW file but you can see the JPG as a way to identify your photo. Then you can't edit in full resolution, not yet at least but this might change with the next iPad rumored to roll out later in Sept '13
I would love to see some changes made to the way the iPad is able to help photographers but let's face it. Apple isn't going to make that change for one simple reason. It does NOT want the iPad to cannibalize the sales of Macbooks.
You see, from the very onset, a professional photographer needs a machine that will download and edit images on the fly. For this they have the Macbook Pro line of products. If for one moment you think that you can use the iPad, then I am sorry. It's not going to work that way.
The iPad has great software for photo editing. I love using Photogene, but frankly, its only for web image editing. The limited RAM on the iPad isn't going to make things easier. What's more the iPad Retina has a 1GB RAM capacity, while the iPad mini has only 500MB of RAM. Not good for the heavy duty stuff.
Apple will soon announce a new iPad, but when that comes, it will probably have 2GB of RAM but you are limited by the 128GB storage. How many 24 megapixel files can you store there before you run out of space. Even when you shoot judiciously (as oppose to machine gunning your way to a photo) those files will take up far too much space. You need to download these files each time you go on assignment and that's where it hurts.
As a digital workflow tool on location, the iPad has its advantages, it acts like a visual bridge to your photo crew who may not know what sort of lighting you want., or the type of touch up you need done on a model's face. This can also be done on a Android tablet. Yup, it's no different. There are apps that do the same thing on the Google store.
The future is bright for Android devices as hardware wise, it is improving by leaps and bounds while the iPad is still stuck with limited storage (for both internal and external app use). The next big leap for Android is 3GB to 4GB of onboard RAM for its tablets. This allows greater breathing space for apps that require more free memory to move an image. And this is precisely what you need to edit large image files.