And the cheapest ones are pretty awful. CNet, PC World, ZDNet, all the usual suspects tend to have the same few tablets at the top of the list, and the cheapest of those is the Nexus 7 at $200. The Samsung Galaxy Tab/Note and Asus Transformer round out pretty much everyone's list, and they range from about the same price as the iPad to $100 less.
Don't get me wrong. I see the appeal of a cheap little sub-$100 Android tablet; it's adequate for an e-reader and media player, and it has a Web browser. But where they cut costs tends to be with less-responsive touch screens, lower-quality displays, and slower processors. The user experience isn't comparable to any of the top-shelf tablets, iPad included.
Depends on the use. For just light couch surfing and email or kid use low end tablets work fine. For higher end stuff I would go with a Samsung or a Surface. I see no rationale to go with any Apple products.