9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology.
1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor.
Forward facing and rear facing cameras.
Apple’s iOS 4 and access to Apple’s app store.
Apple iPad X12LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi, White) NEWEST MODEL
This review is from: Apple iPad 2 MC755LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi + Verizon 3G, Black) NEWEST MODEL (Personal Computers)
For anyone out there who is considering whether or not to make the leap and purchase the iPad 2, this review is for you. If you’re still debating between the iPad 1 and the iPad 2 check out my review of the first generation iPad right here on Amazon to see a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses with a number of people commenting (both positively and negatively) over the past 11 months.
Let me begin by saying this upfront, I don’t work for Apple, I don’t own Apple Stock, and whether you buy an iPad, Xoom, a laptop or a pad of paper and pencil I don’t get anything for writing this. I’m not an Apple “fanboy” although I can give credit where credit is due and lately Apple has deserved a lot of credit for some of their products.
Physical Characteristics
The iPad 2 is absurdly thin. More importantly than it’s thinness is its tapered edge which feels more natural in your hand. One of the biggest complaints about the original iPad was it really wasn’t tremendously comfortable to hold for long periods at a time. For a tablet device designed to be held, that’s a pretty big deal. Apple really has done an amazing job of cramming everything into an even smaller space than before and the difference is really noticeable when you’re holding the device. In addition to the tapered edge, Apple managed to reduce the overall weight of the iPad 2. That might not seem like a huge deal to most, especially when you consider the weight difference isn’t tremendous when you’re already under 2 pounds, but I spend a good part of my day holding the iPad in my hands and the weight difference is surprising by the end of the day. The first generation isn’t heavy by any means, but the iPad 2 outshines it.
New and “Improved”
Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB. What does that mean? For most casual users, probably not a whole lot. There is a performance bump that everyone will see the effects of in things like loading times for webpages that are open in the background, but 256MB was sufficient for most daily use and games. If you’re planning to use your device for some of the more graphically intense games the iPad 2 does offer a better method of graphics processing that’ll help deliver faster images with fewer jerky movements. If you’re just playing Angry birds and reading e-mail you’re not going to know the difference.
The screen is the same for all real purposes. It is technically a “new” part in that it isn’t identical to the old, it’s a bit thinner and more efficient, but it’s the same resolution. The Glass is thinner though, and this amounts to a fair bit of the weight loss from one generation to the next. In playing with the device it seems surprising but despite feeling lighter it actually feels more sturdy in your hands. I still wouldn’t suggest dropping it, but if it were to fall the iPad 2 certainly feels like it might stand a better chance to survive. Try not to drop it though.
The addition of 2 cameras was expected. Some were a bit surprised to see the first generation released without the cameras. Whether it was for a price point consideration, or a means to get people to upgrade, Apple held off until iPad 2. The cameras do a reasonable job, but they’re not going to replace a dedicated digital camera, or really even the camera on your phone for most still images. The cameras do a substantially better job with video, and FaceTime is probably one of the best reasons to get the iPad 2 over the original iPad. For those who might not be familiar, FaceTime is Apple’s face to face conferencing system, kind of like Skype, or if you’d rather, kind of like the Jetson’s TV/Phone. With the push of a button you can be having a face to face chat with a loved one just about anywhere in the world (provided they’re on a wireless network at the time). FaceTime doesn’t work over 3G natively (it can be used over a wifi connection created by a 3G device however) so you’re not going to be able to use it in your car anytime soon. This is probably a good thing though. It is incredibly easy to use and if you know other people with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or Mac it’s a lot of fun.
Smart Covers aren’t really “smart” but they’re really very useful. Not only do they provide a stylistic enhancement of the device, but they serve a practical and functional purpose of doubling as a screen protector and stand in 2 configurations. You can find them in a variety of colors and from third market suppliers, and it’s a safe bet that more will be out soon to capitalize on the magnetic sensors in the iPad 2. It’s unfortunate that this same feature can’t somehow be retrofitted to the iPad 1, I wouldn’t have thought a case would be a compelling reason to consider a product over it’s competitor, but these covers are really so useful it’s hard to understand why they’ve not been there since the beginning.
1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor.
Forward facing and rear facing cameras.
Apple’s iOS 4 and access to Apple’s app store.
Apple iPad X12LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi, White) NEWEST MODEL
This review is from: Apple iPad 2 MC755LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi + Verizon 3G, Black) NEWEST MODEL (Personal Computers)
For anyone out there who is considering whether or not to make the leap and purchase the iPad 2, this review is for you. If you’re still debating between the iPad 1 and the iPad 2 check out my review of the first generation iPad right here on Amazon to see a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses with a number of people commenting (both positively and negatively) over the past 11 months.
Let me begin by saying this upfront, I don’t work for Apple, I don’t own Apple Stock, and whether you buy an iPad, Xoom, a laptop or a pad of paper and pencil I don’t get anything for writing this. I’m not an Apple “fanboy” although I can give credit where credit is due and lately Apple has deserved a lot of credit for some of their products.
Physical Characteristics
The iPad 2 is absurdly thin. More importantly than it’s thinness is its tapered edge which feels more natural in your hand. One of the biggest complaints about the original iPad was it really wasn’t tremendously comfortable to hold for long periods at a time. For a tablet device designed to be held, that’s a pretty big deal. Apple really has done an amazing job of cramming everything into an even smaller space than before and the difference is really noticeable when you’re holding the device. In addition to the tapered edge, Apple managed to reduce the overall weight of the iPad 2. That might not seem like a huge deal to most, especially when you consider the weight difference isn’t tremendous when you’re already under 2 pounds, but I spend a good part of my day holding the iPad in my hands and the weight difference is surprising by the end of the day. The first generation isn’t heavy by any means, but the iPad 2 outshines it.
New and “Improved”
Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB. What does that mean? For most casual users, probably not a whole lot. There is a performance bump that everyone will see the effects of in things like loading times for webpages that are open in the background, but 256MB was sufficient for most daily use and games. If you’re planning to use your device for some of the more graphically intense games the iPad 2 does offer a better method of graphics processing that’ll help deliver faster images with fewer jerky movements. If you’re just playing Angry birds and reading e-mail you’re not going to know the difference.
The screen is the same for all real purposes. It is technically a “new” part in that it isn’t identical to the old, it’s a bit thinner and more efficient, but it’s the same resolution. The Glass is thinner though, and this amounts to a fair bit of the weight loss from one generation to the next. In playing with the device it seems surprising but despite feeling lighter it actually feels more sturdy in your hands. I still wouldn’t suggest dropping it, but if it were to fall the iPad 2 certainly feels like it might stand a better chance to survive. Try not to drop it though.
The addition of 2 cameras was expected. Some were a bit surprised to see the first generation released without the cameras. Whether it was for a price point consideration, or a means to get people to upgrade, Apple held off until iPad 2. The cameras do a reasonable job, but they’re not going to replace a dedicated digital camera, or really even the camera on your phone for most still images. The cameras do a substantially better job with video, and FaceTime is probably one of the best reasons to get the iPad 2 over the original iPad. For those who might not be familiar, FaceTime is Apple’s face to face conferencing system, kind of like Skype, or if you’d rather, kind of like the Jetson’s TV/Phone. With the push of a button you can be having a face to face chat with a loved one just about anywhere in the world (provided they’re on a wireless network at the time). FaceTime doesn’t work over 3G natively (it can be used over a wifi connection created by a 3G device however) so you’re not going to be able to use it in your car anytime soon. This is probably a good thing though. It is incredibly easy to use and if you know other people with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or Mac it’s a lot of fun.
Smart Covers aren’t really “smart” but they’re really very useful. Not only do they provide a stylistic enhancement of the device, but they serve a practical and functional purpose of doubling as a screen protector and stand in 2 configurations. You can find them in a variety of colors and from third market suppliers, and it’s a safe bet that more will be out soon to capitalize on the magnetic sensors in the iPad 2. It’s unfortunate that this same feature can’t somehow be retrofitted to the iPad 1, I wouldn’t have thought a case would be a compelling reason to consider a product over it’s competitor, but these covers are really so useful it’s hard to understand why they’ve not been there since the beginning.
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