It is barely a year since Apple unleashed its original iPad, a game changing device in the world of mobile computing. Now the tablet is firmly established as a niche product: smaller than a laptop or netbook but larger than a smartphone. The Apple iPad might not have been the first tablet device but it was the one that renewed the format for the mobile internet age.
Now, twelve months later, with the original iPad a runaway success, but with other manufacturers getting in on the act in greater numbers, Apple has released the iPad 2. Whenever Apple launches a new, upgraded version of one of its products, you can be sure that the new model will strive for something noticeably different in design compared to its predecessor. This is how Apple uses design to stimulate desire for its products. As well as being thinner than the first iPad, the new model is also lighter, by 80 grams.
Moving on to the technical specifications, if we compare the old iPad with the iPad 2 we can see that there have been some big improvements made. The new unit is powered by an A5 dual core 1 GHz processor chip, which is effectively twice as fast as the single core A4 chip in the old iPad. The iPad 2 has 512 MB of RAM, again twice that of the first generation iPad. Also on the plus side, the iPad 2 features an upgraded graphics engine that is claimed to be nine times faster than the previous version. On the other hand, the iPad 2 screen is the same (1024×768 pixels) as that on the old iPad, so there is no improvement there.
A significant step forward with the iPad 2 is in its provision of two cameras: a rear-facing cam for video and still capture, and a front-facing VGA cam for video chats. In contrast the original iPad had no camera of any kind. Another improvement with the iPad 2 is its inbuilt gyroscope that detects whether the unit is being held horizontally or vertically. This feature aims to counteract an annoying tendency of the old iPad to display images or pages at the wrong orientation if the unit was moved suddenly.
As you might expect, the enhanced hardware of the iPad 2 makes for faster processing and smoother display of some kinds of material. The resolution is not that great, either for capture of video and stills, or for the quality of video chats. This is a little surprising given the superior specifications of the cameras on the iPhone 4. In common with the various iPhones and previous iPad, the iPad 2 does not support Flash, so any websites dependent on this technology (and there are lots of them) will not display on the iPad. In conclusion, we shall try to answer the twin questions of whether you should choose the iPad 2 over another tablet, and also whether existing iPad users should replace their machines. If you put the iPad 2 up against the Xoom, in our opinion the Xoom comes out slightly on top. The Xoom is an Android device, and Android has increasing numbers of fans. The adaptability and flexibility of the Android OS is definitely greater than that of the Apple iOS, but to this day many people, especially those already used to Apple devices, prefer the smoothness of the Apple interface.
If you already own an iPad, you may be wondering whether or not to upgrade. The iPad 2 has an improved, sleeker case and a noticeably zippier performance. You will certainly see a speed difference compared to the old model. Unless you are desperate to be up to date, you should perhaps wait for the iPad 3, or for a discount on the iPad 2, which will probably come at some point when this brand new product has been on the market for a while.
iPad 2 sales have been sky-rocketing. Apple sold close to, or over 500,000 iPad 2s last weekend. Sources claim a sale of 400,000 to 500,000 iPad 2s as compared to 300,000 of the original iPads in its first weekend. There appears to be a large number of sales made to first time owners of iPad.
iPad 2 retailers should be replenishing the tablet stock this week. Buyers also have the option of ordering online through the Apple or the AT&T site.
Apple takes one more step further with the launch of iPad 2
Apple has always been known for introducing products with out-of-the-ordinary designs and innovative features that have never failed to take the consumer market by storm. Today iPod with its several designs and models has been a must-have possession for music lovers.
The launch of iPad
Apple did not stop at that and the market saw the advent of Apple’s popular touchscreen tablet device, the iPad, which went on sale in April of last year. The aesthetics and the ease-of-use of iPad was worth raving about. It soon gained popularity amongst students who preferred studying their notes from the iPad. Right now at the App Store, there are thousands of apps available to download that open a whole new world of features to the iPad. iPad apps are expanding the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom. iBooks on iPad has introduced a novel way to buy and read books.
The world of business apps for iPad will transform the way you work. On iPad, you can review and edit common office documents such as Microsoft Office and iWork files. The increasing popularity was clearly evident from the iPad sales which shot to 7.46 million by September 2010, which was just 6 months after its launch. Though Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a device that would occupy the world between smart phones and laptops, potential customers weren’t convinced because of certain missing and expected features. To mitigate these gaps, Apple unveiled the iPad 2 on March 2. The long anticipated iPad2 will debut the market on March 11, 2011. The iPad 2 has also been rumored to be called “iPad HD”.
Here are some of the upgrades to the iPad2 in comparison to the original iPad:
Faster Processor with great graphics
iPad2 has 2 core processors (dual-core) in one A5 chip. This is an upgrade to the A4 processor in the original iPad. You’ll notice the difference when you’re surfing the web, watching movies, making FaceTime video calls, gaming, and switching from app to app. Multitasking is smoother, apps load faster, and everything just works better.
With up to nine times the graphics performance, playing games on iPad is even faster, smoother and more realistic. Even with the sleeker design and higher power, Apple claims the battery life will still stay the same amazing 10 hours.
FaceTime again with two cameras
iPad2 has 2 cameras – one on the front and one on the back. The Apple fans got a taste of FaceTime with the launch of iPhone 4. It has been gaining so much popularity lately that iPad2 has decided to add the FaceTime functionality to the iPad2 through the two cameras. The front camera puts you and your friend face-to-face.
More variety with Two Colors
iPad2 is available in both black and white whereas the original iPad was only available in black.
Lighter and Thinner in your hands
Apple promises to deliver what it advertises about iPad being ‘Less in your hands, More at your fingertips’.iPad2 will really make you feel the difference when you hold it your hands. iPad2 is up to 15% lighter than the original iPad. The iPad2′s WiFi-only model weighs about 1.3 pounds. iPad2 is 33% thinner than the original iPad. It is 0.34 inch (8.8 mm) thin.
Introducing the iPad Smart Cover
The iPad Smart Cover protects your iPad without adding bulk to its thin, light design. It works with iPad such that the smart magnetic technology built into each really pulls them together. Open the Smart Cover and your iPad wakes up instantly. Close it and your iPad goes to sleep automatically. The smart cover also acts as a perfect stand for the iPad when you are watching movies or playing games.
Undoubtedly, iPad2 will prove to be incredible technology under your fingers. It definitely is up to an individual whether he would like to invest in iPad2 after having invested in the original iPad. The release and sales of the several upgraded versions of iPod and iPhone are excellent examples. It is rumored, that the new targets for 2011 is that Apple will ship up to 4 million iPad2 per month, reaching a total of 40 million iPads for 2011. And despite competition from big brand vendors like Samsung, Motorola and more, analysts predict that iPad2 will continue the Apple’s tablet dominance in the market.
Latest on the iPad2
Unfortunately, Apple is not taking pre-orders for their second generation iPad. Though the sales were enormous, the reality lines were short at Verizon stores since most people pre-ordered online. Apple does not want this to happen again. Apple wants long lines for iPad2 which would provide better advertising for a major Apple product release. March 11 would see many who owned the original iPad upgrading to the newer model, while many others who didn’t get the first generation iPad buying their first iPad.