Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
The iPad 2 remains a self-coloured selection , thanks to its lower monetary value and inviolable app pick .
The newfangled iPad 2.A twelvemonth ago , nobody had an iPad . Then Apple sold 15 million of them in just nine month , creating a whole new class of technology Cartesian product . The iPad may have become , in the words of Steve Jobs , “ the most successful consumer product ever launched . ”
It turns out that a great deal of people saw the iPad ’s appeal : it ’s a supremely portable gadget that ’s well suited for checking your east - ring mail , browse the WWW , playing games , reading Book and other material you get off the net , and even forgetting work done . Kidsand the elderly have cover it .
The new iPad 2.
It ’s awful voiceless to follow such a massive success , but that ’s the task sic out for Apple ’s new iPad 2 , which goes on sale Friday . At least the iPad 2 has this go for it : the original model caught the technology industry so flat - footed that only now are on-key challenger begin to seem .
Those competition will now face up a newfangled iteration of the iPad , one that ’s quicker , pocket-size , and lighter than the model preface a class ago — all while retaining the $ 499 entry toll that has establish all but impossible for Apple ’s contender to match . It ’s almost unfair .
A game of inches (and ounces)
Call it job ’s Law if you like : The recent version of any Apple product is likely to be slender and lighter than its predecessor . And so it is with the iPad 2 . The size of it conflict between the original iPad and the iPad 2 may seem slight , but that ’s only because we ’re dealing with such minuscule products to start with . But for products this belittled , every ounce and fraction of an inch count .
The iPad 2 measure 7.31 by 9.5 by 0.34 in , and weighs in at 1.33 pounds ( in the case of the Wi - Fi - only version , that is — the AT&T and Verizon 3 G versions are .01 and .02 pound heavier ) . That means Apple shaved .17 dog pound off the Wi - Fi variation and .26 to .27 pound off the 3 yard version . The iPad 2 is also .16 in narrower , .06 column inch short , and .16 inch thinner than the original iPad .
A topic of small degree , to be trusted , until you deal the portion alteration : the iPad 2 is more or less two - thirds the heaviness of the original iPad , and 88 percent of its weight ( 83 percent when comparing 3 G framework ) . Pick up an iPad 2 after handle an original iPad , and you ’ll notice the difference justly away . This is a light , slender gimmick .
The iPad 2’s back is a single curved surface. The sleep/wake button (left) is perched on the curve. Also pictured here: the rear-facing camera and the orientation/mute switch.
The iPad 2 ’s back is a single curved surface . The quietus / wake button ( left ) is perch on the curved shape . Also pictured here : the rear - facing camera and the orientation / deaf-and-dumb person permutation .
to knock off off that .16 inch of heaviness , Apple has transformed the anodized aluminum back control board of the iPad . The original model ’s back panel was a skeletal system with four flat edge and a gently veer back aerofoil . The iPad 2 eschews the frame , opt for a single airfoil that much more apace transitions from curve to savourless . ( This has the effect of take a shit the iPad 2 much less shaky than the original when laid on a compressed surface . )
Without those edges , the iPad 2 ’s ports and button are now positioned on a wind portion of the back panel , rather than on its side . The feel is quite different , a moment like reverting the flat airfoil of the iPhone 4 to the curving back of an iPhone 3G. A few times I find myself struggle to insert cables into the iPad 2 ’s dock connector at the proper angle because I was confused by the curve ball of the back panel .
The last result of all this slimming down is that the iPad 2 is easier to handle than the original framework . In my review of the original iPad , I said it was “ lumbering enough and slippery enough that I found it difficult to hold in one hand . ” In fact , the original iPad turned out to be a product that really demanded a typeface of some sort , just to make it gentle to wield .
The iPad 2 is easy to carry with one hand , and the decrease weight cook it easier to hold for longer menstruum of time . But if you ’re plan on using the iPad 2 to read a wad , you ’ll still see yourself prop up it against your bureau or define it on a tabular array — the lozenge is still not easy enough to hold in one hand for extended menstruation of prison term . ( For that , you ’ll need something more on the scale of measurement of theAmazon Kindle 3 , which is less than half the exercising weight of the iPad 2 . )
Eighteen variations on a theme
The original iPad come in six different fluctuation — Wi - Fi - only and Wi - Fi/3 guanine versions , each usable with 16 GB , 32 GB , or 64 GB of repositing . The product was such a strike that Apple apparently decided that even more variations would be estimable — as a result , there are 18 different versions of the iPad 2 . It ’s a picayune half-baked .
The storage variation remains : every mannikin is useable in 16 GB , 32 GB , or 64 GB capacity . you’re able to also choose an iPad with either a traditional pitch-dark bezel or a new white bezel — which Apple take a firm stand will be available on day one , despite the company ’s failure in ever shipping the promised white version of the iPhone 4 . That ’s six variations right there . Now multiply them by three , since the iPad 2 comes in a Wi - Fi - only interpretation as well astwoseparate Wi - Fi/3 GB versions : one compatible with AT&T ’s GSM - based cellular meshing , and a unlike one compatible with Verizon ’s CDMA - based mesh . ( Apple seems to be secern between the two by concern to the AT&T model as “ 3 G with Micro - SIM card . ” )
The good intelligence is that the iPad 2 price just what the original iPad did . The basis - fashion model Wi - Fi editions be $ 499 ( 16 GB ) , $ 599 ( 32 GB ) , and $ 699 ( 64 GB ) . Both sets of Wi - Fi/3 G models be $ 130 more than their Wi - Fi counterparts . There ’s no monetary value conflict for lily-white or black model .
What hasn’t changed
Though it ’s tenuous and lighter , the iPad 2 , at a glimpse , depend very much like the original iPad . Its front is a sheet of chalk over a hopeful 1024 - by-768 - pixel showing surrounded by a bezel ( again , now available in smutty or white ) that ’s going to be necessary so long as man get the picture with opposable thumbs . The aluminium frame around the exterior of the bezel of the original iPad has been reduced to a fragile edge , almost only invisible , in the iPad 2 .
The position of the iPad 2 ’s push and ports are , alike , more or less undisturbed . There ’s a sopor / wake button at the top right sharpness , a standard earpiece jack at top pass on , a volume rocker and a sliding switch ( configurable to lock screen orientation or mute alert vocalize via the configurations app ) at the top of the right-hand side , a 30 - fall sour grass connector port at the bottom , and a base button at the bottom of the front face . The iPad 2 ’s build - in microphone is dead sum at the top sharpness of the gadget — it was next to the headphone jack on the original iPad . Both 3 G model feature a black credit card cutout along the top rear face in Holy Order to ameliorate cellular receipt ; the AT&T 3 gravitational constant fashion model also has a micro - SIM notice slot along the top left edge .
Dual-core speed
The iPad 2 uses a new Apple - project processor called the A5 , which is making its first appearance on the scenery . Apple is loosely cagy about tech specification for products like the iPhone and iPad , but by all accounts , the A5 is a dual - nucleus version of the 1GHz A4 chip that powers the iPhone 4 and the original iPad . The iPad 2 also has 512 MB of RAM — twice that of the original iPad — and a 200MHz autobus pep pill , likewise doubly that of the original .
Because the A5 is a dual - core processor , Apple claims the iPad 2 can run at speeds up to double over that of the original iPad . As with any dual - core central processing unit , the key about “ up to double ” is that software system must be optimized to take vantage of multiple processor cores , or that speed goes to waste . This is the first dual - core processor to appear on an iOS equipment , and it ’ll be interesting to see under what consideration the A5 is observably faster than the A4 , and when it ’s not .
But processor f number is n’t the only part of the system that determines how it execute . Graphics performance has become a major component in determining how tight a computing equipment feels . And Apple says that the graphics performance on the iPad 2 is as much as nine time quicker than on the original iPad .
The iPad 2 with a leather Smart Cover.
So does the iPad 2 measure up to Apple ’s claim ? Absolutely , though it ’s toilsome to determine whether the treble - core processor or the improved graphics execution deserve the credit . ( Maybe the question is disputable . ) From the moment I started using the iPad 2 with conversant apps from my original iPad , I could tell that the system of rules was riotous . I suppose scrolling through tweet in Twitterrific on my iPad was still as can be … until I scrolled through the tweet list on the iPad 2 . Everything feel smooth , and particular loaded quicker .
Part of the speed hike , especially when I started to screen performance in Safari , believably demand to be credit to iOS 4.3 , which embark with the iPad 2 and include a striking improvement to Safari ’s JavaScript engine . When I installed the golden master version of iOS 4.3 on an original iPad , performance improved as well . But even when both devices were run iOS 4.3 , the iPad 2 was 1.6 times as fast as the original in start the SunSpider JavaScript run , and 1.9 time as fast as an iPhone 4 running the iOS 4.3 golden master .
In light , the iPad 2 is the truehearted iOS twist ever made , by a recollective scene . And it ’s not just an pedantic note : you may sense the speed when you use it , because everything ’s quicker and smoother than it was on the original iPad .
The Apple Digital AV Adapter gives the iPad 2 the ability to output HD video and mirror its own screen.
iOS speed tests
good outcome inbold .
All gimmick test with iOS 4.3 except where otherwise take note . All outcome are in s . Sunspider is a WebKit JavaScript performance trial , with results in seconds . internet Page examination measured telephone number of seconds to load www.nytimes.com in its entirety . Do n’t be surprised by the faster startup clock time of the iPad 1 running iOS 4.2 ; iOS devices without cellular radios have much shorter startup times than those with cellular radios , for whatever grounds .
Despite the cost increase in processing superpower , Apple claim that the iPad 2 has the same ten - hour battery life as the original model . In most a hebdomad of use , I never saw a reason to disbelieve the claim . The iPad ’s all - twenty-four hour period battery life story , perhaps its killer feature , stay integral .
iMovie for iPad.
Cameras and FaceTime
The original iPad debuted just before Apple squeeze video New World chat with its FaceTime software and added a front - facing television camera to the iPhone . ( It subsequently added both front- and bottom - face tv camera to the iPod spot . ) With the iPad 2 , the company has impart two cameras to all of its mobile iOS equipment .
The camera in the iPad 2 are fundamentally the same as those in the fourth - multiplication iPod touch : it ’s nice that they ’re there , but they ’re not particularly impressive in terms of quality . The front - facing television camera is the same one used in the iPhone 4 and the iPod trace , offering only VGA resolution ( 640 by 480 pixels ) . It ’s grainy in dispirited - light setting , but is perfectly serviceable for its intended role , which is TV chat .
FaceTime work on the iPad 2 much like it work on the iPod speck ; in the options app you lumber in with an Apple ID and typeset an e - chain mail address to apply as your FaceTime “ number , ” so people can call you . From the FaceTime app , you may call people in your liaison heel and set pet . ( FaceTime on the iPad is , like FaceTime on the iPhone 4 , keep going only over Wi - Fi connections . )
Once you ’ve connect , the iPad ’s larger covert unquestionably let out the depleted tone of FaceTime video ( whether it ’s triggered by the low - quality tv camera or the acute bandwidth required by a lively video recording chat , or both , is arguable ) . Still , the TV is good enough to be usable . The iPad ’s size , however , makes it a bit ungainly as a FaceTime machine . It ’s hard to have a long conversation while holding the iPad in your hand . Propping the pad of paper on a tabletop or in your circle works better ; propping it up with Apple ’s Smart Cover in typecast view commit my interlocutor a overnice view of my ceiling fan , while putting it in the Smart Cover ’s movie - view position made me hump down to get in the frame .
The rearward camera on the iPad 2 appear to be identical to the one found on the iPod touch . ( It ’s positioned just beneath the rest button on the back side of the machine , create a challenge for iPad casemakers everywhere . ) Apple touts this camera as being “ for TV , ” and there ’s a intellect : as a still camera it ’s about seven - ten percent of a megapixel , with poor public presentation in low - light condition . But it ’s capable of frivol away 720p HD video and , in well - light environments , the timbre is comely .
I ’m not sure I ’m ever going to hold up the iPad 2 and habituate it as a television camera , but it does workplace — and most authoritative , you may habituate that tv camera from within FaceTime , so you may shoot video of your kids dementedly move around and send it all back to grandma .
Pick your 3G network
Apple ’s relationship with Verizon Wireless in the United States continues to intensify . The first sign of an alliance was whenVerizon start out selling iPadsin its stores , bundle up with a MiFi wireless router . Then came the Verizon iPhone 4 .
Now , at last , there ’s an iPad that can use Verizon ’s cellular data web without needing to tote around some other piece of tech . This mean that iPad 2 owners can choose between AT&T ’s ( mostly faster ) 3 g-force connection and Verizon ’s ( generally more reliable ) 3 yard connection . That ’s the secure news . The bad news is , iPad 2 vendee will demand to decide up front which web they want to use — there are disjoined models for each web , so once you ’ve buy a Verizon iPad 2 , there ’s no way to trade it to practice AT&T ’s web ( or frailty versa ) .
The iPad 2 ’s connexion to AT&T ’s web has been upgrade from the original iPad model . Like the iPhone 4 , the iPad 2 supports AT&T ’s HSUPA / HSDPA organisation , which will lead in faster 3 G transfer in area where that protocol is available . I get by a 2.2 - mbps upload rate and a 1.1 - mbps download rate from my sign , comparable to the fastness I saw from the iPhone 4 on AT&T ’s web . ( Apple did n’t provide us with a Verizon - compatible version of the iPad 2 for review , but its transport rates will in all likelihood be similar to those on the Verizon - compatible iPhone 4 — generally dense than AT&T ’s . )
If you live in a topographic point where both carriers offer good reportage , then deciding which mannequin to grease one’s palms will prove to be an interesting challenge . Thedata plans extend by the two companiesdiffer , though they ’re broadly speaking competitive with one another . If you do n’t use much information , AT&T has an advantage with its $ 15 - a - month plan for 250 Bachelor of Medicine of data . If you use more than 3 GB per calendar month , Verizon becomes the better batch . In between , it ’s a toss - up . ( AT&T also tender a post - pay off plan that can be tot up to your phone measure and offers better overage rates . )
If you locomote internationally , the AT&T iPad is a better deal , since it uses the GSM banner that ’s more widely in use internationally . And since the iPad is an unbarred cellular gimmick , you may corrupt a extraneous micro - SIM poster and pull through a lot on data rates by not paying AT&T ’s expensive roaming direction .
Then there ’s the motion of whether you take to buy an iPad 2 with 3 GB at all . Many smartphones — including the iPhone 4 — have a Wi - Fi - ground hotspot feature that allow them apportion their Internet connections with other devices . Verizonand AT&T tear $ 20 a calendar month for the feature , which make out with 2 GB of data . ( AT&T ’s plan need a user to also be on the $ 25 a month Data Pro architectural plan . ) Two gigabytes for $ 20 is a pretty good deal when compared to the iPad 3 G plans ( other than AT&T ’s ultracheap 250 MB design ) . So if you , your iPad , and your iPhone ( or other smartphone with a personal - hotspot feature film ) are seldom parted , you might be respectable off saving the $ 130 and buying a Wi - Fi - only model .
There are a lot of variables here , clearly . But once you ’ve chosen your iPad 2 , you ’re lock up in , so it ’s wise to view your choice before you buy . The safe news show is , if you pass $ 130 for a 3 G example , there ’s no contract to signal and you ’re not required to buy a data plan — so the extra cost of the 3G - equipped iPad might not be too much to spend if you are n’t sure and desire to keep your options open . You ’ll still have to peck between Verizon and AT&T , however .
One final wrinkle to the 3 gee buying decision : Only 3 G iPad models fare with GPS capabilities . There ’s a right reason for this — iOS equipment use something calledassisted GPSto dramatically decrease the amount of time it take for the devices to square up their emplacement . ( Despite the name , this is not some sort of phony GPS — theassistedjust means that the devices look for nearby cellular towboat to get a general locating on their location , which prevents a minutes - foresightful Global Positioning System scan that would be required on a GPS equipment without the cellular assist . ) In any event , if you dream of using your iPad as a jumbo GPS navigation console table , you ’ll absolutely need a 3 K model .
Smart accessories abound
With the release of the iPad 2 , Apple is also unblock several accessories related to the iPad 2 .
The iPad 2 with a leather Smart Cover .
Most notable is the Smart Cover , usable in either leather ( $ 69 ) or polyurethane ( $ 39 ) . A Smart Cover magnetically adheres to the side of the iPad 2 and protects the front , locking and unlock the iPad when you open up and close down the masking . It ’s pretty swell , and it sets the bar pretty high-pitched for all future iPad 2 add-on . To read a whole lot more about it , be sure to say myiPad 2 Smart Cover review .
But there are other supplement : the $ 39 Apple Digital AV adapter finally permit open iOS machine expose HD video on HDTV , and even permit the iPad 2 mirror its own blind on an international display . ( Read on fordetails , or see ourfull critique . )
There ’s also a new $ 29 iPad 2 Dock , which I was n’t able to test . Like the original iPad Dock , it allow you to set your iPad upright in portrait orientation and charge , sync , or even play audio- or video - out . Now the bad tidings : The iPad 2 and the original iPad ’s dock connective are different enough that accessories that tightly fit to the ironware wo n’t be compatible with the new model , so you credibly wo n’t be able to recycle many of your iPad accessories if you buy an iPad 2 . Apple also seems to have discontinued the iPad Keyboard Dock entirely . ( No great loss , in my sentiment — you’d be better off with a bob or a case and the fantabulous $ 69 Apple Wireless Keyboard , a combination that allows you typewrite in either portrait or landscape predilection , rather than the forced portrait predilection of the Keyboard Dock . )
A video breakthrough
The Apple Digital AV Adapter give the iPad 2 the ability to output HD video and mirror its own screen . One of the most sunnily surprising features of the iPad 2 is its improved backing for high-definition television and HD video . A combination of iPad 2 hardware upgrades , a new adapter from Apple , and updates to the Io share the credit , but the ending result is great news for both entertainment and breeding .
On the amusement side , the fresh Apple Digital AV Adapter lets the iPad 2 spread out its wings . With this adapter , the iPad 2 can output high - definition video at resolution up to 1080p , as well as Dolby Digital environ sound , all served via a stock HDMI cable that the owner of any high-definition television will be familiar with .
I toy back several HD video files on several dissimilar HDTV via the iPad 2 and the HDMI adapter , and the TV quality was excellent . The unfitness to output HD video has been a sore spot on the Io since the passing of the original iPad , but now that it ’s here , it looks ( and sounds ) great .
Exclusive to the iPad 2 that will be hailed by pedagogue , presenters , and anyone else who has ever want to show off their iPad ’s sieve to a large bunch : telecasting mirroring . When connected to the HDMI transcriber , the iPad 2 will display a duplicate interpretation of the subject matter of its screen on an external proctor . Want to demo an education app via a projector or HDTV for a classroom full of kids ? The iPad 2 makes it possible .
In mirroring manner , the iPad ’s interface is crystallization clear . It looks great . Because the iPad ’s video interface is a 4:3 panorama proportion , you ’ll find black bar on the sides of the TV when in mirroring mood . The bars farm even wider if you put the iPad in portrait orientation course , but the image of an iPad 2 in portrait mode still look good — albeit little — on an high-definition television .
On a few TVs I try , however , I needed to adjust the picture preferences in ordering to display the entire picture . It depends on how your TV set figure HD content ; my advice is to fiddle with the picture options until you get a pictorial matter that pleases you .
For the track record , the iPad 2 ’s mirroring mode and its video - out mode do n’t fight with each other . If an app affirm direct video recording output to an external display , the iPad stops mirror and switches to that mode . In summation to the Video app , there are lots of other model : Keynote employ the external display as a intro screen , for instance .
The software story
iMovie for iPad . The iPad 2 arrives with a new version of the operating system that powers the iPhone , iPad , and iPod touch . This version , iOS 4.3 , is hardly earth - shattering , but does offer a few nice new feature film .
Third - party apps can now take advantage of streaming picture via AirPlay , the system that let iOS devices stream audio and video to various devices , most notably the second - generation Apple TV . The Videos and iPod apps can now connect to Macs or PCs tend iTunes via the Home Sharing system of rules , stand for — at long last!—you could stream euphony or videos from any Mac or PC in your house to your iOS gimmick , elsewhere on your local web .
In iOS 4.3 , the chute electric switch on the iPad can be put to use in one of two manner : It can either function as an orientation - lock replacement , as it did when the iPad was first released ; or it can function as a mute replacement for watchful sound , as it did upon the release of iOS 4.2 . In Io 4.3 , substance abuser can choose either behavior via the options app . Now ca n’t we all just get along ?
There are a lot of other add-on to iOS 4.3 ; stay tune to Macworld.com for our full report on iOS 4.3 , which is forthcoming .
Along with the new version of the operating system , Apple is introducing two apps as a part of the iPad 2 launching . One , iMovie , is an update to the existing rendering of iMovie that runs on the iPhone 4 and iPod touch . The other , GarageBand , is an all - new app for the iPad . Both apps are excellent , show off the power of the iPad , the iOS , and , specifically , the iPad 2 .
It ’s interesting that for the original iPad launch , Apple showcased three $ 10 iWork apps : Keynote , Numbers , and Pages . It commit a substance that the iPad could be used for productivity , not just for consumption . And in the intervene 11 months , we ’ve date all sorting of interesting productivity applications resign for the iPad . ( Along with lots of games . ) The iPad app ecosystem launched strong and has go on to produce , take it one of the iPad ’s with child advantage over competing tablets .
This time out , Apple has launched its fresh iPad with a couple of $ 5 creativity apps . What ’s the message ? In the case of iMovie , it ’s clearly tied to the existence of the iPad ’s cameras . Now you may shoot video with the iPad ( ideally the HD - capable rear - face one ) and then cut it right within iMovie . Apple ’s also enable a video workflow that starts with telecasting shot on an iPhone 4 , and then ends up being transferred to an iPad 2 for redaction . For more of my impression after pass a few days with iMovie , check out my hands - on with iMovie for iPad .
GarageBand for iPad is an almost breathtaking accomplishment . At times it feels more responsive than GarageBand go on the later - modelling iMac on my desk at employment . strum its “ smart guitars ” made me almost feel musical , and I was able to produce a ( terrible ) continue translation of Fountains of Wayne ’s “ Hey Julie ” in about 30 second , sodding with vocals , guitar , bass , drums , and organ . My nine - class - old girl was entranced with the app as well .
GarageBand for iPad is n’t as full - have as theMac version , but neither does it find like a toy version . It ’s a material app with a spate of real power , and I ’d envisage that it will become madly popular in schooltime and garages everywhere . For more information , check out myfirst look at GarageBand for iPad .
Both apps do hurt from one of the great weakness of the iOS : trouble in getting files in and out and move them around . To move an iMovie project from the iPhone to the iPad , for example , you ’ve got to ( 1 ) export the file on the iPhone , ( 2 ) link up it to a Mac , ( 3 ) go to iTunes , ( 4 ) click the Apps tablet , ( 5 ) scroll down , ( 6 ) select iMovie , ( 7 ) select your project , ( 8) click Save to put it on your hard private road ; and then you have to ( 9 ) detach your iPhone , ( 10 ) attach your iPad , ( 11 ) select it in iTunes , ( 12 ) select the Apps tab , ( 13 ) scroll down , ( 14 ) select iMovie , and then ( 15 ) puff your project back into iTunes .
Apple , there ’s got to be a better fashion . perchance in iOS 5 ?
Should you upgrade?
Let ’s say you are one of those 15 million people who bought an iPad last yr . Now there ’s a new iPad . Should you dump your old one and get a Modern one ?
Though the iPad 2 is an improvement on the original iPad in numerous way , it ’s still an evolutionary product , not a radical one . If you ’re happy with your current iPad , there ’s no ground to plunge it just because there ’s a shinier , Modern one . ( This is not to say that millions of people wo n’t do just that . I mean : shining ! ) If you ’ve invested in iPad accessories such as a dockage or case , keep in judgement that you likely wo n’t be capable to utilise them with the new iPad .
Of course , if there ’s someone in your family who has been clamoring for an iPad , now might be the prison term to buy an iPad 2 and pass on down the old model to them — or , if you ’re really gracious , give them the new iPad while you soldier on with the Greco-Roman manakin .
If you ’ve become a major substance abuser of FaceTime or other video - Old World chat apps on your iPhone or iPod trace , upgrading to an iPad 2 makes more sense , thanks to the integrate cameras . People who want to impart an iPad on an old friend or congeneric who is a bit reluctant to practice technology can now impart video chat to the mixture of feature that make the iPad a compelling twist for the older readiness .
Finally , if you hold up somewhere with great Verizon response and you ’re stuck with an AT&T iPad , trading up the Verizon model is worth count … but you might need to also consider adding a tethering program to a Verizon smartphone and deactivating your existing iPad ’s monthly service .
Macworld’s buying advice
Your browser app does not brook iframes .
The iPad was a huge hit , vastly surpassing anyone ’s expectations for it . ( In my review last twelvemonth , I set a roof for success at 10 million , meaning my most affirmative approximation was stillfive million iPadsshort . )
It ’s hard to bet against Apple these days . The ship’s company is on a roll , not only in damage of gross revenue but in price of product purpose . Less than a yr on from the original iPad , the iPad 2 is an improvement that does n’t divert any of the iPad ’s powerful impulse . It ’s the original iPad , only more so — even smaller , even thinner , even faster than before .
If you ’re one of those people who practices remarkable exploit of self - discipline when it comes to buying first - generation ironware products , it ’s time to celebrate : the second iPad is here , and you could at long last quench your thirstiness . By waiting , you ’ll terminate up with a faster , lighter mathematical product with the same expectant price and barrage fire life — and with two telecasting camera and television - mirroring capabilities , to boot .
For Apple ’s competitors in the pad - gimmick grocery , the iPad 2 is a bucket of water to the case . After more than a year of struggling to catch up to the original iPad , here ’s a raw model that address many of the iPad ’s deficiencies , dramatically improves its speed , and does n’t deliver any ground on cost , features , or battery life . The iPad 2 raise the bar Apple set a year ago — and it ’s prison term for the repose of the industry to scramble again to charm up .
For everyone else , the iPad 2 is a victory , an iPad that ’s evenmoreiPad than the archetype . And the original one was really good . The first iPad was a bolt of lightning from the blue , a gadget that define an intact category , and a knotty routine to follow . The iPad 2 comply it with aplomb .
