iPad 2 Chat Thread

[jefXfree]

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both on the front and rear. The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 2 and stretching up to $829 for a WiFi + 3G SKU with 64GB of storage. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p -- which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, called an Apple Digital AV Adapter -- but there will sadly be no rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity here. What you will get is an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, and the same 1024 x 768 resolution and IPS LCD screen technology as on the original iPad.

720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you're into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and a little lighter at just over 600g, while paintjob options have been expanded: you'll get a choice between white and black. It'll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th.

 

[jefXfree]

I can't wait! I need to sell my iPad to get the iPad 2.

 

[mobius387]

looks like they listened to the public on the big things to change for 2 (weight, and front/rear cameras).

id like to see how much faster the knew processors are. i didn't really feel like that was a huge issue to be honest; when i use my wife's the thing is pretty speedy.

i was holding out on the prospect that my school would buy use ipads for our rotations instead of itouches. there was a rumor that it might happen, but i dont think it will.

 

[Horhay]

I thought about getting one, but to be honest the change from iPad 1 to 2 is minimal. Other than the cameras and the processor. I'll just wait to see what competitors have to offer.

 

[BigRick]

Rumor is RAM is still at 256mb

I thought about getting one, but to be honest the change from iPad 1 to 2 is minimal. Other than the cameras and the processor. I'll just wait to see what competitors have to offer.

I thought you weren't into Tablets???

 

[Horhay]

Rumor is RAM is still at 256mb



I thought you weren't into Tablets???

When you have everything you like you start wondering what else to get lol. Plus I need to find something to carry Football Manager around

 

[jefXfree]

I thought about getting one, but to be honest the change from iPad 1 to 2 is minimal. Other than the cameras and the processor. I'll just wait to see what competitors have to offer.

They made enough changes for me to be interested. I like that it's faster, smaller, and has the new cameras. I watched the whole hour press conference and some of the iMovie and Garage Band stuff coming with iOS 4.3 is going to be AWESOME... SOME, but not all, of it is iPad 2 (and iPod4 /iPhone 4) only which is another draw.

Plus, I can get a white one day 1...

 

[Horhay]

Meh, not worth it to me if in 5 months Jobs decides is time for iPad 3 that completely does a makeover like from iPhone 3G to 4. 3GS is what the iPhone should have been from the get go, no excuses, all tools where available they just didn't want to use them. I feel their 3rd gen might be the right one. No sense in spending all that money to get a much better upgrade 6-8 months from now. I'll just patiently wait.

 

[jefXfree]

Meh, not worth it to me if in 5 months Jobs decides is time for iPad 3 that completely does a makeover like from iPhone 3G to 4. 3GS is what the iPhone should have been from the get go, no excuses, all tools where available they just didn't want to use them. I feel their 3rd gen might be the right one. No sense in spending all that money to get a much better upgrade 6-8 months from now. I'll just patiently wait.

Yeah. If you don't have one already then waiting isn't an issue. I want to sell mine and get the newer one... But I'll skip the 3rd one and wait on the 4th. Generally with gadgets I skip one cycle, unless it's a Playstation system.

 

[mobius387]

are there rumors already for 3? im just wondering what makes you guys think 3 will be a big step away from 2; bigger than 2 was from 1.

or do you just think this will be true based off history of product lines?

 

[Horhay]

are there rumors already for 3? im just wondering what makes you guys think 3 will be a big step away from 2; bigger than 2 was from 1.

or do you just think this will be true based off history of product lines?

It's easy follow Apple's product lines and you'll know exactly what I am talking about. Anyone thinking Apple will stop at 2 pfft so wrong.

 

[BigRick]

Ipad 3 will add led flash for rear camera!! iPad 4 will have dual led flash!! You heard it here first!

 

[jefXfree]

Yeah. I'm 99% sure the iPad 3 will come next year around this time or maybe closer to summer... They generally have a 1 year life span on everything wth the exceptions of their computers which refresh about once every 3 or 4 years (with a big refresh).

The trick is in the gamble. Will buying the iPad 2 be worth it when you know the iPad 3 comes out next year? What will they add to the iPad 3 to make you want to get it? Etc.

The iPad 2 has enough for me to want to get it, but I don't think the iPad 3 will. They will make it faster and add a bit of changes but I think the iPad 3 will be a small step forward. Like going from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS.

 

[mobius387]

i guess im left wondering what they can really add to make it significantly different/better than it is now.

3D screen?

combo of significant increase in specs (RAM, video card, storage, etc)?

4G capability?

i think the technology is capped in what it can do for major functional uses, and all they can do now with tablets is make them faster, smaller, cheaper.

btw all those things i listed above wouldn't make me want to drop another $500 for a new ipad. what can they really add?

 

[jefXfree]

i guess im left wondering what they can really add to make it significantly different/better than it is now.

3D screen?

combo of significant increase in specs (RAM, video card, storage, etc)?

4G capability?

i think the technology is capped in what it can do for major functional uses, and all they can do now with tablets is make them faster, smaller, cheaper.

btw all those things i listed above wouldn't make me want to drop another $500 for a new ipad. what can they really add?

Yeah. We'll just have to see where the tech moves in the next year or so... There are things being worked on that we don't even know about... lol. Then when it drops we'll all be like oooooohhhh... I get it... lol.

But I agree. Which is why the iPod line doesn't refresh too often. What can you really do to an iPod that it can't do now (speaking of the classic).

 

[mobius387]

Yeah. We'll just have to see where the tech moves in the next year or so... There are things being worked on that we don't even know about... lol. Then when it drops we'll all be like oooooohhhh... I get it... lol.

But I agree. Which is why the iPod line doesn't refresh too often. What can you really do to an iPod that it can't do now (speaking of the classic).

exactly

i do hope there is something they are working on that isn't out there right now, or at least is something people generally haven't thought up of yet. i just feel technology wise we are at a plateau relative to what we have currently, and it might be awhile before there is a big jump up. at least with hardware, there could be some interesting software changes now that the hardware for things like phones, tablets, laptops have advanced so much.

 

[Horhay]

exactly

i do hope there is something they are working on that isn't out there right now, or at least is something people generally haven't thought up of yet. i just feel technology wise we are at a plateau relative to what we have currently, and it might be awhile before there is a big jump up. at least with hardware, there could be some interesting software changes now that the hardware for things like phones, tablets, laptops have advanced so much.

If you only knew

 

[Deadalus3000]

I'm using my iPad classic (I can use the term now the 2 has come out..lol) as I type, i like it, got it cheap, and use it a lot.
I read some rumour somewhere that an apple employee said, iPad 2 is far from breaking barriers, but iPad 3 is the next major update.
Would love to see the retina display on 3...one can dream ay

 

[jefXfree]

Engadget Hands-on Review

It might frustrate the competition to hear this, but it needs to be said: the iPad 2 isn't just the best tablet on the market, it feels like the only tablet on the market. As much as we'd like to say that something like the Xoom has threatened Apple's presence in this space, it's difficult (if not impossible) to do that. Is the iPad 2 a perfect product? Absolutely not. The cameras are severely lacking, the screen -- while extremely high quality -- is touting last year's spec, and its operating system still has significant annoyances, like the aggravating pop-up notifications. At a price point of $499, and lots of options after that (like more storage and models that work on both Verizon's and AT&T's 3G networks), there's little to argue about in the way of price, and in terms of usability, apps like GarageBand prove that we haven't even scratched the surface of what the iPad can do.

For owners of the previous generation, we don't think Apple's put a fire under you to upgrade. Unless you absolutely need cameras on your tablet, you've still got a solid piece of gear that reaps plenty of the benefits of the latest OS and apps. For those of you who haven't yet made the leap, feel free to take a deep breath and dive in -- the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now. And it's really quite good.

More: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/ipad-2-review/

 

[Wiggy]

I feel thought the Ipad 2 was just a 'tester' for the new dual core CPU, and seeing how much thinner they could get it.

I think the Ipad 3 'when it arrives' will be significantly better. Retina screen, better cameras etc......

All that said, I bought the original Ipad, and have just bought the Ipad 2....

Im no apple fanboy, but to me it is just something you have to have. No other tablet on the market in my eyes comes close to it. And will not for a long time.