Apple iPad 2 review
Love
- Extra processing power makes a
- Thinner and lighter design
- Same brilliant UI and Apple ec
Hate
- No screen improvement
-
Sub-par cameras
In 2010,
almost twelve months ago, the Apple iPad swaggered onto the stage
and changed the way we viewed tablet computers forever. In the year
that followed, it won Gadget of the Year at the T3 Awards 2010
and garnered a place on the tech world's exclusive hall of fame.
This
'post PC' device single-handedly re-shaped our expectations on how we
wish to receive content and has potentially rejuvinated the entire
publishing industry. With several newspapers and magazines, including
T3, jumping on the iPad waggon, it seems the world of print could meet
its fate earlier than expected.
Now, as competitors from the Android, RIM, with its BlackBerry Playbook, and
WebOS, tug on its cape, eager to fly alongside the iPad, Apple is back
with an improved device offering a streamlined design and more power.
All for the same price.
Can the Apple iPad 2 pull further away from the chasing pack, and does
it do enough to tempt first-generation owners into an upgrade? T3
tested the 32GB WiFi version to find out.
Apple iPad 2 Design and build
Lifting the iPad 2 out of the box, you almost feel like you’re handling
Grandma’s fine china - such is the skinniness of the 8.8mm frame.
Remarkably though, the tablet retains a very sturdy feel. It’s not the
least bit fragile and there’s zero flexibility. It’s a piece of
engineering that defies physics.
The weight has also dropped. At 601g (for the WiFi version) the tablet
has shed 15 per cent of its body mass. Big deal, you say, but you will
notice the difference. It’s still not Kindle-light though, and we still
found the one-handed grip uncomfortable.
The design itself has evolved with the edges which are rounded like an
Apple iPod Touch. While it looks better and is less bulky, the thinner
edges actually make it more difficult to keep a steady hand. You also
have to adopt an awkward reach-around approach to access the volume and
screen switches.
Apple iPad 2 Screen
While we were blown away by the original iPad’s 9.7-inch 1024x768
LED-backlit display, we were hoping this would bring a version of its
Apple Phone 4 Retina Screen. Now it hasn’t, we’re a little disappointed.
While indoor performance is still great and colours are truly vivid for
gaming, photos and videos, in the post-Retina Screen world, text still
isn’t quite as crisp as we’d like and it’s still pretty useless in
sunlight. It also attracts a lot of finger marks. Lets hope an improved
screen comes on any iPad 3 next year.
Apple iPad 2 iOS 4.3
Beyond the design refresh, the iPad 2 comes packing the new iOS 4.3
operating system. You get the usual folders, multitasking, Airplay and
customisable screens. iTunes Home Sharing, another addition, offers a
seamless liberation of your entire music library over Wi-Fi, with
one-touch.
The new OS also allows you to customise the side switch to either mute
the device or lock the screen. It’s a handy bonus, but by no means
earth shattering.
Apple iPad 2 Processor and graphics
A quantifiable improvement comes with the new dual core 1GHz Apple A5
processor, replacing the A4 by offering twice the power. If you thought
this thing was nifty before, then wait until you get a hold of the iPad
2.
Such is the speed of response when you touch the screen that you’ll
think ‘did I even touch that yet?’ It almost pre-empts your commands.
The T3 iPad Edition opens instantly, while images render much faster
than before. The heftier apps, like the new GarageBand (an essential
download, the highlight of which is the different response from piano
keys depending on the sensitivity of your touch - enabled by the
accelerometer and a huge leap forward) still take a short while to
open, but not noticeably so.
T3.com loads and renders quickly over Wi-Fi, while pinch-to-zoom
re-formatting is definitely quicker. YouTube performance is great, while
downloading music, movies and podcasts is rapid.
Apple also promised a nine-fold improvement in the graphics department.
We tested this claim with EA’s Dead Space, which specifically
advertised an iPad 2 upgrade. It looks phenomenal, almost PS3 and Xbox
360-esque, while the fast-paced monster-slaying action was slick and
judder-free. You feel we’ve only just scratched the surface here.
Apple iPad 2 Cameras
Of course the other change comes with the addition of cameras. FaceTime
video calling is now available for iPad and while the quality won’t
blow you away it does the job. The rear-facing camera is passable,
offering decent snaps in good conditions, but drab colours and limited
detail the rest of the time. It’s nowhere near as good as the iPhone 4’s
excellent 5-megapixel offering.
There’s 720p video recording on board, which comes in really handy for
the brilliant iMovie app, but the iPad 2 has to be the most
ridiculously shaped video camera of all time. Are you really going to
use it in public?
Apple iPad 2 Smart Covers
When we first saw the Smart Covers opinion on the T3 team was split as
to the usefulness. A lot was made about these new flimsy, bendy covers
and they do work pretty well, folding like origami to offer appropriate
stances for watching video and typing, while the magnet clings
stubbornly to the chassis.
It will help your battery by putting the device to sleep whenever
closed, but they’re expensive (from$39) and offer no protection for the
back of your iPad. If you drop it, Smart Cover won’t save it. We’d take
a look at what other manufacturers - like Griffin - come up with
before buying.
Apple iPad 2 Battery
In terms of battery life, we got around 6 hours of near-solid Wi-Fi
surfing, downloading apps and playing games, which is very respectable.
The extra processing power doesn’t seem to be provide any supplemental
drain on the battery.
Apple iPad 2 Verdict
Admittedly, the iPad 2 is more of an evolutionary step for Apple, akin
to the jump from iPhone 3 to 3GS. If you already own an iPad then you’re
not missing out too much by waiting for the next iteration before you
upgrade. If you held off from buying over the last 12 months, then the
iPad 2 is a brilliant reward for your patience. Get out and buy it.
It's taken nearly a year since the launch of the first iPad for any
manufacturers to come close to creating a tablet that can rival it. Even
then, those that look promising like the Motorola Xoom run such an
early OS (in Android 3.0) it will be a while before they can rival the
iPad in terms of apps.
With the Blackberry Playbook, HTC Flyer, LG Optimus Pad and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 all to come, the tablet market looks really exciting over the next few months. And with its mind-blowing new build, new cameras
and improvements in the engine room, coupled with the unmatched App
Store/iTunes/iOS ecosystem the next-gen iPad is clearly the tablet to
beat.
Apple iPad 2 launch date: UK March 25th, link Apple
Apple iPad 2 price: UK TBC, but in the US it is the same as its
predecessor, so expect to pay £429 for 16GB, £499 for 32Gb and £599 for
64GB for the WiFi-only version.