Maccast Members 2011.03.13 - iPad 2 First Look
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V iPad 2 First Look
V Design
* Extremely thin.
* Lighter by just 0.2 lbs, but you can feel the difference.
* Feels good in your hand, but "slick". I feel like I might drop it at times, but don't.
V Controls wrap around the back and take some getting use to
* Cables still dock straight in, so there is an odd "gap" at the back edges.
* Mic hole larger and in top center.
V Performance
* 1GHz Dual Core A5 Processor. 512MB of RAM
* Battery seems to drain faster even when in sleep mode. I haven't had enough time to compare useable battery life as it hasn't cycled yet.
V Boot times from cold boot are faster
* 30 seconds iPad 2, 0:45 sec for iPad.
* Spotlight searches are considerably faster
V App performance seems about the same
* Need to wait for apps that take advantage of dual core
* Safari seemed about the same to me despite the benchmarking
* Games I also don't notice a difference.
V Display and Graphics
V Specs are the same as original iPad. 9.7-inch LED-backlit with IPS technology. 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
* The brightness range seem to be extended. Darker at low brightness and brighter when in middle.
* Text does seem to be slightly "crisper"
* Off angle viewing is better too.
V Sound
* Speaker seems to be about the same, possibly a little more "Tinny", but hardly discernible.
V Cameras
* I wasn't expecting much, but they were a disappointment even from that.
* Less than 1MP resolution for both cameras
* 640 x 480 resolution for front. 960 x 720 rear.
* In moderate to low indoor lighting all my shots were riddled with noise with both video and stills.
* In outdoor light the rear camera still has some noise and that soft "muted" or blended edges.
* Outdoor daylight video looks great.
* Facetime is also good on the iPad, but the image in my testing was still pixelated. Slightly better than on my iPhone 4 though.
V Smart Cover
* Very neat design, almost looks fused to the iPad when locked in place
* Latch works as advertised.
V Stand mode is much more stable in the vertical and more solid than I thought it would be in "keyboard" mode.
* Stand also works great as a "pistol" grip for 1 handed operation and shooting video/snaps.
* Floppy when rolled around to back when in use. Doesn't have magnets on the back
* Tends to "slam" down when closing. Not sure it will harm the iPad, but feels abusive.
* No protection for the back, so I'm afraid to set it down. Might go for a skin for the back.
V Final Thoughts
V Thoughts on storage size
* I think 32GB is the minimum except for a few cases (web and email device only).
* For those who don't already own an iPad this is a great upgrade.
* If your a current iPad owner and you have to have the latest and greatest you can find ways to appreciate the new features and justify spending the upgrade costs.
* If your happy with your iPad I can't find a compelling reason to recommend an upgrade
> Closing