Updated: now read One month with the iPad 2.
Just under one year ago, Apple shocked the computing world with a 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that few truly expected.
Some called the original Apple iPad a large-format iPhone. Others berated the name and made jokes that were not remotely funny.
The early reviews were marginal at best – we handed the device a solid four stars. Technical folks decried the lack of Adobe Flash and the missing cameras.
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Now, 60,000 apps later (according to Apple, who counts every conceivable option) and just a few weeks after the first real Android 3.0 tablet contender hit the streets (Motorola Xoom), the iPad 2 has sauntered onto the playing field.
You can check out TechRadar's iPad 2 review video below:
Some expected pure gold: a tablet that runs as fast as a laptop and weighs less than a newspaper
Yet, the reality with the iPad 2 is that Apple has taken an iterative approach. In many ways, the iPad 2 is a crowd pleaser because it does not rock the boat.
At 241mm tall, 186mm wide, and 8.6mm thick, the iPad 2 is just a hair smaller than the original iPad and it's thinner than the iPhone 4. It has a curved edge that makes it look a bit more 'space age' and, surprisingly, easier to grasp because you can curve your fingers more easily around the bezel.
The most dramatic change is the weight. At 680 grams, the iPad 2 is 80g lighter than the first iPad. That is about the same weight as a juicy red apple (curious, eh?). Yet, in using the device, it feels strangely lighter than it really is.
Apple has made a second-gen iPad that feels lighter and more nimble, and its newfound mobility means it has lost the annoying heft of the original model.
Meanwhile, the Motorola Xoom, at 730 grams, now feels like the tank that it is. (More about that later, because we do prefer the speedy processor on the Xoom that handles 3D maps and games.)
One other observation about the design: compared to the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 feels a bit more like a plastic plate (the back is actually metal) as though it really needs a protective case. Part of the reason for this 'cheap plastic' impression is that the device is one-third thinner than the original and 15 per cent lighter.
Overall, the design is a stunner – it's brilliant. The aesthetics are much improved, although not everything about the iPad 2 is so equally impressive.
iPad 2 UK pricing starts at £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model, and jumps up to £659 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G edition.
Other models are priced as follows: 32GB Wi-Fi only at £479, 64GB Wi-Fi only at £559, 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G at £499 and 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G at £579.
Your comments (38) Click to add a new comment
bethwilkins
Tuesday at 09:33 UTC
38. I love my iPad, I honestly couldn't live without it. But if like me you were a bit shocked with the price here's a tip on how to get this item for basically a £5 and a little bit of work!
All you need to do is go to http://www.the free scene.com (remove spaces) and sign up for the gala bingo or any offer you like.
Its all been proven by BBC Newsnight, CNN and Channel 5's Gadget Show. This is how I got mine
I hope this helps someone!
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kirstydingle
Sunday at 13:18 UTC
37. I love my iPad, I honestly couldn't live without it. But if like me you were a bit shocked with the price here's a tip on how to get this item for basically a £5 and a little bit of work!
All you need to do is go to http://www.the free scene.co.uk (remove spaces) and sign up for the gala bingo or any offer you like.
Its all been proven by BBC Newsnight, CNN and Channel 5's Gadget Show. This is how I got mine
I hope this helps someone!
Alert a moderator
kirstydingle
Sunday at 12:50 UTC
36. I love my iPad, I honestly couldn't live without it. But if like me you were a bit shocked with the price here's a tip on how to get this item for basically a £5 and a little bit of work!
All you need to do is go to http://www.************.co.uk and sign up for the gala bingo or any offer you like.
Its all been proven by BBC Newsnight, CNN and Channel 5's Gadget Show. This is how I got mine
I hope this helps someone!
Alert a moderator
kirstydingle
Sunday at 12:43 UTC
35. I love my iPad, I honestly couldn't live without it. But if like me you were a bit shocked with the price here's a tip on how to get this item for basically a £5 and a little bit of work!
All you need to do is go to http://www.************.com and sign up for the gala bingo or any offer you like.
Its all been proven by BBC Newsnight, CNN and Channel 5's Gadget Show. This is how I got mine
I hope this helps someone!
Alert a moderator
ipad2guida
January 19th
34. today i get my lovely ipad 2 is so amazing! i even write nice guide about ipad 2 on my blog!
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elijahphillips
November 2nd 2011
33. Although the ipad has paved the way. The samsung galaxy 10.1 should certainly have the upper hand now. Flash is the way forward.
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blackd0g
October 16th 2011
32. Tried the I-Pad and Motorola out the other day. No comment re useability as you would need to use regularly to see which you would prefer however the weight difference is astronomic. I was blown away with how light the Ipad was and how heavy the Motorola was. I'm jesting here of course because I really couldn't tell the difference. 50 grams are you tacking the p here TR?
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praggy76
September 27th 2011
31. I based my iPad 2 purchasing decision on this review and would have to say it's pretty accurate. Personnally I don't think the below par rear camera is an issue as this isn't the gadget most people will use to take snaps. Overall the iPad 2 is an excellent product that is easy to use with fantastic media options. Top stuff indeed.
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amywoods99
August 4th 2011
30. anyone got any good/bad experiences of gaming with the ipad2? i love my iphone as its so easy and i have pages of apps and games (makes train to work actually bearable)... but getting a bit fed up of the battery running out when im playing games and i then need to call people. also thinking it would be nice to have the bigger screen especially where you need to touch very specific areas on the game screen...so yeah...just wondering if its worth spending the cash?
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mattrhysdavies
April 28th 2011
29. Hmmmm, any idea when the iPad 3 is out?
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jeffsampson1
April 2nd 2011
28. Although I've been checking iPad2Tracker.com everyday, it's still nearly impossible to find an iPad 2. I'm hoping that since they've entered into that contract with AUO, Apple will be able to get these things out much more quickly.
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nicolasmerritt
March 29th 2011
27. @backstroker
We say it as we see it. End of.
Nick, Publisher, TechRadar.com
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inf2007
March 29th 2011
26. Here are a few great educational iPad apps for kids. Both have excellent videos and narration.
The Deep Blue Kingdom -
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-deep-blue-kingdom/id425904157?mt=8&ls=1#
An Amazing Day At The Zoo -
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/an-amazing-day-at-the-zoo/id420420133?mt=8
More information at http://LearningInfinity.com
Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/10-best-ipad-apps-for-kids-937546#ixzz1Hv5XUmx5
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fromchina
March 28th 2011
25. 2009-Poland “As part of a marketing campaign ahead of the iPhone’s launch in Poland, the country’s largest mobile operator Orange is paying dozens of actors to stand in queues.”...
..."“‘We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,’ a spokesman said,”...
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backstroker
March 28th 2011
24. 5 days later and still waiting (see my comment #15 from Thursday). Careful, guys, or some cynic will start suggesting dodgy practices.
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kasser
March 28th 2011
23. Think this video really sums things up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmWnAE-SFeM
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fromchina
March 28th 2011
22. The iPad may be the web's darling and the genesis of a new product category but its shortcomings and some ugly bugs are rearing their heads within days of the product's release.
For all its geek gadget appeal and innovation, a look at the spec sheet and Apple's support forums reveal a less than perfect device.
1. No USB
Lacking USB input, the iPad becomes a locked down device where the only peripherals you can use are ones that link through Apple's proprietary dock connector. And in case you didn't pay Apple enough for your iPad, they get a cut of every accessory as that port is licensed.
Without that USB port, you can't easily hookup a keyboard, mouse, digital camera, USB modem or any other useful add-on.
2. No presenter notes
The Mac faithful have been waiting for years for a decent portable presentation solution and they were all betting on the iPad.
Sadly, the iPad has failed to deliver. Keynote for the iPad lacks a bunch of its desktop versions' features including the ability to playback video on slides and some visual effects. And there's no way to display presenter notes on the iPad while it's connected to a projector.
3. Can't connect to wireless projectors
For a device that's being sold on its connectivity credentials, the iPad is unable to connect to the latest projectors in any way other than with Apple's optional cable.
4. Dealing with Office files
At the iPad's initial announcement, Apple made a big deal of the availability of their iWork productivity suite. Now users are fuming that they can't open Microsoft Office files and are finding all sorts of basic features missing.
Users have found that they can't create spreadsheets in Numbers and then export them for sharing with colleagues as Microsoft Excel files. Pages can import and export Word's formats but lacks support for headers and footers, footnotes and other essentials.
Keynote is causing grief with reports of poor font support, broken animations and video playback. Worse still, some edits on the iPad, when synced back to a desktop Mac, result in the loss of critical elements such as speaker's notes.
5. Flaky WiFi
One of the most active threads on Apple's iPad forums deals with weak WiFi connections with users reporting fluctuating signal strength on their iPad even where their notebooks are reporting full signal strength.
In some cases, connections are getting completely dropped and users need to re-enter WPA credentials to reconnect.
Some users have found that even when they have a reliable connection that performance is poor.
One user posted results from the speedtest.net app both on his iPhone 3GS and the new iPad. The iPad download speed was rated at 1.83 megabits/sec whereas the iPhone 3GS download speed of 14.77 megabits/sec was more than eight times faster.
6. No SD slot
Many people were hoping to use the iPad as a way to backup photos while travelling. For that, they''ll need to stump up for Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit. The lack of an SD slot means that you need this pair of connectors that convert the dock connector to either an SD slot or USB
9. No file system access
Most handheld and portable devices appear as an external storage device when connected to a computer. That makes them handy for grabbing files from a colleague's computer. However, to copy files to the iPad's Document Manager, you'll need to use iTunes or get the files emailed to you. You can't even browse network file shares.
Micro-SIM
On one hand the use of the Micro-SIM might seem like another example of Apple being an early adopter a new standard. Or, perhaps, it's a way for Apple to keep their carrier partners happy by blocking customers from using the SIM cards from their 3G modems or mobile phones.
Either way, there's no way you'll be able to get a 3G capable iPad without at least buying a new SIM card from your carrier.
-. No printing
A portable computer that can be used on a local network, but can't talk to printers - what was Apple thinking? Everyone knows that there's no such thing as a paperless office and that being able to print documents is useful. It's not that it can't be done, as third parties have sprung up with printing solutions. But to not have it natively built into the iPad is damn annoying.
-Itunes. That's THE number one reason not to buy. Beautiful hardware, great apps by others, imovies or learning music great too but the joy of those is outweighed by the horror of itunes and more importantly the dreadful updates that make things go wrong and then you aren't allowed to roll back + being forced to use Safari - frustratingly, hair-tearing-outly BAD!
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ripsnorter
March 26th 2011
21. @nitrofick
Wrong about you having English as your mother tongue? Certainly not about your inability to understand Gary Marshall's original article, the one you link to and patently misconstrue. It is a satirical attack on how much of the media reacts to Apple's new / updated products and not a review, as you claim.
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brianwwj
March 26th 2011
20. I agree with this review. Guys, please dont fancy Apple product blindly.
We have to admit that there is some hassle without adobe flash player although it could drain battery for example.
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