Although we mentioned some things we didn’t like about the iPad 2 yesterday, many first round reviews are still calling it the best tablet on the market. That could also be due to lack of competition.
While there will be many competitors launching their first tablets this year (HP, Blackberry, Microsoft?), Apple is on the brink of releasing their 2nd iteration of their smash hit, the iPad. Selling 15 million iPads in its first 9 months, Apple’s iPad hoarded 73% of the tablet industry in the 4th quarter of last year. But do the folks at Cupertino have another juggernaut on their hands?
It would appear so. Judging by the general consensus amongst early iPad 2 testers, the new features make for a better tablet experience. Confirming Apple’s claims, many reviewers are finding the new iPad to be noticeably lighter, especially with extended use.
Macworld is also reporting that this is the fastest iOS device ever, by a long shot. Other testers seem to agree. Slashgear even brags that their iPad 2 was able to software decode a side loaded 1.4GB .avi file on the fly using Oplayer, while watching it, without lag or stutter. Something, they say, the original iPad more than struggled with.
There were mixed reviews on battery life. Some sites reported the iPad 2 exceeded the original by giving them 10 hours and 26 minutes of continuous playback. Others reported just under the 10 hour mark.
So it’s faster, it’s lighter, it has the same 10 hour battery life, but what about those new cameras? Well it’s easy to see why Apple doesn’t go too much into detail about the cameras. Multiple sources are describing the new cameras as taking mediocre stills and only decent video. I assume we’ll see higher resolution cameras in the next iPad, in conjunction with better display.
Love it or hate it, Apple seems to have another hit on their hands. Starting at $499, the iPad 2 has a more attractive entry price than most of its competitors. Though the iPad 2 is more evolutionary than revolutionary, it still has to be the best consumer tablet on the market right now. Walter S. Mossberg, of The Wallstreet Journal, thinks the new features aren’t enough to warrant upgrading from the current iPad, what do you think?
Will you be in line tomorrow at 5 PM ? Let us know below!