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Top 6 Reasons the iPad 2 Sucks

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 30, 2016

As usual, Apple has seemingly created a juggernaut as tablet competitors are already going back to the drawing board after the March 2nd announcement. But is all the media attention and strategic marketing enough to crown Apple the king of the tablets?

Maybe. Although they might have done enough to please the fanboys, I'm going to play devil's advocate and give you 6 good reasons why the iPad 2 sucks.

Screen Resolution

Rumors were flying left and right about the iPad 2 housing a Retina display, same as the iPhone. The iPad 2 will actually retain the same screen resolution from the iPad, so no upgrade there. With HD video recording capabilities and an iMovie.app, why wouldn't you want a nice, sharp screen to view your content?

Weak Cameras

Where's FaceTime HD? Apple's latest MacBook update added FacetimeHD, a High Def version of their popular video chat app. The rear camera on the new iPad says HD, but doesn't give megapixel count. There is also no LED flash. Apple mentions advanced backside illumination anyways for better low light shots, but I would prefer an LED flash.

Aging 3G Technology

We saw it with the iPhone. Apple tends to not jump on new wireless network technology. iPhone 3G came about a year after areas were seeing 3G speeds. The optimistic were hoping to see 4G LTE in the new iPad. But with battery life and reliability still questionable on the new technology, they decided to stick with the aging 3G technology. You could have at least built the hardware in and give users the option to upgrade at a later time, when 4G was in more markets, like the Motorola Xoom tablet

Still No Expandable Memory?

Some of the earlier iPad 2 rumors suggested it might have a Micro SD card slot for expandable, removable memory. Well we haven't seen it on a mobile Apple product yet. iPods, iPhones, and the iPad have all had SSD drives with no option to upgrade. Many, in fact all, of Apple's major smartphone and tablet competition house MicroSD card slots so it'll be interesting to see if they ever cave.

Still No I/O option?

We were hoping to see USB or even Thunderbolt (Apple's new lightning fast I/O) come to the iPad 2 but all we got was an HDMI chord. Which is nice, don't get me wrong, it just would have been nice to get an actual USB port to read jump drives, and attach cameras and other peripherals without the need for adapters and OS tweaks.

Still No Flash

Now there was nobody expecting this to change. Apple has made its beef with Adobe's dominant web platform, Flash, very public. In fact none of Apple's iDevices run Flash. But 80% of the 100 most visited websites use Flash. Although it hasn't seemed to affect sales at all, all of Apple's major competition in the tablet industry are Flash capable.

Now all that being said, I think Apple's new iPad will be very successful. In fact, I'll probably sell my original iPad on eBay and go and get the iPad 2. But I will only be paying $100 difference or so. If I had to shell out another $500 for the iPad 2, I wouldn't do it. This model doesn't have enough new features to justify spending that kind of money, again.

Do you think the iPad 2 sucks? If so, or if not, raise your voice by leaving a comment below.

Celeste Bluetooth File Transfer App for iPhone Coming Soon

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

CocoanutApps, the developers behind the popular YouTube/YourTube HD jailbreak app and Gremlin jailbreak framework, are set to bring us yet another awesome jailbreak application called, "Celeste".

Celeste is a jailbreak app which will enable you to send or receive files and photos via Bluetooth File Transfer from your jailbroken iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod touch or iPad running iOS4 or later.

‘Photector’ is a Jailbreak Tweak That Protects Your iPhone’s Photos

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 9, 2011

Ever wish there was a quick and easy way to prevent your iPhone's photos from being accidentally purged?

Apple kind of skimped on the data protection elements of iOS; there's no native way to prevent someone from going into your camera roll, and deleting all of your photographs if they have access to your iPhone.

Again, the Cydia store comes to the rescue as another jailbreak tweak entitled Photector pops up on the scene to save the day...

Here’s What a 64GB iPhone 4 Looks Like on Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

A couple of days ago we reported on a story revolving around a mysterious 64GB iPhone 4 that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere.

Initial reports around the web indicated that the device was being sold on the grey markets in China.

Now a bit of clarification has been added to the mix, as it appears that this iPhone 4 is one of maybe a few prototypes that "leaked" out of Foxconn facilities.

As you can see, the iPhone 4 definitely reeks of being a prototype. Notice that the + and - signs on the volume keys are nowhere to be found.

This device looks eerily similar to the iPhone 4 that Gizmodo acquired last year from a guy that left his prototype iPhone 4 lying helplessly in a bar.

Another point of note is that the silver ring that surrounds the camera lens in production iPhone 4's is missing as well. That too is a feature identical to the iPhone 4 shown off by Gizmodo.

Judging from the similarities, I'm going to go on the limb as call this a pre-production iPhone 4 that just happened to find its way outside of Foxconn's walls. I highly doubt we'll ever see an iPhone 4 with 64GB of storage, but it's definitely possible for the iPhone 5.

The good news is that Apple is indeed testing such storage capabilities, so at least they are contemplating it.

What do you think?

[M.I.C. Gadget via BGR]

Twitter for iPhone Updated to Make “Quick Bar” Less Annoying

Alex Heath ∙ March 9, 2011

The official Twitter app was recently updated with some significant changes. Among other new features, Twitter decided to add the "Quick Bar" to the top of the timeline.

Twitter had good intentions with the Quick Bar; it was designed to help users keep a better tab on trending topics. As topics trend, they push through the Quick Bar. Tapping a topic will activate the search window for that related hashtag.

People didn't like Twitter's new Quick Bar. And an internet backlash on what was cleverly coined the "Dick Bar" has caused Twitter to push another update that attempts at making the Quick Bar less intrusive.

Apple Releases iTunes 10.2.1 [Jailbreak Safe]

Sébastien Page ∙ March 8, 2011

Just 6 days after releasing iTunes 10.2, another update is available today. iTunes 10.2.1 doesn't seem to bring anything new to the table. Just like for iTunes 10.2, the changelog only mentions this new version of iTunes is needed to sync your device with iOS 4.3.

Additionally, and like the previous version, iTunes 10.2.1 brings improvement to Home Sharing. In short, this release is probably about small bug fixes...

Apple Working on Video Ringtones?

Cody Lee ∙ March 8, 2011

Patently Apple, a website well known for bringing Apple's patents to the masses, has uncovered a good one. The photo above is from a patent filed late last year by Apple engineers Brian McKnight and Michael Neuman.

The documents describe methods for creating video ringtones in iOS. The technology would allow users to automatically use audio and video from iTunes and iMovie to create custom alerts for each incoming call...

Peel, Not Just Another TV Remote App for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 17, 2018

Peel's journey has been an interesting one. It started last fall when we started hearing about an FCC filing from a Santa Clara start-up company named Zelfy. The product's tagline was "every remote and TV guide now on your phone." Fast forward to January of this year, and we get some more information about the mysterious Peel Fruit.

The Peel system uses an IR dongle, built into a fruit shaped casing, that must sit somewhere in IR range of all of your components. The plastic shaped fruit works like a middleman between your iPhone (or iPad for that matter) and your home theater. How does the fruit receive commands from your iPhone? Wifi of course...

Apple to Unveil iOS 5 Mid April?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

9to5Mac is reporting via MacerKopf.de that Apple might plan to unveil iOS 5 on April 14 or 15. This would match announcements of previous iOS versions. For example, iOS 4 was announced on April 8, 2010.

Like I wrote in my 10 predictions for the iPhone in 2011, I have big expectations for iOS 5. I believe 2011 will be the year of the iOS and that Apple will definitely surprise us. Apple Maps, Wireless Syncing, better notification system are just a few of the expected features...

Google Instant Previews Available on iOS

Cody Lee ∙ March 8, 2011

Google is constantly innovating features when it comes to web searching. They've been pioneers in the search industry for many years, and they don't show any signs of stopping. One of their most recent innovations, Instant Preview, has officially made its way to iOS devices.

The feature is actually pretty handy. If you haven't used it on your desktop yet, it's the little magnifying glass that shows up next to each search result link when using Google. Clicking this magnifying glass opens up a thumbnail preview of the website in a nice overview...

Why Will Apple Start Selling the iPad 2 at 5pm?

Sébastien Page ∙ March 8, 2011

Usually, Apple lets you pre-order their new products. For example, you could pre-order the iPhone 4 to get it delivered to your house on the same day it is available in store. This has always been my preferred method of buying Apple products, as I don't have the patience to wait for hours in line.

When Apple introduced the iPad 2 last week, they announced that the new device will be available for sale in stores as of Friday 11th, 5pm. Why such an odd time of the day, you may ask.

The conspiracy theorist in me has it all figured out, and again, it's all about marketing and PR. Here is my reasoning...

6 points of sale = 6 times more publicity

The iPad 2 will be for sale in 6 locations (Apple Store, Best Buy, etc...), which is very unusual. Normally, Apple and its partners (AT&T and now Verizon) are the only one to launch a product. But the more stores that sell the iPad 2, the more publicity Apple gets.

At 5pm on a Friday, people won't mind getting in line

At 5pm on a Friday, pretty much everyone is on weekend, thus available to wait in line for an iPad. I suspect that stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target will have a very limited amount of iPads on stock in order to create scarcity, which will turn into free publicity (ie. news headline: iPad 2 sells out in 2 hours at Best Buy).

Huge lines = even more publicity

Apple knows that by starting to sell the iPad 2 at 5pm, this will create gigantic lines at 6 different locations instead of one, if they chose to only sell the iPad at their stores. Again, this is a marketing stunt to generate bigger headlines (ie. Thousands get in line at Best Buy, Target, Apple Store, etc to buy the new iPad 2).

What do you think?

Where to Buy the iPad 2

Sébastien Page ∙ March 8, 2011

The iPad 2 will be available this Friday as of 5pm, wherever you are in the United States. For once, Apple has several sales channels in place. I guess this is to make sure they can sell as many iPads as possible in the shortest amount of time.

This is where you will be able to buy the iPad 2 on March 11:

Your local Apple Store AT&T Verizon Best Buy Walmart Target

So, we'll you be getting the line, or will you order it online?