Apple iPad 2 tablet – is it enough to kick ass again?

March 2nd ,2011. It’s the day we’ve all been expecting for and for which Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, flew in from his mysterious vacation.

Of course, we’re talking about the official launch of the iPad 2, the successor of the highly successful iPad, which was a turning point for mobile computing a year ago, when it was launched.

And we expect nothing less from the iPad 2, which comes with some awesome improvements in comparison with the first in the series (might we say trilogy, considering there’s a fair amount of rumors saying that this time next year we’ll fool around with the iPad 3?).

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves and for new let’s just see what the iPad 2 is all about. Let’s take it slow, although we’re going to talk about light speed stuff. The iPad 2 will be powered by a A5 dual core processor, which is twice as fast as the CPU on the iPad.

iPad 2 comes with two cameras, one for HD recording and the other one for video calls

But it gets better, as the A5 chip can deliver 9 times the graphic power the iPad has. Fortunately, the battery will be able to deliver the same stability, and Apple says you get about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. Another great new feature of the iPad 2 is the dual camera system.

The iPad didn’t had a camera, neither in the back or the front, and many went for other tablets because it offered them the opportunity to record videos or take photos.

The rear facing camera will be able to record 720p video at 30 fps and has a 5x digital zoom. As always, the camera in front is a little more modest, as it’s intended for video calls, rather than recording. Still, it will be able to record at a VGA resolution, also at 30 fps.

The screen is the same as on the previous version, meaning you have a 1024 x 768 px resolution IPS display. This means you’ll get good viewing angles, no matter how you hold or position the tablet on a stand, for example. The iPad 2 does not have a HDMI port for 1080p playback on a big screen TV, but you’ll be able to buy a special AV adapter for that.

The iPad 2 is much thinner than the iPad and easier to carry around

Connectivity wise, there’s a WiFi only version and one which adds 3G, but you’ll have to pay extra for it. In comparison with the first iPad, the iPad 2 will be 33% thinner and will weight just over 600 grams. Additionally, you can buy the iCover, which is some sort of a sleeve you can stretch over the tablet for protection. The trick is that the sleeve works also as a stand, as it can fold into one thanks to some hinges positioned under the fabric.

Moving on to the software, the tablet comes with iOS 4.3, which was launched at the same as the slate. There’s word about a better browsing experience, as Safari was seriously tweaked. Also, you get FaceTime, a video calling app, PhotoBooth (which lets you apply some weird effects to pictures you made with either camera), iMovies, which lets you record and edit movies and post them on Youtube, Facebook and other sharing sites.

Another new feature is the iGarageBand, which seems directed towards a younger demographic. With this app, you can turn the iPad 2 into a recording studio, as you get touch instruments like guitars or drums to record your own songs.

The SmartCover can be used also as a stand

If we’re talking about music, you should know that the iPad 2 requires at least iTunes 10.2, which is the latest version Apple released. As you can see in the videos, the iPad 2 is very, very fast. Turning pages is so natural and playing with the page a little is not choppy at all.

Apps launch very fast, and Safari loaded up a dozen pictures on a website in just a couple of seconds. The experience is nothing less than amazing, and we can only hope that the units coming in stores will have the same stamina.

The iPad 2 ships starting on March 11, in black and white versions, for a minimum price of $499- for that, you get 16 GB of storage and WiFi. You’ll have to pay $599 for the 32 GB version and $699 if you want to maximize storage up to 64 GB. If you add 3G to the mix, the 16 GB version costs $629 and the other ones with $100 more for each as you chose more storage.

The tablet will come from Verizon and AT&T, while sales in Apple Retail Stores start at 5 PM on launch day.  Are you getting one?

Tags: Apple iPad, Apple iPad 2, Apple iPad accessories

Last updated: March 29, 2012 | Published: March 3rd, 2011 | Add the first comment!