Saturday 21 May 2011

iPad 2 Review - Time for an Upgrade?

There are some people who automatically upgrade to the latest and greatest version of any product just for the sake of upgrading. Is that always a good thing to do? After reading through the upgrades made to the iPad 2, see for yourself if it is indeed time for an upgrade.
The Look
As for the upgraded look of the iPad 2, it is similar to the original device. However, the upgrade is more sleek, weighs less and the re-design of the body added a curve which gives it a different feel as you hold it in your hand.
Speedy
It is no surprise that the iPad 2 is about twice as fast as the original model, featuring a faster-working A5 dual core (1 GHz) processor (which most people like to see in their computers) and includes 512 MB of RAM. Faster working graphics are due to an engine upgrade, but the screen resolution is much the same as that of the original.
Cameras
The original iPad did not have any cameras, however, the iPad 2 has two of them. One camera is located on the front of the device and is used for video chatting. On the rear of the device is another camera used for capturing video and still shots.
Orientation
If you moved the original iPad too quickly in one direction or another, the device could not sense the quick change and would continue to display incorrect orientations of images. The iPad 2 can sense a change in direction and immediately reconfigures the images either vertically or horizontally.
Some disappointments with the upgrade include the continued grainy appearance of the video features. Whether or not it is something in the camera feature, the resolution is still not top-notch. A better choice would be to use the iPhone 4 for taking photos or videos.
The iPad 2 does not support an Adobe FLASH player, so anything requiring the use of FLASH will not be displayed properly, if at all.
Verdict
Overall, the iPad 2 is another excellent product from Apple. The smooth display, faster processing and nice playback features make this a successful upgrade. The Smart Cover was a very innovative accessory introduced along with this upgrade.
If you love your original iPad, then you will love this upgraded faster, slicker model. While the upgrade is not a complete overhaul, it just proves that you don't need to make a whole lot of changes to an already great product.

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