The iPad 2 and iOS 4.3 Announcement
by Andrew Cunningham & Cara Hamm on March 2, 2011 11:21 PM EST
To further overuse a ridiculously overused phrase, the new iPad is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The internals get what should be a nice bump, but the screen size and resolution remains the same, and we aren't going to see any major changes in the new tablet's interface or functionality. For the most part, it can do everything the original iPad could, just faster. Current iPad users who aren't bothered by the first-gen device's lack of a camera won't likely find a must-have reason to upgrade, especially since the first iPad will likely be supported by iOS 5 and beyond.
At the same time, users who found themselves unimpressed by the original iPad are unlikely to be won over by the iPad 2. A speed bump and a pair of cameras aren't enough to make the iPad more like a notebook if that's what you want.
However, the new iPad does attempt to further blur the line between full computers and tablets, a line that is only going to get blurrier as more Honeycomb tablets invade the market. The iPad still lacks a dedicated keyboard, which will probably always hamper its utility as a content creation device for me, but iMovie and GarageBand join the already existing iWork apps as decent tablet versions of desktop programs.
The iPad continues to be a good purveyor of the Apple Experience, a middle step between the iPhone and iPod Touch at the low-end and the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro at the high-end. We're missing a few performance and hardware details, and iOS is beginning to look a bit dated in comparison to Honeycomb, but none of these issues will likely stop the new iPad from being just as hot a seller as the previous version.
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Juzcallmeneo - Saturday, March 12, 2011 - link
Your FANtasy world seems fun, how many and what types of drugs do you use to get there?I cannot stress how much I dislike blackberrys. It's not the same as Apple..I dislike Apple's childish and methodical strategies. I dislike Apple's use of cheap parts and how they boast it's the right choice. The reason I don't like blackberrys has to do with simply how they work all-together. I have 6 uncles and 1 aunt all on my father's side..many many cousins..and 90% of us are huge in business. The reason I say that the playbook is being oogled by businessmen..is because they oogle it right in front of me, constantly. I didn't know what the playbook was until some businessmen and women explained it to me..I didn't search for it on my own until a few days ago when I wanted to see what THAT hype was about. I try to sell them on Android, and they try to sell me on blackberry.
99.9% of people know what the iPad is and most want one? how many billions of sales are you trying to bet on? Your numbers are not just obviously made up, but completely silly.
Apple is a Glutton, "what makes us the most money" type of company. They couldn't give a care what anybody wants on their products, not just me.
I see you believe that the iPad is about as useful as a toaster, and hence doesn't need any extra features..like any advanced technology has.
Now that the iPad 2 has been released, everybody can see that I wasn't lying about the .3MP and .7MP cameras on front and back. How did I know it had the exact same cheap cameras on the iPod Touch? I kind of work for Apple and get to deal with fixing their pieces of junk when I'm available..I also get to deal with the many people who buy their junk and don't know things like what iTunes is. Fixing their cheap manufacturing several times a week does indeed make me long for something that "Just works".. And I'm SICK of fixing iPods/iPhones/iPads.
dcaxax - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
Just one point re:your comment - Mac's aren't using nvidia graphics anymore due to their incompatibility with sandy bridge chipsets, not due to any rift between apple and nvidia.Roland00Address - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
Apple could still use nvidia if they wanted too, while they may not use nvidia or ati discrete graphics on their 13inch line of macbook pro due to space and profit margin concerns, that doesn't stop them com using nvidia on their 15 and 17 inch line. Apple choose to use and/ ati on this line of macbook pros as well as the current line of imacs that is saying something.shiznit - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
wrong. Nvidia doesn't make chipsets for Intel cpu's newer than core 2 (inlcuding sandy bridge) but their discrete gpus work with Intel, it's just pci express.Guspaz - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
There is no such incompatibility, and their decision has nothing to do with that. Apple regularly changes up the GPU in their machines based on what's the best fit available at the time. This time around, AMD had a better price/performance/power/heat combination at the levels that Apple was targeting, it's that simple. In fact, Intel's increasing IGPU performance (it's doubled in each of the past two generations) was high enough this time around for Apple to ship their 13" MBPs with nothing but the Intel IGPUs. If Intel continues to improve IGPU performance, you'll probably see this next time around too.Juzcallmeneo - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
Oh I suppose It's just butterflies and rainbows between them..just like Apple and Adobe.Nevermind Nvidia jumping up on stage and loudly announcing that they plan on dominating the Tablet Market that Apple just started concentrating on..alongside Apple's tablet rival no less.
Nihility - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
The iPad 3 will have super ultra mega amazing magical new feature... a STYLUS!Stas - Friday, March 4, 2011 - link
woa... Jobs hasn't even invented it yet, and you already know about it? O.Otechbwoy - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
LOL so can you recount how many of those tablet sold in a year. Face it Apple can in and made the market relevant. You can't deny that. Apple used itunes to set up things that make it hard for others to compete with. Its funny how when it comes to Apple people find short comings to easy but give others a pass. XOOM release with virtually no major software but put a little dazzle and its the greatest thing PLEASE. Give me a integrated solution.Juzcallmeneo - Thursday, March 3, 2011 - link
"The one thing that Apple did actually bring to the table, is showing the rest of the companies that we are finally in the age where tablets can be popular for simple media consumption for many people. Now that they've done that they can leave."??????
Anyways, I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or arguing, but I did actually say the same thing. My point was the iPad was not the first one by a long shot.
And I never said I liked the Xoom..I just don't find it as useless or boring as the iPads