iPad vs iPad2
So with Friday’s ipmending release of the iPad2 in the UK and the USA having had it for a few weeks now, there are plenty of snippets of info out there on the web about the differences between the two. Some are pretty big, while others may go unseen or un-used by many. Here is a quick roundup of the differences;
Hardware -
First, the iPad 2 has more RAM, which affects almost everything the iPad2 does and makes it faster. Apple won’t say how much it has (the original iPad has just 256Mb) but it’s likely that the iPad2 has 512Mb, though it could be as much as 1Gb.
Second, from what I’ve seen the screen is crisper and brighter with better image resolution. Overall though there isn’t much difference and for most things that you will use the iPad or iPad2 for, both will give you a great view of whatever webpage you are viewing or app you are using.
Third, a minor one, the “lock/unlock” switch at the side of the pad can be changed on the iPad2 to be a quick “mute/unmute” button. Perfect for if you are sneaking a look at something during a boring meeting and don’t want to get suprised by an advert playing music!
Fourth, the cameras. This is a big one, something that most people felt was missing from the iPad1 within hours of it being released. One forward-facing camera and one HD rear-facing camera built in to every model of the iPad2. Good stuff Apple!
Fifth, a built-in gyroscope combined with motion sensor means that iPad2 knows not only which way you are holding it, but what angle, how fast you are walking with it, if you shake it, spin it, do a 360 spin or just turn it upside down - something that no doubt game creators will take advantage of.
Sixth, the processor has been doubled now to a dual-core. There is a lot of misleading info on what “Dual core” actually does. Yes, there are two processors, but no that doesn’t make it twice as fast. It is faster than one core, but not double the speed!
Seventh, graphics have had a real boost for the iPad2. Apple claim that the graphics are up to NINE times faster than the iPad1. I’ve seen lots of videos of the iPad2 in use, and have to say it does appear to be true.
Eighth, the iPad2 has a range of hardware accessories coming out that the first iPad doesn’t; there is a cable that displays your iPad2’s screen onto your TV in very high quality HDMI, and there is a SmartCover that connects using magnets to always be in the right position on your iPad2 - plus, when you close the cover the iPad2 goes straight to sleep, open the cover it automatically wakes up, saving you battery life and being very convenient at doing so. Plus it comes in dark red leather - sweet!
And lastly, despite putting all the extra stuff in the iPad2, and making it thinner than the iPhone4, the 10 hour battery life with up to a month of standby time remains. And that’s not just 10 hours on the lowest brightness setting with it doing nothing but being on, that’s 10 hours of real use, something that has been tested by many a skeptical reviewer and found to be true most of the time.
So the hardware is an impressive upgrade; thiiner, lighter, but more content and even more attreactive looking than the first iPad. But what about software?
The iPad2 will run the latest version of iOS with all the usual Apple trimmings. It will make use of every app created for the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad1, as well as the bounty of apps that will appear rapidly making use of the new iPad2 hardware features.
Apple really promoted FaceTime for the iPad2 at it’s launch campaign. The idea of being able to video-call via the web (or 3G if you have that version of the iPad2) using a near-HD camera and see crystal clear image of the person you are talking to on a near-10-inch screen is pretty exciting (unless you have really ugly friends I suppose!) The downside to it is that you can only call other Apple devices that have FaceTime on them. So hard luck if your mates have Android phones, Samsung Galaxy tablets or Motorola XOOM tablets, your FaceTime will be useless.
Other Apps that got a plug included GarageBand, where the power of the electronic mixing desk was shown to great effect. Being able to create music directly on the iPad is pretty cool, I especially like the Virtual Drum Kit which you can play using your fingers, and the Piano which can sense how hard you are pressing the iPad2 screen to change the sound of the notes being played.
One thing we don’t know yet is if these new iPad2 Apps can be used on the iPad1 at all. I suspect they probably can, but perhaps won’t perform quite as well.
So, the most important thing then: THE PRICE!
There is currently nothing published that states the actual cost of the iPad2 in the UK other than Steve Jobs’ promise that it will cost the same as the original iPad did when it was released last year. In the US the basic iPad2 model starts at $499, so it’s probbaly safe to assume that the basic 16Gb WiFi-only iPad2 should come in at around the £429 mark, with the top end 64Gb Wifi-and-3G model hitting around £700.
I received an email from Apple earlier today stating that the iPad2 will be going on sale from 5PM on Friday this week. Apple stores should be opening for that time, and staying open until midnight I expect. Other shops like PC World and Dixons offer no guarantee that they will have any stock of the new iPad2 units at all, due to the way Apple operates (no stock will be delivered to stores until a few hours before it goes on sale). If America is anything to go by, you can expect people starting to queue outside Apple shops in the UK on Thursday evening, willing to spend the next 24 hours on that spot to ensure they are one of the first to get their mitts on the new ‘pad.
As for UK pre-order, it is assumed that the Apple online store will start to accept them from 12.01am on Friday morning - however, it will likely only be a “Collect in Store” job for a time, forcing you to reserve an iPad2 online then make a trip to your local (or not so local, depending on where you live!) store to pick it up.
If you don’t sit at the Apple store website and keep hitting F5 (refresh for those who dn’t know!) to ‘pre-order’ or ‘reserve’ yout iPad2, or are not willing to sit outside your local Apple Store for 24 hours and gain a claim to fame for Apple FanBoi-ism then you will likely be waiting a few months *at least* to get your hands on one of these devices. A few weeks into the release in America and the Apple Store is telling people to expect to wait 4-6 weeks after placing their order for any model of the iPad2. I expect that in the UK that will be more like 8-12 weeks myself.
So is it worth getting an iPad2? Well, it depends what you really want it for I suppose. If you want to come home, pick it up, check your email, post something on facebook and check the local cinema times while listening to the radio or your iTunes, then the 16Gb WiFi-only iPad1 will do you just fine, and considering you can get those brand new for as £329 now it’s not really such a great expense anymore.
If you are going to be watching movies, storing a massive iTunes library, pictures, games and have a real appetite for apps than the iPad1 32Gb or even 64Gb might be better suited for your needs.
for the iPad2, I think we have to go a step further to really justify the cost of the product. Ask yourself, are you going to be getting a 3G model? Or perhaps more approriately, is the aim of your iPad2 to become your always-on internet-everywhere compainion to everything you do in you day to day life? If the answer is no, then I already advise you to look at an iPad1 instead.
If you have lots of friends who have iPhone4’s or are also getting iPad2’s, who you are eager to video call and can’t wait to webchat with, then sure the iPad2 holds appeal for you. If you are looking for a new type of gaming console, no doubt the iPad2’s faster graphics and built-in cameras will lead to some fantastic augmented-reality games (Google it if you don’t know what that it, it’s very cool albeit something still very muich in the Beta-test & development phases). Musicians who want to compose on-the-go, video editing guru’s who’d love to edit their latest artsy movie while on the London Underground, these people will push the iPad2 to it’s true limit. The majority of users will use the iPad2 coasting along to check Facebook, read MSN News and maybe play Doodle Jump.
Overall, the iPad2 is a brilliant new bit of kit (and even if you hate Apple you can’t deny that….. well, you can, but you’d be a moron) but as with the iPad1 when it was first released it doesn’t have an massively obvious market. Yes, the FanBoi’s who love everything with an Apple logo on it so much that you could stick it on a turd and sell it to them will rush out, queue for 24 hours buy one and proudly proclaim that they were the first to use an iPad2 to FaceTime to someone. And those that never owned an iPad1 but are curous about the technology and how it could (for lack of a better phrase) enchance their lives might part their cash to get one.
But for me, having spent the last few weeks agonising over whether or not to buy one, reading everything iPad2-related that I could clap eyes on and checking the Apple Store 20 times a day to see if that “Notify Me” magically changed into a “PreOrder now!” button, the thing I think is best about the iPad2 coming out is the reduction in price to the iPad1. Besides, it’s not always a bad thing to be slightly behind the new market, at this point any bugs and issues with iPad1 hardware and software will be ironed out, whereas the iPad2 is still yet to face it’s true test - the hands and minds of the non-techy general public (and trust me, that is a scary prospect for any new device!)
Want to pick up an iPad1 then? Definately ignore sites like eBay, where bidding-happy morons are paying out over £400 for something Apple and PC World sell new for £329, but maybe check your local classifieds for someone parting with their iPad1. Alternatively, pop along and get a spanking new iPad1 from a shop near you (or from the UK Apple Store, where you can get free engraving on the back of your iPad if you so desire).
That’s what I’ll be doing!
