iPad2 – My impressions
Unlike previous Apple product release events, I was tucked away in bed at home, asleep in a drug haze and blissfully unaware about what Steve Jobs was announcing to the world at 2AM. These were prescription drugs folks – I wasn’t abusing any illicit substances. Geez. That was Monday night.
In case you didn’t know – the iPad2 was announced.
A bunch of you have asked me for my opinions on the device, so here they are. As you all know I’m one of those jerks who will go on a longwinded rant about how good or bad a device is, especially if its Apple and even moreso if you don’t particularly want to listen to me rant about anything in the first place.
In a nutshell I really do like the device. Jobs didn’t do anything unexpected.
I was expecting the same thing with a few tweaks – Apple traditionally doesn’t do major upgrades to their suite of toys unless there are poor sales involved. The only thing that did surprise me is the new HDMI adapter. It seems to unlike Apple to release such a device. I wonder how smooth it can decode and output high bit-rate 1080p video via XBMC… Sure, a PC would still be a cheaper option, but its fun to hack.
Oh, and the new covers as well – they look pretty schmick!
Will you buy an iPad2?
No.
But that’s simply because I’m a poor, barely employed person who doesn’t have the spare change to put towards a point revision in hardware. Yes, I’d love to own one – frankly I believe my household severely lacks the sufficient number of iDevices to have it run at optimal efficiency however the day where that dream comes true is far away.
When the first generation iPad was released, I wasn’t entirely convinced about how life-changing it would be. That was until I got my hands on it. As soon as my weird girl hands found themselves wrapped around the iPad1′s body, I knew I had to have one. From what I’m hearing, the iPad2 has a Kindle feel to it, with its lighter weight and thinner body.
Sure the operating system hasn’t been beefed up to take advantage of the new A5 chip however the added grunt will severely improve the user experience and deliver the needed grunt that will make apps like the new iMovie sing. Sure, iMovie is a horrid program when compared to Final Cut Pro (which in itself is a pale comparison to the Adobe CS5 suite) however the ability to shoot, edit and post HD content on the road without having to lug around a laptop makes me grow lady bits to allow me to drip with excitement.
No other tablet/slate can compete… yet
I desperately wish a contender would step up to the plate and knock apple off its smug little perch but the iPad2 is still miles ahead from its competition. The price point, the range of apps and the form factor make the iPad special. Believe me, I really want to get excited about the Motorolla Xoom but c’mon, Android just hasn’t got it right yet. Maybe next release eh? Or perhaps in three or four releases time – I’m yet to see a portable device that suits my requirements that doesn’t have an apple logo stamped on it’s back and am yet to see a contender on the horizon.
Have you heard about the iPad 3?
Oh jesus. Jon Gruber is the guy you can all blame for this nonsense – he speculated the 3rd incarnation under no influence of any inside sources. Knowing this, the rest of the world still jumped on the bandwagon. Sure, he’s been right about many things in the past, however many of those things have been backed with credible sources. Gruber has even publicly confirmed that his iPad3 comment was pure speculation based on market indicators and nothing more yet people still proclaim loudly that they’re not getting the iPad2 since number 3 will be available in 4 months time.
(Side note, Gruber is also one of those guys who has openly declared Facebook insignificant.)
Look, there is always a slight possibility that a new generation of iPad will be released in a few months but the likelihood of that makes no reasonable sense.
Firstly it’ll cannibalise on the iPod market (the next revision of the famous media player is expected to be announced in a few months as part of it’s regular release schedule). However, there is a chance that Apple may beef up the iPod touch by adding a few inches to it and release an iPad mini instead of the dated device that is slowly losing traction in the market.
Secondly, imagine the funds required to change the manufacturing process from the iPad to the iPad2 and then force another change in less than 4 months? Thats a lot of cash to throw down the drain. And for what? The take-up of the iPad3 will be greatly reduced given consumers have already forked out hundreds of dollars on a device only a few months old. Not everyone is an Apple fanboy.
The only way I can see a revision this early is because Apple was forced to release a low-res version of the iPad this month given that it was unable to source enough hardware to create a retina display-esque screen for its scheduled release date. Rip open an iPad2 and check the chipset – if its capable of churning out high res graphics with a simple swap of the screen, I might entertain the possibility.
So what now?
Nothing really, it is all business as usual. Most likely the world will get the next revision of the iPhone in June/July and then beef up their range of media players in September. The world keeps on spinning and keep finding myself owning dated Apple hardware.
Woe is me.