Posted by
nkbish0p
at
17:50
As you probably are aware, yesterday, Apple announced the successor to their hugely popular tablet the iPad, namely the iPad 2. If you missed that yesterday, you can read all about it here.
In this article I will be discussing what new features the iPad two brings to the table and whether it is a worthy purchase.
Launched to huge acclaim around 13 months ago, the Apple iPad has gone on to sell over 15 million units worldwide in the 11 months that it has been on sale. As if yet there is no competitor that has a realistic chance of emulating the iPads success, so if there is any tablet computer that you want, it is probably this one.
Why would I want an iPad?
Good question. The iPad is still somewhat of a unique product sitting in between a smartphone and a laptop, offering neither the functionality of a laptop nor the portability or connectivity of a smartphone. It is easy to see why you wouldn't want one, or couldn't justify spending money on one if you already had both of the products mentioned above but the truth is with the iPad, only when you actually try one out for yourself do you realise the beauty of a tablet computer.
What if I have the original iPad?
You have two options; the sensible one and the somewhat less sensible one. The sensible one would be to keep it and ignore the iPad 2. The original iPad is still a great product and the chances are that if you upgrade to the new iPad now, you will want to do the same again next year. This
WILL get expensive. However, if you
really love facetime (it isn't that great), or think the extra 0.2 pounds of "lightness" will really make a big difference you could trade your iPad in at somewhere like CEX
(Click here to see what they will currently give you for your old iPad) or if you are feeling more adventurous you could try ebay.
What is the best thing about the new iPad
If you ask someone in the street, they will probably say "the iPad 2 has cameras" or "you can get it in white" but these are not the new iPads best qualities. The fact is, the iPad 2 is MUCH faster than the old model and while you may say "the old iPad is fast enough" I assure you, as an iPhone 3g ex-owner that whilst the original iPad may be speedy enough for you now, a couple of software updates down the line it will probably turn into a lazy old dog. If you want an iPad without a doubt buy the new one over the old one as the cost savings of buying the old one aren't even that great anyway.
What else has it got that the old iPad hasn't?
You can read about all the iPad 2's new features
here
I love Android and can see quite a few flaws with the iPad, such as the way it handles notifications, why should I buy an iPad 2 over an Android tablet.
Tricky. It's quite hard to answer this without sounding like a "fanboy" but the fact is the iPad can run any of the 400,000 apps (And counting) made for the iPhone as well as 65,000 currently developed specifically for the iPad. At the moment there are only 100 apps developed specifically for Android tablets, for those of you that like maths, that means the iPad has 650 times as many apps written for it than the very best Android tablet. However, going back to the first point, Android tablets sit closer to laptops whilst iPads sit closer to smartphones, so at the minute they are kind of aimed at different people. My advice would be to try both and pick whichever you prefer. One thing to remember though is that Apple will almost certainly be showing off the new version of iOS in the next few weeks (they have done for the past 3 years) and I would expect them to have remedied the majority of the complaints about iOS. (Remember to come back to read my blog post about this!)
The iPad is too expensive, I want something cheaper!
It doesn't exist. All tablets are expensive and the difference between how much they cost is negligible, if you want a tablet you are going to have to spend a large sum of money so it is better to find the one that you like the best rather than save a few £ and end up with something you hate.
Which one should I get?
In my opinion the base model 16gb with WiFi only is great, although it is a shame that it doesn't have GPS like the 3g model. (I would love to use the iPad as a huge sat-nav in my car!). The reason I prefer the WiFi model is that as a smartphone owner paying for internet on my phone I would not like to have to have a second contract to pay for internet on a tablet too. If you don't mind paying two contracts or don't already have a smartphone however I would definitely advise the 3g model. With iTunes home sharing (a new feature of iOS 4.3 , I will be reviewing this shortly) you will be able to stream media such as music video and pictures to your iPad from a computer on the same WiFi network. Therefore if you are only buying a WiFi model, you will probably be using it mostly at home with your WiFi so it may be a good idea to stream stuff to your iPad rather than buying a more expensive 32gb or 64gb model. If you have the money though, obviously more is better, but once you get to the hefty £600+ price of the top model, you have to wonder whether you would be better off with a decent mid-range laptop.
When can I get one and how much will it cost?
25th March, or if you are planning a trip to America, 11th March. Incidentally if you are desperate to get an iPad NOW, you can buy the old one at a discounted price from apple.com (although as mentioned above I would not recommend this). At the moment prices for the UK are unknown but in the US it will cost exactly the same as the old one.
Have I missed anything?
Have I? If I have please notify me in the comments below and I will try to add it in!
Thanks for reading! @nkbish0p
