[update] Presse-Embargo abgelaufen: Erste US-Reviews des iPad 2 stehen Online
Für die ausgewählte US-Presse, die in den letzten Tagen das iPad 2 unbeaufsichtigt unter die Lupe nehmen durfte, fällt in der vergangenen Nacht das Veröffentlichungs-Embargo. Hier sind ein paar ausgewählte Stimmen und die jeweiligen Verweise auf deren Reviews.
- It is a refinement of the original iPad — an impressive one, in several ways, considering that it arrives just 11 months after the original.
- The fact is, Apple got it right with the iPad 1 in almost every way, and the iPad 2 reflects that.
- I found the white bezel distracting. With the black, the frame disappears from mind when you’re using the iPad. With the white, it always seemed like I was looking at a white frame around the screen.
- For all practical concerns, the display is identical to last year’s iPad.
- With these iOS devices, how it feels is what matters [performance wise]. In practice, the iPad 2 feels like the fastest iOS device I’ve ever used — faster in every way than the iPhone 4.
- Every little thing on the iPad 2 feels more responsive. The Photos app is one example. With the same photo library on both iPads (consisting of several thousand images), it takes about two or three seconds for the iPad Photos app to be ready for use after a cold launch on my iPad 1. On the iPad 2, it’s ready almost instantly.
- Last year’s iPad had 256 MB of RAM. The iPad 2 has 512. […] Those waiting for a gigabyte of RAM will need to keep waiting, however.
- On the iPad 1, Guy’s demo app dropped below 60 fps with about 100 animated sprites; on the iPad 2, it didn’t drop below 60 fps until there were over 750 animated sprites.
- And note: an iPad 2 wearing a Smart Cover is considerably thinner than a naked original iPad.
- Smart Covers are so cool that I can imagine iPad 1 owners — who think they’re happy to stick with what they’ve got — changing their minds and deciding to upgrade upon seeing Smart Covers in person.
- […] no matter how much you love your iPad, you’re not going to use it as your camcorder.
- As far as I can tell, the iPad 2 gets identical battery life to the iPad 1.
- The iPad 2 is a solid second-generation iteration. Like last year’s iPhone 4, it seems like technology from the near future.
- Those competitors will now face a new iteration of the iPad, one that’s faster, smaller, and lighter than the model introduced a year ago—all while retaining the $499 entry price that has proven all but impossible for Apple’s competitors to match. It’s almost unfair.
- The iPad 2 eschews the frame, opting for a single surface that much more rapidly transitions from curve to flat. […] The feel is quite different, a bit like reverting the flat surfaces of the iPhone 4 to the curved back of an iPhone 3G.
- Apple seems to be differentiating between the two by referring to the AT&T model as “3G with Micro-SIM card.”
- In short, the iPad 2 is the fastest iOS device ever made, by a long shot. And it’s not just an academic distinction: you can sense the speed when you use it, because everything’s faster and smoother than it was on the original iPad.
- Apple touts this camera as being “for video,” and there’s a reason: as a still camera it’s about seven-tenths of a megapixel, with poor performance in low-light conditions. But it’s capable of shooting 720p HD video and, in well-lit environments, the quality is decent.
- One final wrinkle to the 3G buying decision: Only 3G iPad models come with GPS capabilities.
- I played back several HD video files on several different HDTVs via the iPad 2 and the HDMI adapter, and the video quality was excellent.
- Both apps [iMovie / GarageBande]do suffer from one of the great failings of the iOS: difficulty in getting files in and out and moving them around.
- Should you upgrade? Of course, if there’s someone in your family who has been clamoring for an iPad, now might be the time to buy an iPad 2 and hand down the old model to them […].
- For Apple’s competitors in the tablet-device market, the iPad 2 is a bucket of water to the face.
- For most average, nontechie users, I would recommend it over the handful of tablet competitors I’ve tested so far, especially given that the entry price remains attractive.
- The iPad 2 does have some drawbacks. […] But, for a company known for quality, which bundles a new still-photo app with the device, the cameras are disappointing.
- Also, the battery life, while very good, isn’t as strong as I found it to be on the first iPad. […] That’s 2.5 hours better than the Xoom did on the same test, but more than an hour less than I got from the original iPad, which clocked in at 11 hours, 28 minutes.
- Another drawback I encountered was that the new, more tapered design makes it harder to plug cables and accessories—including the charging cable—into the main port on the bottom of the device, because it is now angled.
- From an industrial design standpoint, the iPad 2 just seriously raised the bar on sleek, sexy computer hardware.
- The sound seems clearer if somewhat quieter than the old version, and we can’t say that there’s a major improvement as far as the placement goes. It does the job, but if you’re working in GarageBand (or just listening to music or watching video), you’ll want good headphones or decent speakers nearby.
- Apple promises major battery life on the iPad 2. […] In our testing, this was 100 percent true.
- Let’s just put this out there: the iPad 2 cameras are really pretty bad. They’re not unusable, but it’s clear that the sensors employed are not top shelf by any measure. […] We won’t lie: we’re disappointed by how low end these cameras feel.
- Overall, this [GarageBand] is a groundbreaking piece of software for tablets.
- It might frustrate the competition to hear this, but it needs to be said: the iPad 2 isn’t just the best tablet on the market, it feels like the only tablet on the market.
- For those of you who haven’t yet made the leap, feel free to take a deep breath and dive in — the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now.
- My friends, I’m telling you: just that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience.
- The iPad 2 is now 0.34 inches thick. Next to it, the brand-new Motorola Xoom — the best Android competitor so far — looks obese.
- There’s a gyroscope in the iPad, too, just as in the iPhone 4. You notice it only when you play games that have been written to exploit it. For example, you can look behind you in the Nova 2 shoot-’em-up environment by moving the iPad around you, or “walk around” the tower of wood blocks in Jenga.
- But that price detail may turn a lot of heads. It means that for the first time, your heart can succumb to the iPad mystique — without having to ignore the practical input from your brain.
- Still, viewing angles are very broad, and no matter whether you’re viewing in landscape or portrait orientation, or even completely upside-down, there’s no discoloration or ghosting as can be the case with cheaper screens.
- The iPad 2 scored 749 overall with its dual-core chip and 512 MB of RAM, almost double the iPhone 4 – at 377 – with a single-core processor and the same amount of memory. The first-gen iPad – with the single-core processor and 256 MB of memory – scored 453 under iOS 4.2; strangely, after upgrading to iOS 4.3, that actually dropped slightly, to 448.
- We were able to software decode a side loaded 1.4 GB .avi file in OPlayer on the fly, while watching it, without and lag or stutter.
- There’s a lot of promise in Honeycomb, yes, but today – and likely for the first six months or so – it falls well short of the consistency, ease of use and stability iOS and the iPad 2 offer. Value is always subjective, but right now the general tablet audience will likely find the iPad 2 more approachable, more straightforward and easier to get the best out of from day one.
Update
- Overall, the device has a much more fluid design. Apple notes that the body now consists of two parts instead of the three that made up the iPad 1. This makes it feel even more solid, and even more like a natural object instead of a machine.
- Do these upgrades make a huge difference? It depends. For more memory intensive apps, obviously the answer is going to be yes. The Daily is a good example of this. It launches and works much more smoothly on the iPad 2 than on the iPad 1.
- If Apple wants to sell a lot of iPad 2s, all they have to do is put them [GarageBand / iMovie] on display in Apple Stores with these two apps installed. When you’re using them, you’ll experience the kind of “wow, I can do this on this device?” type of feeling.
- My advice is just don’t visit an Apple Store or play with a friend’s iPad 2, or you’ll be tempted.
- Headline: The Techies are wrong
- Apple’s iPad 1.0 dramatically redefined the category and catapulted Apple to a dominant position in the tablet market. Now „number one“ has a new meaning for Apple. The company is far and away the top dog, and contrary to what the critics say, the iPad 2 is going to keep it that way.
- The iPad wasn’t slow before. Now it’s faster. It wasn’t bulky before. Now it’s thinner. It wasn’t heavy before. Now it’s lighter.
