iPad 2 Review

The iPad 2, one of the most successful product from Apple had been released for quite a long time. Now, lets take a look of the Apple new-born product.

Key features:

• 9.7” capacitive IPS touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
  
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity
  
• Optional 3G connectivity (data only)
  
• Optional GPS with A-GPS support
  
• Apple A5 processor
  
• iOS 4.3
  
• 16/32/64GB of onboard storage
  
• Weight of 601 grams (607 grams for the 3G version)
  
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  
• 10 hours battery life
  
• Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
  
• Compatible with every iPhone app without any modifications
  
• The cheapest version costs less than an unlocked iPhone
  
• 0.7MP auto-focus camera, 720p video recording at 30fps
  
• VGA secondary camera capable of Facetime calls
  
• Impressively slim 8.8mm waistline
  
• Four and five-finger gestures (locked by default, but easy to enable with a Mac and a $5 app)
  
• 1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $39), 720p video streaming

Design
Apple kept the aluminum unibody but gave the iPad 2 the tapered edges typical of the older generations of the iPhone.
A metal case is always a premium feature especially with the iPad’s thickness of just 8.8 mm. It’s the slim girth and the reduced weight that make the iPad 2 notably more comfortable to use and handle.

iOS for iPad
The iOS looks slightly different on the iPad mostly due to the larger screen and less importantly - the higher resolution. And while there are not too many UI tweaks to make better use of the extra space, most of the system apps have been reworked and use split screen allowing you to see more content and saving you a few taps.
The homescreens on the iPad UI support landscape orientation too and the dock can harbor up to six icons. The iOS 4.3 saw the addition of a screen brightness slider to the multi-tasking bar.

Web Browser
Browsing the web on the new Apple tablet is a really nice experience, with the great loading speeds (better than the first iPad), fluid touch control and gesture support (pinch zooming also works like a charm). Downloads are also possible so you can easily save an image you are looking at for opening it latter on your iPad.
The multiple tabs support and the auto fill and password managers also improve the usability of the Safari browser greatly. The pop-up menus appear as small windows on the screen itself rather than occupying the display things are even more desktop-like.

Apple sold millions of the first iPad. In just two days, the iPad 2 was out of stock in the US. And these are not the original iPad owners chucking their old tablet in the bin and lining up for the new one. The iPad 2 isn’t meant for them. It does not upgrade the first-gen gadget – its goal is to convert NEW users.