Apple iPad 2 Review November 2011
Apple iPad 2
Finally we post the november review of Apple iPad 2.
When you read that the Apple iPad 2 is appreciably faster, thinner and lighter than the iPad 1, and boasts a pair of video cameras, you may wonder where shorcuts have been made in its construction. We certainly were – and we’re still looking for them.
The product is perfect, and discerning users will always be looking for ways in which the experience could be improved. Here’s our rundown of how well Apple has executed its second take on the iPad – and where there’s still room for refining what’s already proven to be an incredibly successful formula.
iPad 2 tablet with a 9.7-inch display, 1024 x 768 resolution, the general size and shape of the device has remained the same, and though inside there’s a new dual core A5 CPU, more memory, and a pair of new cameras, most of the iPad 2′s changes are cosmetic. The previous tablet soared far above most of its competitors when it came to the quality of both the hardware and its software selection.
Hardware
iPad 2 seriously raised the bar on sleek, sexy computer hardware. If you’re an owner of the original model, you know it was no slouch in the design department, but its latest iteration takes it to a whole other place.
The first thing you’ll probably notice about the iPad 2 is that it’s unbelievably thin. At its thickest point, the tablet is just 0.34 inches (compared with the first iPad’s half an inch of girth).
The device is shorter than the previous model (at 9.5-inches tall), but also slightly less wide just 7.3-inches versus the iPad’s 7.47-inches. It looks and feels amazingly sleek when you hold it.
As Steve Jobs pointed out at the launch event, the device is thinner than the astoundingly thin iPhone 4. It’s still not exactly light, weighing in at 1.33 pounds (or 1.34 / 1.35 for the 3G models), just a hair under the original’s one and a half pounds.
As with the previous version, the front of the device is all screen, save for a bezel (which appears slightly less broad than the one on the first model), and a home button at the bottom of the display. Apple iPad 2 does add a camera opposite from that button at the top of the device, but the small dot is barely noticeable.
Around back there’s the familiar, smooth aluminum of the previous version, a small, dotted speaker grid on the lower left, a camera on the upper left, ( depending on what model you get), 3G antenna along the top back.
Volume buttons and mute / rotate switch sit on the back left side of the device, while on the right you’ll find the Micro SIM slot (3G versions). A standard 30-pin dock connector is along the bottom, while the top reveals a power / sleep button on the upper right side, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left.
Pictures don’t quite do the iPad 2 justice it feels really great in your hands. Not only does the construction give it a feeling of heft and permanence, but the thin profile combined with the new edges make holding the device a real joy. Apple is known for its industrial design, and they didn’t just chew scenery here. iPad 2 is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.
Internals ( audio and display )
Apple has replaced last year’s A4 CPU with a new, 1GHz dual core chip it’s calling the A5. According to Geekbench, there’s now 512MB of RAM in the iPad, bringing it up to iPhone 4. That still seems on the low side to us, a device in this class should probably be sporting 1GB, though we had no memory issues.
The screen is identical to the previous model (1024 x 768 – 9.7-inch IPS display). It still looks good, though we really would have liked to see a bump in resolution if not up to the Retina Display’s doubled numbers, then something substantial. We don’t take issue with the quality of the display as far as color balance or deepness of blacks go. But we would like to see higher pixel density (especially for the book apps).
In the wireless performance, you can nab either a WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n) only model, a Verizon 3G version, or an iPad of the AT&T / GSM variety. Bluetooth 2.1+EDR is on board, as is an AGPS chip in the 3G versions. All the models come equipped with an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, and a new addition (a three-axis gyroscope).
Apple has relocated the iPad’s single speaker to the back of the device. 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, you’ll want good headphones or decent speakers nearby.
On the specs front the iPad 2 feels very iterative, and there’s nothing here that is totally mind-blowing. We’re early enough in the tablet game that a small push in specs like this will last us another season, but Apple needs to deliver bigger guns by the time we see a “3″ at the end of the iPad moniker .
Performance
| Geekbench | Results (higher is better) |
| Apple iPad 2 | 721 |
| Apple iPad | 442 |
| Apple iPhone 4 | 375 |
The iPad is equipped with a 1GHz, dual-core chip called the A5. According to Geekbench, the CPU is clocked at 800MHz. When we first handled the device, it seemed noticeably faster to us, and even after a week with the tablet, it’s still zippier than the previous model by a longshot.
CPU and graphics performance of this tablet felt extremely impressive to us.The iPad 2 performed excellently no matter what we threw at it, games and graphically taxing apps seemed to have higher frame rates, and even when dealing with CPU intensive programs like GarageBand, it rarely seemed to be struggling.
Battery life
Apple promises major battery life on the iPad 2. Though the device has been physically trimmed down, the company says users can expect the same longevity we witnessed in the previous version. In our testing, this was 100 percent true. For the first few days we used the device we didn’t even bother plugging it in.
In fact, during you use 3G and WiFi on, app testing, heavy work in GarageBand in particular, browsing, news reading, emailing, picture, video taking, and music listening. We neglected to plug the iPad 2 into a socket for a span of about five days.
| Battery Life | |
| Apple iPad 2 | 10:26 |
| Apple iPad | 9:33 |
| Motorola Xoom | 8:20 |
| Dell Streak 7 | 3:26 |
| Archos 101 | 7:20 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab | 6:09 |
In the standard video test – running an MPEG4 video clip on loop, WiFi on, screen at roughly 65 percent brightness the iPad 2 managed an astonishing 10 hours and 26 minutes of non-stop playback. That beats Apple’s own claims, and bests its nearest competitor the Xoom by about 2 hours.
AirPlay – HDMI adapter
AirPlay has now been expanded to work with more applications, which means developers can plug into the API to get video out to TV screens anywhere an Apple TV is located. That’s nice, but until people start taking advantage of it, there aren’t a ton of places you can use it right now. You can, however, stream all H.264 video from websites, and you can now access photos and video you’ve shot on your device that live in your camera roll.
If you’re really serious about getting video out to your TV, you’ll want to pick up Apple’s new HDMI dongle ($39), which allows you to plug directly into your HDTV (and has a spot for your dock connector as well). It’s a pretty odd product, considering that you’ve got to have your HDMI cable stretched across your living room. Unless of course, you’re just dropping your iPad off by the TV to watch some content, and never pausing or skipping anything.
Software
It wouldn’t be iOS product without iOS update, and the iPad 2 ushers in iOS 4.3, a minor update which touts a few bells and whistles. Apple has improved browser performance, added broader AirPlay support, mercifully added an option to toggle your mute switch for rotation lock duties, and (on the iPhone at least) brought Personal Hotspot to GSM devices (not the iPad 2).
Apple also introduced two fairly major pieces of software GarageBand and iMovie for the iPad.
FaceTime – Photo Booth
FaceTime experience on the iPad isn’t wildly different than the experience on an iPhone or OS X computer. Though the layout is different, you’re getting basically the same results. As with the phone, you’re unable to use the service when not on WiFi, but given that you’re dealing with a tablet as opposed to a handset.
Results were unsurprising but satisfying with the video calls we placed, but again, those cameras don’t produce stunning images.
Photo Booth, on the other hand, has gone from a minor sideshow in OS X to a full blown event app on the iPad 2. The device’s A5 CPU seems to have little trouble cranking out nine separate, live video previews of the kinds of effects you can do in the app, and when you’re in full screen mode. It’s not something that is wildly useful, but we imagine a lot of people will be walking out of Apple stores with an iPad 2 in hand after playing around with this for a few minutes.