As the 64GB Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G version is put through our review process, it seems to be realizing the joys of being a younger sibling to the one device that’s been ruling most tablet enthusiasts’ imaginations for quite some time. It’s always going to be a comparison between the two until a third iteration comes out. The iPad enjoyed a short-lived reign before Apple decided they weren’t happy to hold back its successor any more. When this happened, by comparison the original suddenly started to look a little less shiny and more like a slate that could have been kept in labs until some of the noticeably absent features were added to it. And if everyone didn’t note the Cupertino-based company looking a bit sheepish about springing the new one not yet a year after bringing out the first, the $100 refund deal for new owners of the iPad certainly got people talking. And frowning, if they happened to be among those who doled out the cash for it.
Listing out the major differences between both, the new-fangled tablet has not one, but two cameras, a revamped exterior, a dual core A5 chip and it arrives with iOS 4.3. Yes, the USB port is still missing, but imagine giving all that you’ve got on the first or second go. It’s bad for business. Taking in what we see first, Apple has sawed the edges off the chassis. The incredibly smooth and curvy back shell is good to look at, but is it practical? More on that later. If you turn over the iPad and iPad 2 and place them beside each other, the newer slate makes the one that’s been shown the door feel positively old-fashioned. Add to this the camera with 5x digital zoom which can capture 720p HD videos at 30fps. Overall, the construct is around 33% slimmer and 15% lighter than the original variant’s. So if you thought the iPad was skinny, what about the Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G?
A generously thick bezel around the 9.7†LED backlit LCD multi-touch display dwarfs the screen as before and the only change on the front in terms of appearance is the VGA camera peeping out of the top. The review unit came to us with the Smart Cover for protecting the touchscreen. It’s a cool accessory, considering its powers to put the display to sleep or rouse it gently each time you cover or pull away the protector. And believe us when we say the magnetic attraction between these two is quite powerful. Just take our word or grasp it by the cover and dangle it around for a bit. Unless you shake it with all the emotion of someone being denied a raise for the umpteenth time, they will cling to each other like they came out of the box that way. Running an eye around the edges, we spot a 30-pin dock connector, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, a volume rocker, an on/off button which also locks the screen and a mute/unmute switch.
We turn on the Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G and wait a good 18 seconds for it to come to life. The visuals remain the same at 1,024 x 768p resolutions even if we wish it wasn’t so. The display with IPS technology is also of the same brilliant kind we’ve been introduced to on the first iPad. The colors jump out at you and the screen is viewable from almost any angle so long as you can stop it from switching between portrait and landscape modes while trying to peek at it from a side angle. A 1GHz dual core A5 processor has been wedged into this one and the speed bump in noticeable on every front. The repositioned speakers are of average quality, while the earphones are pretty good, though we’d like Apple to bundle cable-free ones with the iPad 3. The review unit we received came pre-installed with a bunch of interesting applications and games. And why not? After all, iTunes is a major selling point for any Apple device.
In terms of productivity, iTunes is the only one that can make it feel like the tablet PC for business users too. Typing out mails or other text input is much more convenient when the Smart Cover’s here to prop up the Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G at an angle. Browsing websites receives a thumbs down owing to its refusal to support Flash yet again. When we needed to exercise the sensitivity of the tablet’s motion sensing prowess, we dived right into Asphalt 6 and tried to get out of the game quite desperately for almost an hour. As for the bird-slinging sport of the decade, Angry Birds HD and Angry Birds Rio are spectacularly convincing arguments for buying the iPad. Talking about the camera in the back with 5x digital zoom and 720p HD video recording capabilities, it’s awful. Still images are questionably unflattering and the videos are just a shade better. Still no multi-tasking on this one. Lastly, unless you’re the worst kind of mobile entertainment fiend there is, the iPad 2’s battery life won’t lose its groove even after almost 10 hours of use. Disappointingly, the new tablet doesn’t seem vastly moved from the old one and we’re hoping Apple has something marvelously different for the iPad 3.
Summing it up neatly, Apple’s given us a svelte-looking device as always. The curvy edges may shine out as the best part of the overhaul. But imagine trying to keep a hold on a ridiculously smooth back panel when you fingers can barely sense where it ends. You’re could be grasping at thin air if you get too careless with the grip. Our only opinion on the weight after half an hour of holding up the slate was that it could get lighter. The 10 hours of battery life is very comforting, especially if you’re the sort of user who spends a lot of time on mobile devices. The Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi 3G flavor is getting a 9 out of 10 rating from us. It can be picked up for Rs. 46,900. When you consider that others like RIM, Dell and Samsung are still working hard to get on even ground with the first version, doesn’t it sound worth the price tag? Or does it?
