Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Ipad 1 vs Ipad 2

F

fortdetroit

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 30, 2011
2
0
I am thinking of purchasing a refurbished iPad1 from the apple store. I don't really care about having a camera or not. I understand that the iPad 2 is faster but how much faster?

It it as significant as the difference between the iPhone 3g and the iPhone 4?
How does the speed of the original iPad compare to say...an iPhone 4?
 
It's not as significant as 3G vs 4 but it is a pretty big difference. I imagine with iOS 5 coming out this year the difference will be more noticeable.
 
I wouldn't quantify it. The device feels much faster whatever you do with it. Switching between apps is instant, there are no lags whatsoever.
If you feel that the first iPad is speedy enough, then go for it. If not, then the iPad 2 is for you.
 
iphone 3g uses a 800mhz processor and iphone 4 uses 1ghz processor. Both of these are downclocked as well as the original models to save battery life.

iPhone and iPhone 3G
620MHz under clocked to 412Mhz

iPhone 3GS
833MHz under clocked to 600Mhz

iphone 4
A4 1ghz under clocked to 800mhz

ipad
A4 1ghz processor single core

iPad 2
Dual Core A5 clocked around 800mhz-900mhz

http://www.slashgear.com/ipad-2-ben...show-less-than-1ghz-processor-speed-13139678/


I honestly think it depends on usage and what you plan to do with tablet. If you are using it as sole computer or heavy gaming with newer intense games like GTA, infinity blade, Dead Space and other games that are large and require processing and graphics power. I think most apps should be fine with ipad 1 and most games. If you are bleeding edge and need the hardcore power than you will want ipad 2. I wanted the cheapest tablet that will do my light surfing and light gaming since i have an Alienware m17x and plenty of consoles for real gaming and processing.
 
If you have no iPad now, I wouldn't buy a refurb iPad. I'd go straight for iPad 2.

As has been beaten to death already in other threads, the original iPad has 1/2 the RAM and is slower. When future iOS updates come out, you can be sure that Apple will leave off some feature for original iPads that makes it to iPad 2. You can be sure they will deprecate and stop releasing updates for the older iPad before they do it for the iPad 2.

Ask anyone who has followed iOS updates for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Graphics perf of the iPad 2 is far better (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/03/13/anandtech-benchmarks-the-ipad-2-shows-huge-graphics-gains/). Games are already starting to take advantage of the better GPU and thus look better on the iPad 2. See http://toucharcade.com/2011/03/11/infinity-blade-comparison-ipad-vs-ipad-2/, http://toucharcade.com/category/ipad-2/ and http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?threadid=87198.
 
fortdetroit said:
I am thinking of purchasing a refurbished iPad1 from the apple store. I don't really care about having a camera or not. I understand that the iPad 2 is faster but how much faster?

It it as significant as the difference between the iPhone 3g and the iPhone 4?
How does the speed of the original iPad compare to say...an iPhone 4?
Click to expand...

It really depends on what you plan to do with it. I just picked up a new IPAD 1 from ATT 64G plus 3g for $529. It is available on their web site only.

I would never have considered getting the top of the line model but could not ignore the price point. At that price you can only get the 16g wifi model of the ipad II. The GPS and 3G makes up for the lack of a camera.

I had it a week so far and very happy with performance.
 
I have an iPad 1 now, and although I haven't held or touched an iPad 2, the specs alone aren't compelling enough for me to justify buying one. If I didn't have one at all, then sure I'd probably go for the iPad 2, why not? Why buy old technology unless you are on a tight budget in which case you don't really have an option do you?
 
For me, iPad 2 performance improvements were significant enough to justify upgrading from the iPad 1. But I do a LOT with my iPad. I switch apps frequently, browse graphics-heavy websites, and store and view complex PDFs in GoodReader, for example. I use it for both work and play. For those things, the iPad 2 performs many times better than the 1. It's not just the mHz bump of the processor, but also the fact that it's dual core, there's twice the RAM, and the RAM bus speed is much faster too. It's a huge breath of fresh air across the board. Where my iPad 1 often stuttered and lagged, my iPad 2 NEVER does. Between the unbelievable thinness and the instant responsiveness, it "feels" more like the future than the iPad 1 did.

With that said, the iPad 1 is a great device, and if your intended uses are "casual" (a little email, web surfing, movies, and games) you will not benefit from the speed bump as much.
 
Now we have both generations of iPad at home I realize how slow last year's one is in comparison. If you're happy with iPad 1 don't even try iPad 2 or you'll end up changing your mind.
 
Speed wasn't that noticeable to me personally. It is faster but not a deal breaker. Got a new first gen 64GB 3G @ AT&T for $529. I did like the weight difference in the new one I must say. The camera wasnt important for me either.
 
My situation.

I have a 16GB White Wi-Fi iPad 2. I only have 1.5 GB left and defiantly need room. I use my iPad to FaceBook, Games, iPod, Maps, Browse, E-mail and Netflix. Is a iPad 64GB + 3G good or should I save for the 32 GB iPad 2? :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back