First iPad 2 Reviews: Evolutionary, 512MB RAM, Thinner, Faster

[karlwig]

Sure. I expected 1GB of RAM in my best hope. But let's face the fact: Apple still has virtually NO competition in this market. When Android wasn't so big back in 2009 Apple gave us the 3GS. So the iPad 2 is the 3GS. But it's better than the 3GS because it is thinner and lighter.

Excactly. This upgrade isn't as bad as everyone seem to think. Really, we get faster CPU, improved graphics, more RAM, cameras, all in a device that's thinner, lighter and more sleek. This is actually a pretty big update on all counts. Only thing missing is improved screen res.

 

[benji888]

Camera?? This is a TABLET we're talking about!!

Whoever is complaining about the iPad not having a good enough camera just doesn't realize what a tablet computer is for, and you already have one, either a standalone camera or a phone w/camera anyway? What is the fuss?

Even more astounding is to see a headline on another site that states: "Review roundup: Apple's iPad 2 is best tablet yet, but cameras disappoint" ...I can't believe that's in the headline! Nobody is going to buy a tablet computer just to take still photos with!!

The tablet computer needs to be a portable computer device and I would rather see the $ go into all of the other functions of the device over a better camera anyday!! I think it's great they added facetime for video chat and video camera on the back that also is good enough for still photos for TASKS that are useful for a TABLET device, such as bar codes, documents, etc. as has already been mentioned, but I just don't see holding up the iPad to take pretty photos, that sounds cumbersome if you ask me. Plus quality photos take up memory and I have a 16GB iPad that's already full to begin with.

Is this the 80s? Do we all still think we should have one device that does everything, yes even toasts your morning bagel and spreads the cream cheese on for you?? Get a grip!!

I think the iPad 2 is the best tablet available, kudos to Apple! Especially for making the device faster, more powerful and much thinner, and yet the battery life is the same...NO other company can do that!

 

[La Porta]

I think that the reason that the 512MB RAM is a totally moot issue is that you are only running one program at a time. This thing is not a Mac, you don't need 8, 12 GB to run your 20 editing programs at once and multitask. So long as that 512MB is able to load what's needed for every program in the App Store (one program at a time), video playback is smooth, and slowdowns are generally minimal, then who cares what the actual number is?

 

[Frosticus]

Whoever is complaining about the iPad not having a good enough camera just doesn't realize what a tablet computer is for, and you already have one, either a standalone camera or a phone w/camera anyway? What is the fuss?

Agreed. The camera is good enough for FaceTime (higher res would surely just hit bandwidth, especially if FaceTime over 3G is eventually permitted), and it's also good enough for AR applications. Anyone actually intending to use it as a camera is just going to look stupid. The ability to easily ransfer photos from another (and much better purpose-built) camera or iPhone to the iPad negates this requirement anyway.

So yeah, short version: stop moaning peeps, it's not a camera. Be happy, buy it, if you're not happy, then don't. Easy.

 

[Yamcha]

I am tempted to get one, but I'm worried that I'll end up hardly using it.. Same thing happened when I got an iPod Touch, first week I was using it a lot, after that I hardly used it, even now I don't really use it much, only when I'm in bed..

 

[Sokratesagogo]

Poor poor little Britisher me

..having to wait until the 25th! BwahhH! Anyone have a link to an origami version?

 

[baddj]

RAM is very crucial in a mobile multi-tasking device.

you mean a device with real multi-tasking, so its not needed in the iPad.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Can't wait for the rumors of further iPad revisions in Sept/Oct.

- AllThingsD
- Cameras take mediocre still photos, decent video

- Engadget
- Cameras are "pretty bad" for stills, reasonably useful for video

Just as I thought--this would be an excellent video pad. Apple should concentrate on the iPad being the full-video platform and iPhone/Pod being keen for stills. If they could make iPads do stills well in future, great. However, I am more excited by how the size of the iPad is a great amateur video editor-poster.

 

[World Citizen]

Wrong

I'm pretty sure Apple said that GBand will work on iPad 1.

Thing is, I'm much more excited to buy garageband on Friday than I am to buy the ipad 2. The reviews are pretty underwhelming. The iPad 2 is a let down for a number of reasons

1. No sd card/usb/retina/magic pony dust, etc. etc., basically no new features at all.
2. The cameras, the only real addition, suck horribly.
3. The CPU is running slow. Everyone else has these chips running at 1.2Ghz. Why did Apple only do 1GHz?
4. 512MB ram is too little. All the other tablets have 1GB.

Sure, it's "thinner", but the idfference isn't that huge, and the weight difference is almost non-existent. It's just hard to justify spending a lot of money on this when you already have the iPad 1. I was expecting more, and reading these reviews kind of hammered home how little they have actually changed.

I am happy to tell you that you are wrong, and that you dont have a clue about whats happening. If I would be you, I would find a big Rock and see whats underneath.

You ae simply wrong. And not so smart...

Does that help?

 

[madmax_2069]

I have to agree with the other writer... what do you care if the product is fast and snappy?

For me it comes down to the total experience. If it works well and does what I want... I'm buying it. I don't care about the ram unless applications just run like crap because of it.

Also... camera note.. it's obvious that Apple added them mostly for video chat... probably what 90% of people will do with them anyway.

You would think that being fast and snappy would count towards a better user experience. or would you want something that is slow and sluggish because its using all of its ram with the OS and running one or multiple Apps. what good is multi tasking if you cant do it smoothly.

limiting the amount of ram can and does limit you on what can be achieved on a device, and can limit it on how good (in total) it can run.

Ram is a huge contributor of getting things to run smoothly, and its even more so when its multi tasking. CPU and GPU and read and write speeds on storage are the other parts that determine the overall feel of a device. as well as proper programing of the software.

It all plays a roll. limiting the Ram can be a systems weakest link and can hurt the overall user experience.

 

[zacman]

you mean a device with real multi-tasking, so its not needed in the iPad.

It's needed for Safari for example. And every other Apple bloatware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfmbZkqORX4

 

[baddj]

It's needed for Safari for example. And every other Apple bloatware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfmbZkqORX4

Just tried some of them things on my iPod touch and HTML5 stuff was so slowww.

 

[griz]

Enough about the cameras already. This is a tablet, not a camera replacement. It will work great for Video conferencing which is what people wanted it for in the first iPad. It will also work great for scanning barcodes, reference snapshots and videos as well. The iPod touch needs a better camera since it is a carry everywhere kind of device. But the smaller camera in the iPad makes perfect sense.

 

[Luis Ortega]

I chatted with an apple rep on live chat who confirmed that the sim IS unlocked. Apples website has it split between vz and att because they're the only two that have the right frequencies in the US. You can take it toEurope and pop a GSM sim and it will work.

You sure about that?
I would consider buying the 3g model in the US if I can bring it back to UK and get some pay and go 3g service here.
It would be prohibitively expensive to pay roaming rates or short plans here in UK if the ipad was restricted to the two US services.

 

[Castiel]

I'm not so much concerned with seeing the quality of the pictures taken, but more a picture of someone taking a photo... with an iPad.

 

[xIGmanIx]

So apple is again more concered with form over function as somehow we should care if its lighter or thinner. The phone is on a tablet is tired

 

[Chupa Chupa]

3. The CPU is running slow. Everyone else has these chips running at 1.2Ghz. Why did Apple only do 1GHz?

Battery life & price which are more important to most than having the best specs on the block especially if they offer little utility.

So apple is again more concered with form over function as somehow we should care if its lighter or thinner.

Weight is function on a portable device, so yes.

 

[jamesryanbell]

Only 512 RAM? What the ****...

You shouldn't have expected any more at all. Seriously. EVERYONE saw this coming.

 

[marksman]

I'm pretty sure Apple said that GBand will work on iPad 1.

Thing is, I'm much more excited to buy garageband on Friday than I am to buy the ipad 2. The reviews are pretty underwhelming. The iPad 2 is a let down for a number of reasons

1. No sd card/usb/retina/magic pony dust, etc. etc., basically no new features at all.
2. The cameras, the only real addition, suck horribly.
3. The CPU is running slow. Everyone else has these chips running at 1.2Ghz. Why did Apple only do 1GHz?
4. 512MB ram is too little. All the other tablets have 1GB.

Sure, it's "thinner", but the idfference isn't that huge, and the weight difference is almost non-existent. It's just hard to justify spending a lot of money on this when you already have the iPad 1. I was expecting more, and reading these reviews kind of hammered home how little they have actually changed.

No new features, except two cameras, which are actually substantially new features... I don't understand...

 

[auero]

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This wasn't a huge update. Just enough to have people buy and stay ahead of the competitors. The next iPad will now have room for a better screen, better cameras, and being faster with a new design. Same thing happened with the iPhone 3G to 3GS. This is apples iPad "s" model.

 

[iPhoney:)]

An ARM based notebook?

What they have achieved is quite amazing, we may actually see an ARM powered MacBook Air by the end of the year, who knows.

 

[GoodWatch]

Whoever is complaining about the iPad not having a good enough camera just doesn't realize what a tablet computer is for, and you already have one, either a standalone camera or a phone w/camera anyway? What is the fuss?

I think the iPad 2 is the best tablet available, kudos to Apple! Especially for making the device faster, more powerful and much thinner, and yet the battery life is the same...NO other company can do that!

You're quite right, how DARE anyone say ANYTHING negative about Apple or its products! Shame on them!

 

[auero]

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A lot of people are also comparing "other tablets" speed to the iPad. iOS uses memory different than those "other tablets" so I don't see what the fuss over 512mb ram is. Yes it's nice to have more but what do you expect from apple to begin with? Android needs that extra memory because their multitasking is different and it STILL slows down to be unbearably slow.

 

[Dr McKay]

but I do really hate Flash. On Mac and Windows alike, it sucks!

Have you ever used Flash on Windows? It runs pretty flawlessly, CPU usage almost never spikes over 15% even in 1080p, Ive never seen Flash cause a single crash on Windows.

The only flaw is the security holes Flash has.

 

[Slurpy2k8]

What's utterly pathetic is the foaming at the mouth comments and angry nerd rage after these reviews (especially engadget) accusing the reviewer of being payed off by Apple (in more colorful terminology) spewing vile insults towards the Apple and the product, then listing a spec list of a competing product. They then present their case of what iPad 2 'should' have been (which is usually the Xoom)- with no realization of the irony of their idiocy.

I wish I had a dime for every argument of 'Apple is doing it wrong', which ended in Apple being massively successful by completely ignoring the very argument. I'd be filthy rich.