iPad 2: Ugly

[vincenz]

That doesn't negate the fact that the iPad 2 is more tightly packed, it's a new design.

😕

I completely disagree with your post. Having heft and substance does not make something feel more expensive. Packing so much into something so thin, yet solid, feels expensive. You can't twist this thing with your hands and expect the screen to crack, that's just ludicrous.

Beg to differ. It's not just quality of the materials, but also the amount. Try your logic when buying a woman a diamond and see how far you get.


I'm willing to bet the iPad 2 will take less to damage than the original. I'm also willing to bet there's someone out there who can crack the screen by twisting it.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I just saw the iPad 2 at my local Apple store. I only got to play with it for a few minutes, but I liked what I saw.

 

[Blorzoga]

Yes, that's what I meant (it should be clear from the original post to anyone able to read). I don't care about perspective on iPad 2 from the point of view of someone who has never had an iPad, because I'm not in that position. 😀

Of course everyone on this site is "able to read". Don't be such a DB.

 

[bludragon06]

I am a first time iPad owner. Well actually waiting for it in the mail. It was used but whatever. I actually have to agree with Vincenz. I hate that speaker grill on the new one. One of the reasons I ended up getting a 1st gen iPad instead of the 2nd Gen. White one is seriously atrocious or however you spell that. The black one is super sexy (except for that ugly speaker grill) yuckyyyy!!!! Anyways, just my .02 worth. Now on to waiting another 3 days for my slightly used iPad woohoo!

 

[bidwalj]

Thank you for your support. I'm an exact opposite of troll, that is, I'm an Apple Fanboy. 😀 I believe I own more Apple products than an average MacRumorist, and love them a lot and use every day. But after my brief encounter with iPad 2, I think it's worth holding on to your Classic iPad until Retina iPad comes out.

Personally I don't care what you think of the iPad 2 but if the iPad 3 is the same shape and has the retina display I'm sure you will come in here and sing a different tune. The shape will then magically look nice.

 

[Voondebah]

I don't really care for the new body design of the iPad 2. I think the original looked better - I liked the edge on the perimeter, as I like the iPhone 4 with it's edges compared to the rounded iPhone 3G.

 

[cyper2002]

I like the new design but hate the white. Which I bought without seeing in person. It definitely is very thin, kinda sharp at the edges. The speaker grill also looks fin IMO.

 

[tigres]

Have not seen the new iPad in person yet, however the pictures indicate to me i prefer the looks of the original. Kind of like iPhone 1 to 3G.

I would like to see it, may stop by apple tomorrow.

 

[samiznaetekto]

Personally I don't care what you think of the iPad 2 but if the iPad 3 is the same shape and has the retina display I'm sure you will come in here and sing a different tune. The shape will then magically look nice.

Hahahahaha! You know what? You're right. Retina display will outweigh all other shortcomings I mentioned so much that I'll be blown away with it and probably won't make such a post. Until then, iPad 2 is not worth upgrading from Classic iPad if you gonna lose $200-300 in the process.

I want to emphasize here one thing. Exposed dock connector is an EXTREMELY ugly, ugly, un-industrial, un-designed thing. Never ever in my life I had any plug or connector with part of it exposed when plugged. I can't believe Apple could come up with such ugliness.

Patiently waiting for Retina iPad. 😀

 

[bidwalj]

Hahahahaha! You know what? You're right. Retina display will outweigh all other shortcomings I mentioned so much that I'll be blown away with it and probably won't make such a post. Until then, iPad 2 is not worth upgrading from Classic iPad if you gonna lose $200-300 in the process.

I want to emphasize here one thing. Exposed dock connector is an EXTREMELY ugly, ugly, un-industrial, un-designed thing. Never ever in my life I had any plug or connector with part of it exposed when plugged. I can't believe Apple could come up with such ugliness.

Patiently waiting for Retina iPad. 😀

The dock connector is the last of my worries. I'll rather it be this way then them making a thinner connector to make it flush. That means buying all new accessories. You can't make it thinner and flush with the same connector.

I agree in it's current form, it might be ok to not upgrade but lets see what iOS 5 brings. That will be most telling. There might be new features he iPad 1 won't support.

 

[vistadude]

Agreed, the design is so basic and boxy, it looks like it came out of a middle school metal shop. Aluminum is a very ugly color. They could have made the back black and it would feel much better. Dock connector is so old, why not USB 2.0?

Checked out iPad 2 at the local Best Buy in New York. They have one white iPad on display. There's no crowd waiting to put their hand on it, just random shoppers. Half of the time, it sits there lonely.

Here are my impressions:

- Front looks like cheap LCD picture frame. You know, that $20-50 variety. Glass has a bezel on edges which refracts the light and makes it look like a picture frame even more.

- It's still heavy (I have Classic iPad). A bit more comfortable to hold, but still tiring.

- Back design looks cheap. Very simplistic shape. If you asked a beginner designer to design something flat with non-square edges, that's what he'll come up with. Meh.

- Just a bit faster, but the speed doesn't "jump" at you, because the typical tasks - switching to Home screen or between apps - takes the same time. Not worth it for users who just casually browse the web, check email, weather, etc.

- Dock connector, when plugged in, looks very ugly, very un-Apple, from the back - you can see piece of metal plug. Yikes! Ugly ugly ugly.

- Cameras suck. Photo Booth? You gotta be kidding to tout it as a great feature. Took 10s of interest, next! Meh.

- Smart Cover (was not available for hands-on, but handled it in its carton case) seems to be heavy.

- Screen looks less sharp compared to Classic iPad.

Overall, for owners of Classic iPad, iPad 2 is not worth the money.

Just IMHO. 😀

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

I think it's great.

I love the back design, and I love everything about it. Ahh... do they have then up for display at the apple store yet??

And why the heck are you looking at the back? Last time I checked the display was on the front...

 

[QCassidy352]

Troll.

"It's just not worth it!"

Worth what? It's the same price as the original. It's A bit thinner, a little bit lighter, is a lot faster, and has cameras.

If you mean it's not worth buying one when you already have one, then sure. The original design is just fine and I still like it plenty. Tons. But I sold mine, plus cases, for what I put into it. So for me, my upgrade fee was the cost of the case and tax. For that cost, it was more than worth it.

he's not a troll; he's just trying to make himself feel better about his first gen

 

[vistadude]

Guys tend to look at the front AND back 😀 It's equally as important 🙂

I think it's great.

I love the back design, and I love everything about it. Ahh... do they have then up for display at the apple store yet??

And why the heck are you looking at the back? Last time I checked the display was on the front...

 

[KoukiFC3S]

Might want to hit the gym if you think the iPad is too heavy.

 

[powerbook911]

I do not think iPad 2 is ugly.

However, something about holding it in your hand, the entire device feels more plastic like. It's hard to explain.

It's a really great device, but iPad original felt ultra-luxurious to me.

 

[master-ceo]

Its worth the money for the extra horsepower. I have iPad 1 and iPad 2 here. iPad 2 smokes 1 like a cigarillo.

 

[ovrlrd]

Sounds like a typical response from someone who is trying to justify not upgrading. It is fine if you don't like it, but the amount of defense of the 1st gen is hilarious.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I was concerned that the iPad 2 was essentially a 4G iPod touch "writ large." Fortunately, using it for a 1.5 days has made me rethink that position, especially the impressive page rendering speed of the Safari web browser, even on very complex web pages (I'd recommend as a good reference test http://www.sfgate.com, the home page of the San Francisco Chronicle, which has a lot of very complex web page elements, including embedded video).

 

[yly3]

The design of the original iPad is a lot sexier (and solid) than the 2nd in my opinion. I am so tempted to get a 1st 64GB 3G edition.. You can find those for around 650$ in mint condition now ..

 

[sanford]

Xbox 360 sux. PS3 rulz. Oh wait, wrong forum.

If you have a laptop, and most of you do, you don't NEED an iPad, period. I certainly don't NEED my original. Love it, use it all the time, for work even, but don't NEED it. You WANT an iPad. If you don't have one you can get an original, new, for $100 off until they run out, or you can buy a 2 at full price. If you do have an original iPad, and you WANT a 2, you can go spend $500+ on it. That's $500+ you won't have to spend on something else, but if adding an iPad 2 to your original iPad is what you most want to spend that money on, you'll be happy. If you're not happy you can return it within like a couple weeks and only be out 10% of the price.

Me? I'm sticking with my original iPad. The new features don't add up to the $725 it would take to replace my current model + cover + tax. Plus I'd like, next time I buy a new iPad, to get my wife a 16GB model of the same revision. iPad 2 definitely doesn't add up to $1,300+ for me. But that's me. We have three kids. I think of how that money could be spent on the kids for things they want or may potentially need. If I were still 30, no kids, I'd probably buy an iPad 2, and then next year or whenever, a future Retina display model, just because.

BOTH iPad models are pretty nice. For owners of the original, that model is probably enough for now. But let's face it: Apple consumer devices are not sold first time, or upgraded, based all that much on tech specs and specific features. They are not new dishwashers! Some people are going to upgrade because they want to and that's how they want to spend that money. That's okay, too.

Wii rocks!

 

[maflynn]

I wasn't a fan of the design when I first saw the iPad but its grown on me. I still like the design of the iPad 1 better.

The iPad2 is a engineering marvel, packing so much into so little.

 

[Pigumon]

That's right.

Doesn't change the fact that every time I look at the speaker grills on the iPad 2, it makes me cringe. 😕

What would you prefer, gaping holes?

The new speaker "grill" is ultra-simple, precision engineered goodness. If you did a macro photo of it, you could hang it on the wall.

 

[3N16MA]

A big iPhone 4 would have looked better. Just replace the sides and back with aluminum and keep the metal buttons. However I do not find the iPad 2 ugly.

 

[ovrlrd]

A big iPhone 4 would have looked better. Just replace the sides and back with aluminum and keep the metal buttons. However I do not find the iPad 2 ugly.

I agree it would have looked better, as long as they didn't use a glass back and went with aluminum like you said. The glass back on an iPad would just add too much weight. Still, I like the iPad 2 as I have already said.