My iPad 2 predictions

[2 Owls]

Hoping for:
An end to this round of speculation.
An iPad.
Ordering said iPad tomorrow.

 

[womble2k2]

So how does the iPad 2 compare to what I was hoping for?

My expectations
1. Thinner (25%) exceeded - 33%
2. Lighter (1.3 lbs for Wifi, 1.4 lbs for wifi/3g) - exceeded - 1.3 Ibs for both
3. A5 dual core processor with improved graphics and direct IO (possible Thunderbold), coupled with 512 Meg RAM Almost - Just no Thunderbold, but HDMI
4. Improved battery technology. Sort of - They must have improved the technology to offer same battery life in less space
5. Flat back Yes
6. bigger loudspeaker Yes
7. SD card slot (limited to reading media files only - pictures/videos/music/books, but not for writing to). No. Hopefully the iPad 3 will have one
8. Same resolution display, but with 'smart' anti-reflective technology (appears glossy when not in use, but no glare in sunlight). Same resolution yes, anti-glare no
9. iOS 4.4 (with a peak of iOS 5). iOS 4.4 will only add new hardware functionality and minor additions and improvements (such as 10. below). iOS 5 will be 'radically' different to previous iOS's with much improved multi-tasking, new UI features (e.g. selectable status bar). Sorry, 4.4 was a typo, was thinking ahead, but 4.3 is just a minor upgrade to support the new hardware and add some minor features so I'll say yes to that one. No Sneak peak of 5.
10. Much improved AirPlay / AirPrint functionality Airplay Yes, no mention of Airprint
11. Background MobileMe synching and backup No
12. Tighter integration with services such as Facebook, Flickr, wikipedia, etc. Sort of, there was evidence of some better Facebook integration but with Apps such as iMovie.
13. Sleaker Safari with tabbed browsing, possible webkit 2 and ultra HTML 5 optimisation. Safari is sleaker and improved but no webkit 2 and further HTML 5 optimisation. But overall, much better.
14. front and rear camera, front being 1 megapixel and rear 5 megapixel. Well very almost there. Only VGA (0.34 Megapixel on the front) so not quite there.
15. addition of CDMA variant, if not a World mode. CDMA version yes, World mode chip no. Not that it affects me, as I am in the UK where there is no CDMA, but if I was the the US, I would still opt for GSM to get better international coverage.
16. Dual dock connectors for docking in Landscape and portrait. No - A big disappointment, as it would have been more flexible to use.
17. Thunderbolt. No.
18. Same storage sizes.

Hoping for
1. Higher resolution display Not yet, let's hope iPad 3 does
2. a full iLife package included free with iPhoto replacing the current photos app, an improved iMovie package, iWeb, Garageband and an media authoring app. 40% with iMovie and Garageband, but we really want a full iPhoto to replace current photos app and iWeb to create web sites on the iPad. Surely with Pages and Keynote already available, it wouldn't be too much of a leap to do iWeb. Not too bothered about Media Authoring but it would be nice. Keeping fingers crossed!
3. 4G radio Not yet
4. Wireless synching Not yet
5. No need to tether to register / activate and obtain AppleID, enabling customers without a main PC to use it. Not yet
6. Facetime conferencing. Not yet
7. Full SD card slot functionality. Not yet
8. composite carbon-fibre / liquid metal casing. Not yet
9. Cloud based iTunes / music/video/book storage Not yet
10. Wireless charging Not yet
11. 3G Facetime.

If Apple goes radical
1. CompactFlash for professional photographers. (so many conversations on Apples own discussions asking for this). No
2. semi-transparent keyboard with Swype integration Not yet
3. Remote Flash rendering, like Skyfire, using their new data centre facilties No
4. Hardware buttons replaced by touch sensitive bezel buttons. No Or:-
5. Shrink the bezel and overall unit size by 1 to 2 inches diagonally whilst maintaining screen size. No
6. Open up more Bluetooth features, e.g. printing via Bluetooth (I'd love to use by PoGo with the iPhone/iPad). No
7. translucent case option - oh yes, bring back the early iMac years! No, but Smart Covers instead in a range of colours, so not too bad

Hope not
1. NFC - It would be good for the iPhone, but do I want to get an iPad out to make a payment? Good, there is not
2. Glass back Good, there is not
3. No home button Good, it's still there

Bets for ... One last thing ...
1. Obviously a refined and free MobileMe package with cloud services and social networking features
2. With the BBC co-hosting and recently releasing the iPlayer app for iPad, I'm thinking maybe a streaming live video service to the iPad may be on the cards.
3. New iBook contracts including Random House
4. OS X Lion - further announcements including release date, pricing and upgrade options for recent purchases.
5. iOS 5.
6. An extension of iOS version naming to include dog breeds to differentiate major releases, following the same principle as OS X. The first use of this will be iOS Dalmatian to celebrate the final release of the white iPhone 4 to complement the black ones.
7. The App Store for Apple TV
8. Steve Jobs is returning from Medical leave.

Well, none of these as there was no "One last thing", but as Steve was on stage, number 8 is close.

Let's review after tomorrow!

Phil

Overall, it iPad 2 has enough new good stuff to add it to our purchase list once we get our wedding expenditure sorted. We'll probably get one between us for now and hold out for further improvements on iPad 3 next year.