Small things I miss about the iPad 1...

[mcdj]

The iPad 2 is great and all, but there are things I miss about the iPad 1.

1. Build quality. The iPad 2 is solid and slim, but from a strictly build quality standpoint iPad 1 wins. This is due in part to the added thickness of the case which of course I do not miss. Little touches like the tiny screens over the speaker, the beveled edge of the aluminum, all gave the iPad 1 a slightly more lux look and feel. The iPad 1 had more genetics from a Macbook unibody; the iPad 2 is closer to an iPod Touch. If the iPad 1 was a Leica M6, the iPad 2 is an M9.

Finish wise the iPad 1 wins too. The iPad 2 is basically a glued sandwich. The iPad 1 was an elegant exercise in precision engineering and pressure fitting. My iPad 2 and others' have exhibited rough edges and uneven screen fitting. And of course backlight issues are accentuated in this thinner design.

2. Heat. iPad 1 kept its cool. iPad 2 heats up noticeably.

3. Battery. iPad 1 sipped power. iPad 2 definitely drinks. Guzzles, no, drinks, yes.

4. Speaker. The grill looks and feels cheap (see#1). And while it may be better spec'd sonically, it's quieter and less punchy than iPad 1. This is likely due to the rear facing position of course; another byproduct of slimness.

5. Ergonomics. The iPad 2 feels great in the hand, but there have been moments where I wish the edges weren't quite so thin. Holding for extended periods in the same posititon can yield a nice crease in the hand from the corner digging in. The flat sides of the iPad 1 served an ergonomic purpose despite their thickness.

Would I trade back? No, but the added benefits of size and speed of the iPad 2 do come with a few trade offs.

 

[sanford]

Holding for extended periods in the same posititon can yield a nice crease in the hand from the corner digging in. The flat sides of the iPad 1 served an ergonomic purpose despite their thickness.

Ha. I have to wear an athletic wristband on my left wrist when writing on my MacBook Air, for essentially the same reason: uncomfortable wrist creasing.

I'm sticking with my iPad 1 until Apple ships a features revision to push me off the original.

 

[patrickj]

Some good points, but I definitely haven't noticed any heating up or lesser battery life.

 

[darngooddesign]

Ha. I have to wear an athletic wristband on my left wrist when writing on my MacBook Air, for essentially the same reason: uncomfortable wrist creasing.

You really need to work on your typing posture or you'll end up with a bad case of RSI/CPS.

 

[EdwardMoffet]

Some good points, but I definitely haven't noticed any heating up or lesser battery life.

Yeah, those don't seem to be common complaints at all.

 

[jclardy]

I agree on some points, I do like how the edges look on the iPad 1, the main issue for me with holding it was the curved back which made it harder to grip than the flat back of iPad 2.

The battery is definitely a little worse on iPad 2, but as I use it more it seems the battery is still getting calibrated. Even still it seems my iPad 1 would make it through a day above 50% while iPad 2 is typically around the lower 40's. It could be because I use it more or am just using more CPU intensive applications than I used to, but it still gets good battery life either way.

As for the speaker, the iPad 1 speaker sounds about the same volume, but a lot more tinny than iPad 2. I dont really think it looks cheap though, I mean it is laser cut holes in a unibody aluminum structure...

iPad 2 does get warm, not like a laptop, but it is different than iPad 1 which was almost always cool ( although the front right side of the glass seemed to warm up after extended use, iPad 2 warms up the aluminum back). I figure this is due to thinner aluminum, thinner batteries, and the extra heat produced by the faster processor.

Overall, I like the upgrade though. Going back to the original iPad is difficult with all the browser reloads, slow multitasking gesture recognition, and slow app launching. Using iPad 1 you don't really notice these things until after using an iPad 2 for a while then going back.

 

[master-ceo]

This is why I keep Both iPad 1 & 2 (sick multitasking)

iPad 1 is still a beauty to touch and feel

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I haven't owned an iPad 1, but I need to disagree with you. And I have played around with iPad 1's numerously at length.

1) Build quality seems fantastic to me.

2) I haven't noticed any heat issues, and I'll play heavy games like Infinity Blade for maybe an hour in one sitting.

3) this is something I personally can't compare to the iPad 1, but all reviews prove the battery life is superior on the iPad 2. Maybe there are some issues with 4.3

4) I actually like the look. And while I can't compare to the iPad 1 sound, it yields plenty loud enough volume. I haven't needed it at full volume for anything yet

5) I guess I sorta see what you are saying here. Maybe a couple times I have sat with my hand resting under the ipad for extended periods and I need to readjust. But I don't really think is a huge issue

 

[xraydoc]

The original iPad certainly is a marvel of engineering, but the iPad 2 I think, in my opinion, does it one better.

The remarkable thinness of the iPad 2 is quite striking - so what if it's glued together. There's nothing user-serviceable (or even Apple store genius-serviceable) in there anyway. While I haven't seen too many reports of poor craftsmanship, and while mine seems as well put together as the original iPad, I'm sure Apple's manufacturing partners will continue to improve the build quality as time goes on, much like everything else.

When not in cases, I find the iPad 2 much easier to hold due to is flat back as compared with the original iPad. And neither device has ever generated any heat as far as I can tell.

Personally, I think the speaker in the iPad 2 is much better than the original. The grill doesn't bother me, either. Personal taste I guess, though I do see where the original iPad and the iPhone 4 share a design appearance in the speaker grill.

As for battery life, my iPad 2 is equal to the original iPad so far in my experience.

 

[ea9]

I haven't owned an iPad 1, but I need to disagree with you. And I have played around with iPad 1's numerously at length.

1) Build quality seems fantastic to me.

2) I haven't noticed any heat issues, and I'll play heavy games like Infinity Blade for maybe an hour in one sitting.

3) this is something I personally can't compare to the iPad 1, but all reviews prove the battery life is superior on the iPad 2. Maybe there are some issues with 4.3

4) I actually like the look. And while I can't compare to the iPad 1 sound, it yields plenty loud enough volume. I haven't needed it at full volume for anything yet

5) I guess I sorta see what you are saying here. Maybe a couple times I have sat with my hand resting under the ipad for extended periods and I need to readjust. But I don't really think is a huge issue

No offense, but if you can't compare it because you didn't own it.. why are you trying to compare.
Obviously the sound maybe good enough, but if you compared it...

 

[Blakjack]

The only difference I notice is the thinness of th iPad2. I have to be more careful holding it. The thickness of the iPad 1 gave me a better grip.

 

[Rafterman]

You forgot:

6. Being actually able to get one

 

[1969cj5]

I miss the apple iPad 1 case.

 

[WLS]

The battery issue may be an OS 4.3 bug- there should be an update in a week.
I haven't noticed any heat issues.
The new flat back is actually better than the older curved back and is easier to hold but I do miss the flat beveled edge over the knife edge of the iPad2.
The screen is more prone now to light bleeding which is a bummer. I believe the next iPad will move to an OLED screen and we will be done with that.
The speaker is better but it should be louder. The old iPad had nice sound ports but they were not enough of them and a lot of the sound from the speakers bounced around inside getting muddled. The knife edge made the old ports not feasible so what they did is the best solution.

 

[anthony691]

I agree on the build quality and disagree on everything else. The "cheap" feel of the iPad 2 was the first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box.

My iPad 2 never warms up during 3D gaming while my old iPad did. No reviewer who actually tested battery life found it to decrease. The speaker has a much wider dynamic range. Sound quality is much improved but still lacking.

The whole reason I bought an iPad 2 was because I thought it would have better ergonomics for ereading and it most certainly does.