I think that so many people are comparing the iPad 2's release features to the iPhone release features as a guideline. People saying that the iPad 2 won't have a flash if it has a back-facing camera, because the 3G/3Gs didn't, etc. I think that these kind of comparisons are absurd at best. In my opinion, Apple will NOT hold back as many key features as it did with the iPhone until later versions simply because of one thing: Apple is currently "The company to beat" in the tablet/phone world and they have made themselves a target of other companies, as seen by the recent Motorola ad and several comments from Android executives.
There are tons of Android tablets coming out, some of which will no doubt be of excellent quality, not to mention that Honeycomb looks pretty damn good from what we know of it. Finally Android is becoming more consolidated and I can see a more unified Android version across the many Android devices with the release of 3.0+, especially in the tablet world since Honeycomb is the first version that Google deems "fit for a tablet." Given that most of the major players in the Android tablet world will all be on the same Honeycomb version, this is going to be lucrative for developers on an app-design basis: having a stronger base-level hardware to work with and a more standard/unified OS, sharing many similiarities with the iPad's platform in terms of unified software and strong hardware.
I can honestly see Android tablets giving the iPad a greater run-for-its-money in 2011 than Android phones gave the iPhone when it was released- Android in the phone world is seriously fragmented, but with the major Android tablets all coming under Honeycomb, it could be a different story. I think iPad 2 has to have a front facing camera, a rear facing camera with flash, a stronger processor, more RAM, a gyro, better graphics and a slightly improved screen to keep an edge on the tablet market, all while keeping pretty good battery life. No doubt that Motorola and Samsung are going to be bringing many of these options to the table and considering that many consumers will be entering the tablet world in 2011, the iPad must keep an advantage in features to compete with the more unified and feature-rich offerings from the Android devices in the world of tablets. So, in conclusion, I do NOT think that the iPad will follow the iPhone's slowly-updated-feature set trend; it can't afford to, as it has much more direct competition than the iPhone did during its early life cycle. I think that the iPad 2 will feature many of the same improvements of the iPhone 4, including 2 cameras, more RAM, etc. Now that the iPhone 4 is a bit ahead, or at least right on, the bell-curve in terms of technological offerings, I think each subsequent iPhone launch will be a direct reflection of the following iPad, in other words, the iPhone 5 will have many of the features that the iPad 3 will have, the iPhone 6 will have many of the new features that will be seen in the iPad 4, etc.
When Android becomes more unified, not if, but when IMO, the app market is going to explode; it's already been growing at a HUGE rate as it is and the new Android Marketplace revamp looks really nice. Apps alone are not going to keep iOS in the position it is now, in order for the iPad to keep its high sales, hardware is going to have to advance faster than it did on the iPhone. I think iPad 2 will see considerable updates, enough to make current owners upgrade and enough to bring in new buyers from the tablet market.
What do you guys think? Slow iPad hardware updates, as with the iPhone, or more aggressive updates due to more intense competition and Apple being the target of the big players in the mobile industry? I'll be interested to hear your comments!
There are tons of Android tablets coming out, some of which will no doubt be of excellent quality, not to mention that Honeycomb looks pretty damn good from what we know of it. Finally Android is becoming more consolidated and I can see a more unified Android version across the many Android devices with the release of 3.0+, especially in the tablet world since Honeycomb is the first version that Google deems "fit for a tablet." Given that most of the major players in the Android tablet world will all be on the same Honeycomb version, this is going to be lucrative for developers on an app-design basis: having a stronger base-level hardware to work with and a more standard/unified OS, sharing many similiarities with the iPad's platform in terms of unified software and strong hardware.
I can honestly see Android tablets giving the iPad a greater run-for-its-money in 2011 than Android phones gave the iPhone when it was released- Android in the phone world is seriously fragmented, but with the major Android tablets all coming under Honeycomb, it could be a different story. I think iPad 2 has to have a front facing camera, a rear facing camera with flash, a stronger processor, more RAM, a gyro, better graphics and a slightly improved screen to keep an edge on the tablet market, all while keeping pretty good battery life. No doubt that Motorola and Samsung are going to be bringing many of these options to the table and considering that many consumers will be entering the tablet world in 2011, the iPad must keep an advantage in features to compete with the more unified and feature-rich offerings from the Android devices in the world of tablets. So, in conclusion, I do NOT think that the iPad will follow the iPhone's slowly-updated-feature set trend; it can't afford to, as it has much more direct competition than the iPhone did during its early life cycle. I think that the iPad 2 will feature many of the same improvements of the iPhone 4, including 2 cameras, more RAM, etc. Now that the iPhone 4 is a bit ahead, or at least right on, the bell-curve in terms of technological offerings, I think each subsequent iPhone launch will be a direct reflection of the following iPad, in other words, the iPhone 5 will have many of the features that the iPad 3 will have, the iPhone 6 will have many of the new features that will be seen in the iPad 4, etc.
When Android becomes more unified, not if, but when IMO, the app market is going to explode; it's already been growing at a HUGE rate as it is and the new Android Marketplace revamp looks really nice. Apps alone are not going to keep iOS in the position it is now, in order for the iPad to keep its high sales, hardware is going to have to advance faster than it did on the iPhone. I think iPad 2 will see considerable updates, enough to make current owners upgrade and enough to bring in new buyers from the tablet market.
What do you guys think? Slow iPad hardware updates, as with the iPhone, or more aggressive updates due to more intense competition and Apple being the target of the big players in the mobile industry? I'll be interested to hear your comments!
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