3/2/2011 iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different

91,37 2 v iews, Mar 2, 201 1 3:25 PM LATEST LOGIN

PREFER THETRADITIONAL BLOG FORMAT? ×

Switch to the blog v iew by clicking

To use Facebook's social plugins, you must enable

platform applications.

F acebook social plugin

WTF Rogue Cop Ruins Rodeo Cook-Off

with Tear Gas Attack
IPAD 2 0
SECURITY Ev ery one Needs Firesheep
Protection, Ev en Ashton Kutcher
iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different
APP OF THE
Kat Hannaford — It will come as no surprise to you that the iPad 2 is lighter. But more DAY
than that, it feels qualitatively different, from the casing right through to racing around
bends in whatever racing game thrills you.

When I advanced towards the table which housed several iPad 2s in their Smart Covers, I
actually thought they were just the cases displayed, alone. To say it's thin is an
Battleheart for iPad
understatement. It boggles the mind that it's thinner than an iPhone 4, yet doesn't seem to
have that "ready to snap" cheapness other super-thin products have. I picked up the iPad 2 IOS
31,343
when it was still cloaked in a (admittedly horrible) beige Smart Cover case. Don't buy the
beige color, whatever you do.

Y ou peel the plastic (or leather) screen-casing

off bit by bit, until you can fold it over and use
it to prop up the iPad for some browsing, How to Liv e with the Minimal
Amount of Storage Space on Y our
typing or viewing. It's origami! The way it iOS Dev ice
clings to the iPad 2 like a needy child, breaking
TOTAL RECAP Best Stories of Today , March 2,
away with a bit of a yank (though not much 7:00 PM 201 1
of one,) or attracting to the magnetic side
APPLE Watch the iPad 2 Key note Again
when it hovers close-by, is amazing. I only
touched (and oh, how I touched) the plastic WATCH THIS This Bike Makes Psy chedelics
one, but it was pretty easy wrapping it around the back of the iPad, and browsing with one
hand. I preferred propping it up though, for typing on—it kind of shifts back slightly at first,
which makes you think you've folded it incorrectly, but it resumes its natural place which
seems to be the perfect height for typing on.

It's astonishingly fast—much faster than the

original iPad. This is most evident when
playing games, where the added graphics
boost comes into its own. I played a car-racing
game, and that horrid fruit-slicing one which
everyone seems to like (I find it dull), and it
almost seemed to pre-empt my moves. It's
weird, but you kind of forget you're playing a
game, and that you're the one controlling it—it
was like watching a really clear, bright, fast
video, which you just so happened to be controlling. With no judder, buffer or visual noise to
speak of.

gizmodo.com/#!5774670/ipad-2-hands-… 1/4
3/2/2011 iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different
Flicking between apps was just as fast. In fact, the only time I noticed any discernable
slowness was opening iMovie, and loading up an open project.

iMovie seemed to be a breeze if you know how to use it, as demonstrated in the Apple
keynote. What I noticed most about it, when I was having a quick try, was how bright the
colors are—not that the screen resolution has changed, mind you, but it's just testament that
the original design had great clarity and brightness. It's not as great as the iPhone 4's Retina
Display, obviously, and the pixels are still noticeable like with the first model—but when
watching a movie, playing a game (especially a game), or browsing photos it's ok. If you're
holding out for superb HD clarity, it'll come—one day.

They may've taken their sweet time with the white iPhone 4 (it's still not here), but those
who were biding their time for the white iPad will be pleased to hear that it didn't seem to
affect the colors much. As you know, a black border brings out the colors more, but to Joe
Blow on the street he'll hardly notice. Photographers might though.

A speaker grille in the lower-left corner is physical evidence that the speaker should be louder
—but trying FaceTime over a noisy room, or turning the volume up high on a game barely
registered. I'm presuming you get more use out of that mono speaker when you're in a
quieter space. Surprisingly, when I loaded FaceTime, there were five available conversations
to pick from. I picked number two, which connected me to a nice man in Cupertino. Sadly I
couldn't hear a word he said, because of the room's din, but I did notice it wasn't the best
clarity. Perhaps in natural light it'll look better.

The rear-facing camera shoots in HD, and

also outputs in HD using the HDMI cable
accessory. Loading it was quick and painless,
and scanning around the room taking a few
quick snaps, it was already obvious that most
users will find the camera a joy to use. If you
View the gallery don't have an iPhone 4 or something less
cumbersome to shoot with on hand,
naturally.

Y ou could say that Apple didn't re-invent the wheel much with the iPad 2, and that
everything Jobs said in his keynote about it being the device that makes 2011 was nonsense.
A lot of people are still skeptical about how, when and why they'd use a tablet—including
myself—but I think Apple's beginning to get there, in showing people that using a tablet can
be an easier experience than using a laptop. Just look at iMovie and GarageBand, which will
do more for getting casual users into fooling around with video-editing and music-making,
than the OS X software programs would've ever done.

DISCUSSION THREADS Featured All Start a new thread

xxdesmus promoted by Justin Wed 02 Mar 2011 3:39 PM

How can no one point out the obvious thing here? It basically looks like the Kindle DX. Just
about the same thickness, and the same general rounded corners, etc.

I mean, sure I'm sure the fanboys will go nuts over it ...but it's not exactly pushing the bar on
design.

Justin @xxdesmus Wed 02 Mar 2011 3:45 PM

I don't think it's just about the exterior aesthetic of the design. The design also includes
getting everything that is inside it into the slender form factor.

thetickler @xxdesmus promoted by TheP… Wed 02 Mar 2011 3:45 PM

Agreed. That's what I said when BMW rolled out their new 5 Series. C'mon, it's obviously the
same as the Ford Taurus, has 4 wheels and headlights, but more rounded corners.

gizmodo.com/#!5774670/ipad-2-hands-… 2/4
3/2/2011 iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different
ThePriceofEggsinMalt... @thetickler Wed 02 Mar 2011 3:53 PM

I know, right! It's like the other day I was shopping, and I saw the new Rolex Submariner.
Doesn't anybody see that it looks exactly the same as my Tag Heuer? Same round shape,
same numbers on the face... sure, the I-bankers will go nuts over it, but it's not exactly
revolutionary design.

xxdesmus @Justin Wed 02 Mar 2011 3:53 PM

oh, I'm impressed by all the crap they've managed to fit in there ...but as most people are
saying, it's an incremental update. It's basically the iPad 1S -- just like the went from the
iPhone 3G to the 3GS. They should have dropped the price considering they didn't actually
update much.

Peter Shultz @xxdesmus Wed 02 Mar 2011 4:04 PM

how is 4x faster not a significant update? and its 4x faster and 33% smaller... those are
figures it is okay to be impressed by. I mean can you think of any other product in the world
that one year later the next version is 4x faster and smaller and costs the same? In most
industries it would cost you more not less.

Philip.J.Fry @Justin Wed 02 Mar 2011 4:17 PM

It's hard to differentiate a design when it's basically a flat, thin rectangular object that is
nothing but screen on its face. This is akin to how Apple fanboys will claim every smartphone
that has come out since the iPhone looks like it. Sure it does! But what else are you supposed
to do?

Justin @xxdesmus Wed 02 Mar 2011 4:51 PM

two cameras, gyroscope, 33% thinner, lighter, dual core processor...I'm sorry, but how is that
not updated much?

Justin @Philip.J.Fry Wed 02 Mar 2011 4:54 PM

But they are correct in saying that every other phone looks just like the iPhone, because it
was the first one that decided to get rid of the buttons and just make a giant touchscreen
interface. After that, everyone else copied the design and made a giant touchscreen interface.
Sure there were windows phones that had giant touchscreens, but they did not get rid of the
stylus, slim down the form factor, and get rid of keyboards like so many phones after the
iPhone have done.

Y ou can say it is the next logical evolution, but when Apple released the first iPhone it was a
pretty groundbreaking concept that your finger is the stylus. It seems obvious now, but it
wasn't then.

orthorim @xxdesmus Wed 02 Mar 2011 6:29 PM

ROFL

Giggity @xxdesmus Wed 02 Mar 2011 7:38 PM

What kind of business sense would make them drop the price? They already have the
cheapest serious tablet of the major players on the market now. If they drop the price, they
are only competing against themselves.

If you want a cheaper iPad, they dropped the price $100 on all the iPad 1's.

hhj2612 @Justin promoted by Justin Wed 02 Mar 2011 7:47 PM

Apple didn't invent the touch candy bar design.. and other android phones has 4 buttons in

gizmodo.com/#!5774670/ipad-2-hands-… 3/4
3/2/2011 iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different
the front.. Copy much?
Theoretically, you can say Apple copied the bar design from other companies with some
tweaks...

Justin @hhj2612 Wed 02 Mar 2011 8:26 PM

No, no one else had a buttonless touch screen phone that was designed to use your finger as
the stylus, that was the revolution. Other touchscreen candybar phone had a slideout
keyboard and a stylus. They were not designed for finger touches, apple revolutionized using
the finger as the stylus, that is undeniable.

See 32 more replies by aav erett, Coolbone, ttringle1 , MarkusG, gay 1 0, carsly 001 , bsmithiii,
randomguy 26, scottr2009, scottr2009, brenndanlaird, scottr2009, ky phem, aldorossi, slaw1, Tony
Gomes, bendennis930, jav iv i2307 , Ry _Ba, PDXSkater, PDXSkater, bpjeske, jnemesh, nikki.a.a,
dav idrod4, solomonrex, jv elov ic, idenchasy , diggsy ang1 , mclai96, Gizundheit, Gizundheit and
more...

A bou t Ma st h ea d For u m s Leg a l Pr iv a cy A dv er t isin g Su bscr ibe Sen d a t ip

gizmodo.com/#!5774670/ipad-2-hands-… 4/4