08 May,2011 08:54 AM IST | | Sachin Kalbag
Yes, it's awesome. But should you get it? Sunday MidDayu00a0 thinks a device that comes with a faster operating system, a super-cool case and two cameras but still lacks a USB port falls just a little bit short for anyone already owning an iPad. Newbies, though, can eat their heart out
Itu00a0is for good reason that the iPad defines the tablet computer. Apple's phenomenally successful product has sold more than 19 million pieces worldwide since its introduction in April 2010, making it possibly the fastest selling gadget of all time. Why Apple never introduced the original iPad in India until January this year will forever remain a mystery wrapped inside an enigma, but after some intense criticism from geeks as well as potential buyers, the Cupertino, California-based IT giant introduced the iPad 2 in India on April 29, only a month after its international launch. Hallelujah for the early realisation that India is a market.
Pic/ Datta Kumbhar
Even more surprising is its iPad 2 pricing strategy. While most Apple products are "premium" in the Indian market, both in terms of their positioning as well as their pricing, iPad 2's prices in India compare well with international prices, ranging from Rs 29,500 for the entry level, 16 GB Wi-Fi variant up to Rs 46,900 for the top-of-the-line 64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.
What's new?
After using the original iPad for close to a year, the iPad 2 feels like a product that is vastly improved on various counts. It is thinner (slimmer than even the iPhone 4 and close to 30 per cent thinner than the original iPad), it has a super-agile A5 processor and its graphics speed is nine times faster than the original iPad. Apple has also added two cameras -- in the front and another at the back.
Its most interesting innovation is the smart cover, which attaches itself to the iPad with a magnet. The iPad 2's operating system, iOS 4.3, is smart enough to tell the iPad to go to sleep when the cover is closed and wake up when opened. This alone is a work of genius because it takes something as mundane as a case to a different level of innovation.
Original iPad users had a bone to pick with the display glass, thanks to the smudges that would remain on the screen. In iPad 2, the micro-fibre base of the smart cover takes care of this problem to a great extent. Each time the cover is opened, the screen seems to be relatively smudge-free. Apple has also modified the shape for iPad 2. Its edges are now curved, thus allowing for easier handling, and its sound quality is far superior to the original iPad. The iPad 2 also comes in white, which gives black-haters the break they were looking for. The white iPad 2 looks far better than the black, which kind of looks outdated.
The Apps Ecosystem
Apple has introduced two native apps (FaceTime and Photo Booth) to iPad 2. FaceTime is the (sort of) Skype for Apple, and although at present it works only when the device is in Wi-Fi mode, the results are fairly impressive. Photo Booth is a personal image capture app, which simultaneously provides nine different modes of the same image, including a thermal camera and an X-ray mode. Other native apps such as YouTube, iBooks, Safari browser, the iPod, and photos remain the same.u00a0
Interestingly, two of Apple's most successful apps -- iMovie (for movie editing) and Garage Band (for creating music on the go or to deliver podcasts) -- are now available for the iPad at ridiculously low prices of $4.99 (Rs 235) each. The rest of the iPad's software ecosystem -- close to 65,000 third-party and inhouse apps -- makes the iPad the tablet to beat for the competition. No other company -- Samsung, Acer, Research in Motion (BlackBerry PlayBook) -- even comes close.
With its graphics speed that is nine times faster, the iPad 2 is a great device for gaming. Despite heavy gaming apps, the iPad 2 performed smoothly and did not hurt the speed even while alternating between playing a game and updating your news sources on FlipBoard, the extremely successful social magazine app.
What we didn't like
Despite its awesomeness, the Apple iPad 2 has a few drawbacks. Its screen resolution has not changed since the original iPad (while the iPhone 4 has Retina Display, the iPad 2 still doesn't), and Apple's hatred for flash support is really irksome. For instance, you cannot read the MiD DAY epaper on the iPad. You cannot put in DVDs (or any other disc, for that matter), and just about any external work requires adapters which you need to buy from Apple. And yes, there is still no USB port.
Conclusion
If you own the original iPad, you might want to skip the iPad 2. After all, to spend close to half a lakh only so that you have a lighter version of the same gadget with two cameras included, does not make sense. You'd rather wait for iPad 3. For those who do not own any iPad, the iPad 2 is a great buy. It has redefined personal computing (although the laptop is a far superior product), and it allows you to be mobile and connected all the time. It is a great e-reader, so reading books is terribly easy on the eye. And the apps? They make the iPad 2 worth every rupee you spend on it.
