Apple's new iPad 2 Review
Apple's new iPad is a mix of the
familiar and the futuristic. Its design remains practically unchanged from last
year's iPad 2. Its internal
components and wireless capabilities have only received a predictable bump. You'd
think Apple fell asleep at the wheel with this one--until that moment when you
turn on the screen.
When I tell you that Apple has
doubled the iPad's screen resolution to an unprecedented 2,048x1,536 pixels,
your eyes should water a little. No other screen in your home can compete with
this resolution--not your laptop, not your desktop computer, not even your
1080p TV. For a device that fits in your lap and costs as little as $499, a
screen like this is an impressive feat.
Design
Looking at the new
iPad, you'd think someone was playing a trick on you. It looks almost exactly
like last year's model. The tablet's glass and aluminum construction is still
9.5 inches tall and 7.31 inches wide. Thickness is now up slightly at 0.37
inch, weighing in at a beefier 1.44 pounds. You get the same home button on the
bottom of the screen, and a volume rocker on the right side along with the mute
switch/rotation lock. Up top you have the sleep/wake button and headphone
output, and the bottom edge retains the 30-pin port.
iPad 2 dimensions
Height: 9.50-inches
(241.2mm)
Width: 7.31-inches
(185.7mm)
Depth: 0.34-inch (8.8mm)
Weight: 1.33-pounds
(601g)
iPad 2 key specs
- 9.7-inch (diagonal)
LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology and a
1024 x 768-pixel resolution at 132-pixels per inch (ppi).
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G
connectivity (3G model only).
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB storage
sizes.
- Front-facing camera offers
video recording, VGA up to 30-frames per second with audio; VGA-quality
still camera. Rear-facing camera offers video recording, HD (720p) up to
30-frames per second with audio; still camera with 5x digital zoom.
- 720p video recording capability.
- Dual-core 1GHz Apple
A5 processor.
- Up to 10 hours of
surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music.
- 3.5mm stereo headphone
minijack, speakers, microphone.
- Three-axis gyro,
Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor.
- GPS on 3G model.
