Apple's new iPad 2 Review

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.