IPad 2: This Time It’s Personal

As everyone knows, Apple announced the iPad 2 last week, and as a newly baptized Apple fanboy (for the iPad, not the other machines), I followed the announcement closely.  To be honest, part of me was still looking for the slip, the mistake that would provide the opening for the many Android tablets hitting the marketplace to take the lead.

After the conclusion of the talk, I posted the following on Twitter:

“As much as I hate to say it, iPad is eating everyone’s lunch!”

Not only were many of my specific concerns for the device addressed in the upgrades, but also what I have seen and learned from other manufacturers in the months since the release of iPad 1 have greatly affected my response to the iPad as a widespread platform.

Here are a few of the things I like about the new iPad:

  • It’s thinner and lighter. Though my iPad has quickly become my primary reading device, it is just slightly on the heavy side for this task.  Since I have become more or less used to this, I’m certain that the new device will be much more comfortable to hold.
  • It has a faster processor and a faster graphics processor. With Android tablets moving toward a dual-core processor, I thought that the iPad might be left behind, but the iPad 2 does have a dual-core, which should improve performance on many applications (and make other applications like iMovie and Garage Band possible).  The graphics of iPad 1 have been adequate, though I am hoping that the better graphics processor will improve the occasional sluggishness on some streaming video.
  • It has a camera (two, in fact).  As anticipated, the device has both front-facing and back facing cameras.  As well as providing the possibility of video conferencing, these cameras will allow direct input of photos and videos.
  • It stays within the same pricing structure. When iPad 1 came out, I assumed that it was as overpriced as most Apple products.  My feelings on this have been tempered by the equally high or higher prices for the products of other manufacturers.  Oddly enough, in this category, Apple is a deal.  This isn’t to say that quality tablets won’t come out for less, but unless it is dramatically less, I don’t see people moving from a second generation product to a new one.

I couple all of this with the reality that it is being released less than two weeks after announcement.  The one consistent story in the all-but-Apple tablet market is pushed back deadlines and uncertain release dates.  Today I heard that Microsoft doesn’t expect to have its tablet OS available until fall 2012!  They will be competing against the fourth generations of the iPad, and a completely glutted market.

So, I will be getting an iPad 2, and I look forward to using it to save my recipes for eating crow.