Competition is non-existent for iPad right now. All the other guys have tablets shipping “end of the year,” and many more of the more formidable iPad competitors will be out in 2011. Apple’s going to do what it can to get the second revision out this year only for that one liner that Steve loves, “We’re releasing the next iPad today before our competitors have even caught up with the first generation.” He’s used that line a few times, but the iPad itself will probably look very similar to the one you’re holding in your hand right now. I predict it will have the same aluminum back, the same bezel and similar weight and the battery life will be mostly unchanged. What will be new?
New Screen Size
The rumor lately is that a 7″ model is on its way to sit right beside the current 9″ model, and due to Apple’s resolution independence and growing number of developers, a new size won’t cause many issues beyond a few optimizations that have to happen from App Store developers to make things look perfect. For the most part, Apple’s going to make sure most apps “just work.”
The new screen size will help iPad reach a lower price point for consumers and compete with the Amazon Kindle in size and price. Soon, an iPad with thousands of apps will sit along-side the Kindle nicely and make Amazon drop its price even lower to compete.
New Screen Resolution
You can be sure that Apple’s Retina Display, or something very close, will make its way to iPad. More and more iPhone 4 users are telling me that they use the iPhone over iPad because of the beautiful screen and how the iPad just feels empty and flat. This is an inevitable upgrade that is going to force us early adopters who own an iPad and iPhone 4 to jump in line. That screen is addictive and we want it.
FaceTime
Apple’s FaceTime making its way to the next generation iPod touch (via a front-facing camera) and Macs (by the way of a software update) seem like logical steps, but what about iPad? Steve’s promise of “millions of FaceTime devices by the end of the year” is starting to sound empty as we approach September, but it’s this month that we’ll see more of those “millions” of devices available to the public when new iPods and a new iPad is released.
In Apple’s latest iOS betas, you can FaceTime someone based on their email address so devices that aren’t phones (everything but iPhone) will be able to use FaceTime no problem. This is when things really start getting interesting
New Form Factor
I’m doubtful of this one but it’s worth mentioning in this post. Apple generally waits two to three refreshes before redoing the overall hardware of its devices, but a thinner iPad may be in line that mimics much of Apple’s iPhone 4. Squaring off the design would help the device lay flat, but would also make it more susceptible to scratches. I’ve long wanted an iPad bumper case to help in the event of a drop and wish Apple would move away from steel aluminum as it’s so darn slippery. This is a maybe as Apple can legitimately call this a second generation iPad without modifying the outer shell. Of course, if it’s releasing a smaller screen size, it might be a good idea to change things up a bit to throw off the competition. We’ll see.
Why iPad 2 So Soon?
Other than throwing off the competition, there are huge gaps now between iPhone and iPad from the display to FaceTime and the competition in price and size from Kindle that leads me to an iPad refresh right before the holidays as a way for Apple to blow all previous numbers out of the water and make it impossible for competition to position themselves against Apple by including any of those features in their devices. The rumored BlackPad from RIM is said to include a camera, and the Cisco tablet will be smaller than the iPad and easier to carry. A 7″ iPad with FaceTime would do the trick to put both of those products out to pasture before they even ship.
What do you think?
Reference : http://gigaom.com/
iPad 2 Review:
For quite a few months now there has been excitement over the rumored release of the iPad 2. This is the updated version of Apple’s iPad, the tablet handheld computing device that has proved such a success in its first year of life. It is fair to say that the iPad has opened the door to a new way of browsing the internet. Instead of sitting at a desktop computer, people can use tablets like the iPad rather in the manner they might relax with a book, newspaper or magazine, but with a multimedia screen as well.
While the first iPad remains an iconic product, Apple’s competitors have begun to come up with tablet products of their own, so Steve Jobs and his cohorts could hardly be expected to rest on their laurels. After a period of anticipation, an announcement was made just a few weeks ago, and now the iPad 2 is finally here. This article will focus on what has been changed or added compared to the original iPad, which has now been discontinued with immediate effect.
* Processor (CPU): The single core A4 chip used in the first iPad has been replaced by a dual core A5. Both chips are clocked at 1 GHz but the use of a dual core design in the new device represents, in theory at least, a doubling of processing speed.
* Graphics processor (GPU): Upgraded from a PowerVR SGX 535 to a PowerVR SGX 543MP. Apple claims this upgrade provides a 9x speed increase in graphics rendering.
* RAM (memory): Upgraded from 256 MB to 512 MB. Combined with the CPU and GPU upgrades, this should provide faster browsing and fewer instances of lock-ups or stuttering video playback.
* User storage (flash memory): NO CHANGE. The iPad 2, like its predecessor, is configurable at the time of purchase with 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of flash memory for storage of users’ data. It should also be noted that, as before, there is no slot for using an external card, nor any USB port.
* Display resolution: NO CHANGE. Although the iPad 2’s 1024×768 pixel screen is still perfectly respectable, some users may be disappointed that Apple has not seen fit to upgrade the display from that offered on the original iPad.
* Environmental sensors: Addition of a gyroscope. This upgrade is claimed to address problems on the first iPad with the screen’s orientation changing undesirably from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa, in response to the user moving the unit unexpectedly.
* Unit dimensions: The new iPad is significantly thinner than its predecessor. The old iPad was 0.528 inches thick, whereas the latest model is only 0.346 inches thick, a reduction of about 34%. The length and width of this new model is slightly less than on the old one, but not significantly so.
* Weight: Reduced to 600 grams (a reduction of 80 grams from the iPad).
* Camera: The iPad was not supplied with any camera but the iPad 2 has two: one 0.7 megapixels (rear) for the capture of video footage and still photos, plus one 0.3 megapixels (front) for video chats.
* Adobe Flash support: NOT IMPLEMENTED. As with the previous version of the iPad, and also Apple’s iPhones, there is a continued absence of support for the Adobe Flash Player. Flash is a technology used on a large number of websites to play back videos and animations of various kinds. Apple has been in dispute with Adobe for some time and has taken the bold decision to prevent installation of Flash on the iPad and iPhone range. While this may make sense for Apple as part of some wider corporate strategy, it hits users of the iPad badly since it prevents a considerable number of websites from displaying on the device.
In summary, the new iPad has quite a few enhancements compared to the year-old model it replaces. The case, for a start, has a more trim and sleek appearance, and the loss of thickness makes for a nice feel when the device is held in the hand. More importantly, the upgrades to the processing power of the unit are quite significant and users should notice applications running quite a bit faster and smoother than before. That speed improvement is also assisted by the inclusion of the latest version of the Safari internet browser, which is said to be a faster performer in its own right.
Also to be commended is the inclusion of two cameras on the new iPad, although it has to be said that these devices are not of terribly high specification when compared to those on the latest Apple iPhone. Then again, it is likely that few buyers of an iPad would care about the niceties of photo quality. Overall, this is an excellent upgrade to what was already a beautiful device.
Reference: http://ezinearticles.com/
