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Jones

12:31 PM on 8 April, 2011

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I love my iPad 2. I had little experience with the first gen so can't really compare but in a household that has a PS3, 360, gaming laptop as well as old gen consoles the iPad 2 has really ruled over them all.

What I particulary find pleasing is just how easy it is for everyone to use. My other half loves it too and my little kid - just turned two - already has his favourite apps that he knows how to get to and operate (really is an impressive sight when you let young kids loose on one of these).

My main complaint is how much I spend in the Appstore - far too easy to persuade myself to buy things. LAst night I bought the Korg im20 and Djay apps. Both great fun but not exactly needed.

Really is a joy to use and has replace about 90% of my pc use. The pc is now just a machine for ripping cds and downloading.

Favourite apps so far:

Sword and Sworcery - stunning game
Read it Later + Reeder - has got me into rss news feeds in a big way
Galcon Fusion - very addictive game

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Stelph

1:02 PM on 8 April, 2011

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"Apple has managed to gain these performance improvements, and pack this faster iPad 2 into a smaller space, without impacting on battery life"

Veery true, however think how amazing it would have been if apple had kept the, not exactly porky, 13mm profile and had a battery that lasted 15-20 hours? And then would have enough room to put in the same camera as the iPhone 4, a missed opportunity IMO

Also as nice as iMovie is, with the camera quality it is currently wasted on the iPad, its such a shame that apple doesnt push the boat out and allow you to connect or import raw video footage from external video cameras

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RageBoy

1:06 PM on 8 April, 2011

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I don't understand this obession with NEEDING to own an iPad.

No one really needs most of the products on this site so I don't see why the iPad is treated any differently.

It's worth noting as well that iMovie does not work on the original iPad. A warning box flashes up and says you need a front facing camera in order to install it.

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Gk.pm

1:11 PM on 8 April, 2011

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Nice work, I thought this was a fair review.

Just one minor correction though, the A5 clock speed has been disclosed by Apple who put it as a dual core 1Ghz.
see http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

It is however able to decrease it dynamically to conserve battery depending on load.

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Ed

1:24 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@GK.pm: Cheers, fixed.

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kdot

2:05 PM on 8 April, 2011

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"For all that they leave a lacklustre impression, the iPad 2's Smart Covers don't damped our impression of the device itself."

I think that should be dampen.

@ RageBoy: I dont think anyone needs to own a luxury device, which is why they are luxury and I did not get the impression from the article that I needed it either.

Personally I am waiting for a decent android tablet, might be a long wait but the software suits my needs a lot more than the iPad does unfortunately as it does look very nice.

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BOFH UK

2:45 PM on 8 April, 2011

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Sorry but "The iPad 2 is still just a toy" line REALLY frustrates me because it's absolute nonsense and geek snobbery of the worst kind.

For the majority of users the iPad (and, frankly, this applies to most tablets but let's stick with the iPad for now) does everything they ever want from a computer. Both consumption and creation tasks work well (providing the app being used is well designed) and the learning curve is a LOT less than a Windows / OS X / Linux computer. There's no real OS to worry about, just a view onto your apps. Finding and obtaining new apps is trivial, getting new content is easy, creating content is often more intuitive than a desktop if the software is built right (again, remember this is content creation for non-geeks so blog posts, facebook entries, making movies that sort of thing). Is this a good device for businesses to consider replacing desktop Windows machines with? No, of course not, but that does not automatically make this a toy.

Sorry for the rant but I really wish that geeks (and I've seen more than a few tech sites make this mistake with the iPad and now the iPad 2) would realise that computers aren't just for us anymore. User friendly devices that don't demand PC literacy are the way of the future, time to start realising that. Raw functionality isn't the only defining measure of a computer anymore, the look, feel, ease of use and overall quality of the experience count for just as much for many people. It still strikes me as odd that Apple are one of the few companies that understand that, though at least Microsoft seem to be showing signs of realising it with WP7.

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Gk.pm

3:10 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@BOFH UK I agree with you but refrained from commenting on that in order to keep harmony with the hordes of naysayers. After all the article wasn't that unbalanced and with an average score of 8.4 and TR Recommended I think the reviewer actually enjoyed this particular "toy".

Those of us who now use it professionally know that it's far from a toy, I actually do a lot of things differently just one week in and feel it's a great experience. But it's easy to see how it appears otherwise to outsiders. These shifts take time to kick in, but just wait and see..

The whole industry was also clueless when the iPhone showed up, I actually talked to mobile executives who thought Jobs was crazy when he said he was aiming for 1% of the industry in one year, now they're singing a very different tune.

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Keithe6e

3:13 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@BOFH UK: Couldn't have said it better myself.

Here is great example of the iPads appeal, and how it's not just a toy.

My mother-in-law got the first iPad, she's never used a computer before, and would need to ask her husband to handle anything computer related.

She now able Email here daughter in Scotland, browse the net, she's even into creating documents, (food recipes), and then printing them out. etc. )

Now to us Geeks, nothing amazing. But from the POV of my mother-in-law it's certainly more than just a toy. Both me and the wife have been amazed at how she has taken to it.

Now from the POV of a geek, the iPad may well be seen as a toy. But even then for the majority of stuff most of us do, it could still be used for productive purposes. Remember PC's were once classed as Toy's / Fad that would never catch on :)

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Kempez

3:23 PM on 8 April, 2011

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I'm with BOFH UK to an extent. to the PC literate it's a toy, but a toy that can replace a house laptop. To those who don't have a PC, or don't like using one, it can be everything. If only Apple will get cloud iTunes working and out there, you would never have to connect it to a PC again and it would become a house PC for those not wanting the fuss of a laptop or desktop. That would make it the ultimate laptop replacement imo. Of course, the same can be said for any tablet, but iPad 2 is the market leader currently.

I will think of it as a toy personally, but I still want one. I am also hoping to use it fairly frequently at work instead of a pad and paper, taking digital meeting notes in meetings and email on the go (which is hugely useful).

And Garageband is just cool....period :o)

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Brian ONeill

3:48 PM on 8 April, 2011

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My dad is 70, for years he has bugged me to teach him how to use the computer. Anyone who has ever done this know it requires the patience of a saint.

Last year I got him an ipad and right from day one he could get the hang of it. He uses the BBC and CNN apps and loves looking up old photos and spending time on history forums.

I am a windows user, but for me the ipad is the only option I would recommend to non technical people who want something simple for surfing, games etc.

Apple have done a fantastic job with the ipad. They really have full-fulled the dream of bringing technology to the masses. Sure people will snipe at apple, and their fanboys can be irritating, but they do produce great machines that are very easy to use.

I got a carbon fibre case from ebay for less than £20 and they are great:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=carbon+fibre+ipad+case&_sacat=See-All-Categories

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speedyg2012

4:00 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@Kempez Itunes has its own problems and isn't some peoples favourite use of a Apple product and maybe the toy comment was a simplified way of saying its a luxury item you can live without, the king of the casual use, so to speak. The smartphone market is too big for tablets to threaten in the work market even if they're designed for it properly. The pad and pen isn't the dead, no matter how hard technology has tried to kill the 'primitive' technology. Garageband is a niche product not designed to make you learn to play. Buy/hire an instrument and watch video/read a booklet for that. :0)

@BOFFIN UK/@ Keith - The real people who could really use a tablet rather than a computer or even a laptop cannot afford one, which kills the potential of them for the moment. They're still presenting people with jack of all trades selling point which all consumer products have in abundance which is all well and good, but you'd be surprised the how many of the older generation you'd thought this might work for/appeal can still use the scourge of modern geekdom, the humble PC. It's nice to see people who don't use computers find a use in the ipad, but except for taking it as a gift, can she or similar peers afford to spend that amount of money on it to avoid a computer all their lives?

Maybe in the future, the tablet market will transform itself and mature beyond the casual user. Right now imo, there is little to suggest the ipad is where that future will go...

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Keithe6e

4:11 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@speedyg2012: its a luxury item you can live without,

Like I believe somebody mentioned earlier, you could put practically everything TR reviews into that category. So maybe TR instead of been "Trusted reviews", could be renamed to "Toy Reviews" :)

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speedyg2012

4:19 PM on 8 April, 2011

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Maybe TRUER? (Toys R Us Expensive Reviews) :0)

Apples marketing power and global brand reach for the ipads will make it have the edge over the 'geekier' Honeycomb for some time to come I think.

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hankb6d

4:25 PM on 8 April, 2011

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As much as I don't like Apple products I don't think £400 is expensive compared to their usual pricings. The pressure is on the tablet competition now. Myself i'm waiting on ZTE to bring something to the table.

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Chris

4:30 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@BOFH UK: To paraphrase Keith (perish the thought), I couldn't have said it better myself either. :)

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Gk.pm

4:38 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@speedyg2012 are you implying Google doesn't have marketing power and global brand reach? I thought that was exactly their business.

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Pbryanw

5:25 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@speedyg2012 - Much as Apple's superior marketing and global brand reach have ensured that iPhones are more popular then Android phones, and OS X is the world's most popular operating system ... oh wait ;)

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lifethroughalens

5:54 PM on 8 April, 2011

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I haven't read the review, yet. Just got some popcorn and skipped straight to the comments!

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speedyg2012

6:03 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@GK.pm Apple in this case of consumer electronics. Google haven't mastered that section of the market just yet coming from software/search engine beginings, but early signs for them are promising in the smartphone sector. Google can catch up, never said they can't, but Apple have the experience and the edge for the mean time.

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speedyg2012

6:21 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@Pbryanw - Ipods too. :P TBH, we all know they gave up on the home computing Market years ago living in the niche market, no matter how much the Apple 'I'm a Mac/PC ads tell you. Wow what a load of marketing hogwash that campaign was! :D

@lifethroughalens - Hope you're enjoying yourself, I'm at work. :(

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Sleeper

6:44 PM on 8 April, 2011

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It is a toy. It's a very good, nicely functional toy but it quite simply isn't an absolute replacement for a laptop.

I like the iPad 2 but if you offered me a choice between one and my Macbook the latter would always win out. Fortunately I don't have to choose as I can have both. :)

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drdark

8:46 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@lifethroughalens @Hugo:
:( you started without me...

-1

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Leonardo

9:20 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@BOHF UK

Excellent points, but you do have to accept that this website is aimed at a very technically minded and computer literate audience, and for those people the iPad really is just a 'toy'. But it is a *wonderful* toy, and it will no doubt be the device that teaches millions of technophobes to email, browse the internet, download music, etc. for the first time because of its fantastic simplicity and user friendliness, which might never have been possible for them on a PC or laptop.

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betelgeus

9:53 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@hugo ive had a camera phone of different types for the last 10 years i recall taking about 50 pictures in that time (most for ebay) how many do you take?

also have you not heard of vlc stream where you can wirelessly stream any video format?

ive noticed that TR inly comment on the stock ipad without taking into consideration 3rd party apss and devices that solve almost all problems you could come up with.

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darkspark88

11:01 PM on 8 April, 2011

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I see the ipad as one of those enigmas in persuasion and form. Like the way cigarette companies manage to get smart educated people to smoke.

So yes, I'm saying that Apple is the equivalent of a tobacco company, but for tech. Think about it, it all makes sense. Addict consumer to your product. Ensure that consumer is continually purchasing from your ecosystem (cigarettes are actually downloads of apps...music...content....) Repel criticism toward your product by using powerful lobbying groups (see: mac cults) You get my drift.

Yes, I've extrapolated a little, but it's clear that the ipad is a step beyond being a device of function. It's the new brand of low tar, tasty (are cigarettes tasty?) cigarette in a new packet.

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speedyg2012

11:38 PM on 8 April, 2011

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@Leonardo How many 'millions' of these people can go out and purchase a niche product for £400 tho? The majority of technophobes will recieve it as a gift or be influenced by traditional Apple users in the main.

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Gk.pm

12:07 AM on 9 April, 2011

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@darkspark88 Low tar cigarette? What rubbish, and Android would be what, roll your own?

If the iPad is anything it's a good cigar. Nicely finished, rounded, slightly expensive but extremely pleasurable. So smooth and aromatic that who cares if it's addicting.

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SpiderJacek

12:45 AM on 9 April, 2011

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@lifethroughalens & Hugo

I did exactly the same thing ;)

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Kempez

1:32 AM on 9 April, 2011

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@GK.p, - love it!

iTunes works, does what I need it to. I've not yet found something that does all of what iTunes does in one easy to use app. However, I have found a whole load of other apps that do each function better ;o)

@speedyg2012 Fully aware of what TR meant by saying 'Toy', but was making a point about potential.

Also: "The real people who could really use a tablet rather than a computer or even a laptop cannot afford one, which kills the potential of them for the moment.". Pretty sweeping statement much?

I want to get my hands on an Android Honeycomb device tbh, not had any hands on time with one as yet.

Anyway, great review TR, Balanced and sensible.

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rav

10:17 AM on 9 April, 2011

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No offence to Hugo but I really would have liked Gordon's viewpoint on this.

I've tried the iPad and found it fun but too limiting. While I love my iPod Touch I just expect more from a gadget of this size and price.

I've not doubt its great for the technophobic. My best friend is a trader who works with six monitors all day long but he swears by his and doesn't ever touch his laptop any more.

I'm happy to wait until tablets are real computer replacements which they no doubt one day will become. By that time Honeycomb should actually be ready for a proper release.

I wouldn't say no to an iPad 2 and its currently the best tablet by far but I wouldn't spend my own money on it.

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BOFH UK

10:39 AM on 9 April, 2011

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@Leonardo: "Excellent points, but you do have to accept that this website is aimed at a very technically minded and computer literate audience, and for those people the iPad really is just a 'toy'."

I do see what you're saying but, and I know that this isn't the first time I've said this here, I would really like to see different use cases considered in reviews. The sort of thing that's done with the camera reviews for instance, where it's made clear where a particular DSLR slots in to the range and what sort of user its targetting.

For the technically minded a laptop is probably a better investment (though gotta say I actually find using the iPad as my main home computing environment an absolute joy after 8 hours+ of Windows every day) but I do wish that well regarded tech sites like this would consider different users and how a particular product would work for them. The... sorry TR, this is going to sound really bad and isn't meant to but the rather single-minded approach in the review of ONLY considering the geek view is the sort of approach I'd expect from Anandtech rather than a more general site like this. Don't get me wrong, the review is a good 'un (and a bit more balanced than the original iPad review), I just wish it had gone further.

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KultiVator

10:52 AM on 9 April, 2011

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A better and more weighed up review this year for iPad2 from TR. Thought TR's editorial surrounding the original iPad last year was a little short-sighted, so I'm glad Hugo has considered the device more fully in his excellent review.

Goes to show that some things have value, appeal and utility that can greatly outweigh the raw specification of the technology contained within.

That said, I still don't find Kerry Katona attractive - in any shape or form. Not even with beer goggles of the highest order!

;-)

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speedyg2012

12:38 PM on 9 April, 2011

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@Kempez - You think all of the working class and poorer people of society in this country can afford to spend £400 on a fancy tablet?

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GoldenGuy

6:33 PM on 9 April, 2011

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I was an iPad sceptic at first - nay, that's too harsh; more iPad cautious - but all of us quickly found a use case for it matching up neatly with Jobs' initially odd looking presentation, easily surfing and using apps on his little settee, because that's what most of us ended up doing too and with no complaints. But if you look at TR's verdict last year, I think they went way beyond reasonable scepticism by just dismissing the device offhand.

"There are two conclusions to be made about the Apple iPad. As a product you could buy, it's a tempting but ultimately unconvincing device. Unlike the iPhone, however, it doesn't traverse the boundary between early adopters and the mass market. Most people probably wouldn't know what to do with it. What it does do is demonstrate the potential of the tablet as a segment."

There are two wrong conclusions drawn right there. One : we did figure out what to do with it and Apple played it right by opening many doors (ereader, light productivity, games, web, video - all in working order) and letting the market decide what they like best, as per the iPod Touch. Two : the failure of competing Android devices (the best selling rival is still the lacklustre Tab) prove that consumers aren't crying out for a tablet market but an iPad market, or more specifically 'The iOS & App Store on a Big Screen' market.

The reason I bring this up is because the premise of last year's review was that the device was only really good for promoting the tablet concept and then other manufacturers could take over from there and makes the 'real tablets'. But this so called untapped tablet potential is a red herring. As the most powerful device released thus far, the Xoom 'tapped' it, and sale figures and reviews show no one liked it - it was an unfinished mess. That's in contrast to the iPad which certainly has startling concessions but by all means looks 'finished'.

"Like it or not, right or wrong, the iPad 2 is going to become the de facto standard against which all other tablets launched this year are measured, and it's to that standard we'll be holding it."

So this year the goalposts for TR's critique have indeed shifted to allow them to recommend it, because now it's a given that the iPad concept IS the workable tablet standard and it's up to everyone else to catch up to that. This perspective feels like a bit of a 180º for a device that hasn't really changed much beside a minor case redesign and slightly speedier internals. In short, it's not the tablet that's had to change - it's the reviewers.

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Vivid

10:08 PM on 9 April, 2011

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I do object to the tone of a lot of these comments that 'of course the iPad was going to be a runaway success'. Particularly as these comments are coming from the safe position of commenting 14 months down the line after the initial launch. When I first used an iPad I found it a diverting little toy but no good for anything I was willing to pay that much money for. Despite all of the comments about people using it to 'create' media its main purpose is to consume media (though obviously not of Flash based websites).

Perhaps it can be used to create media but that's inspite of its qualities not because of them. Yes some people can do great things on Sketchbook Pro on the iPad but put it on machine with a pressure sensitive digitiser and it really sings. Yes, you can type a bit for a short email or some such but you really wouldn't want to create a long report or a long email on a touch screen keyboard. They're just bloody awful. As for ebooks, I'd choose my Kindle over an iPad any day of the week and twice on a Sunday.

Anyway, the point of this rather rambling reponse is that it's easy to pontificate on this stuff after the event but trying to predict the future of a novel product is a bloody nightmare. If it were that easy we'd all be millionaires off the back of our HTC and Nintendo shares.

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Norbury

12:47 AM on 10 April, 2011

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@speedyg2012: You seem to think that working class people are poor and technophobic. Also that if you are technophobic enough to want to use an iPad as a main computer then you are probably too poor to own one. I don't think I'm misrepresenting you; I find those attitudes both bizarre and snobbish.

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Soliber

9:01 AM on 10 April, 2011

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It's quite simple actually: for a big part, it's a high-tech canvas for the iOS developers to do their thing with.
Apple "started" this app-thing on smartphones, but most of us probably realized that, though apps on a smartphone are convenient, some of those apps could definitely do with more screen estate. So then: the iPad.
This is why I found and continue to find all that snobbery about it being just a big iPod Touch so annoying, because anyone who has used a lot of apps should have been able to see the iPad for what it was worth. In a sense it was a big iPod Touch, and that's actually what it needed to be.

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dantesimone

10:36 AM on 10 April, 2011

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A lot of my friends/family have got a ipad 2 just for the purpose of browsing the web, checking emails, skyping etc. Its a perfect device for this and the fact is its the only tablet device which has its hardware and software up to scratch.

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Kempez

1:45 PM on 10 April, 2011

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@Norbury: that's how I read it. Ridiculous attitude, agreed!

If you're not well off you wouldn't buy an iPad, but just because you can't afford one, doesn't mean you'd be one of the people that fall into the category of those who need a simple computing device to use.

For example: my parents are (relatively), well off , but they would love using an iPad, in my opinion. They're also not stupid, but the simplicity of an iPad would be great for them as they're not massively tech savvy.

Got to love preconceptions!

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speedyg2012

1:52 PM on 10 April, 2011

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@Norbury - You're totally misrepresenting my comments. Sorry if I wasn't clear. The major problem as you would know is a lot of people don't have access to computers and the internet (in this case regurlarly, some might have occassional access, others very little or not at all.) Unfortunately the numbers show the lower end of society have the most in this area. A cheap tablet with its space saving advantages and its access to the internet and general apps and programs could make a difference if sold correctly with its ease of use other a PC/Laptop, but come of it, can you justify spending £400 - 500 if your struggling to pay rent/car insurance/low paid job as well as making sure you have all the basic amenities to survive with? Not tryying to be grim, we all have difficulties in life to deal with, but in my personal experience, some people in the lower end of the ladder won't use computers all that much or have come into computers late and find it a steep learning curve. My point is like somoen else may have mentioned before, something like an Ipad or similar tablet would be ideal product to start you on your way compared to keeping a noisy big desktop with wires or a cheap but unwieldy laptop.

If it was cheap that is...

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Gk.pm

3:04 PM on 10 April, 2011

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@Vivid
When the iPad came out iOS didn't even allow multitasking, back then I saw little point on this device. But Apple didn't rest on it's laurels (even if the iPad sold well without these features) and solved these problems, so I'm well at ease saying it's now a game changing device.

I'm now typing this in a local park. Would I carry my computer over here and pull it out in public while sitting near the river ? Of course not. Is being here helping my creativity? sure is.

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rav

1:51 AM on 11 April, 2011

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@Gk.pm
Would a smartphone not have been more convenient?

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Gk.pm

8:56 AM on 11 April, 2011

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@rav Not for writing. Actually I'm finding less and less motivation to use smartphones except for really on the move things or if I don't have the iPad around (which is becoming rare)

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haim

12:10 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Gk.pm : So an iPhone Nano is really what you want as your iPad companion. Wonder if thats what their thinking in Cupertinoland.

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Ben

12:12 PM on 11 April, 2011

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One changes the game or one moves the goalposts.

One rarely changes the goalposts.

Just like with the original iPad, iPad 2 is most limited by the version of iOS it is shipping with. We'll have to wait a little longer for iOS 5, but that'll no doubt give the iPad 2 a second lease of life. At least, unlike with tablets coming from other manufacturers, updates to iOS from Apple for the iPad 2 are more-or-less guaranteed, so no one need worry about holding back just because they're worried they wont get access to improvements down the road.

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Ouroboros

12:53 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@rav, @Gk.pm
Agreed with Gk.pm, my iphone is horrendous to type on. I'm not sure if the mass majority of other ip4 users have tiny fingers, but my sausage-like, rugby-knackered hands don't seem to compatible with the tiny screen.

I find my tablet is the ideal size for jotting out emails and notes, and as it's a Galaxy Tab it sits in my inside jacket pocket. Slower than the ipad2 without a doubt and requires a second or two's patience sometimes, unfortunately, but the ipad's size rules it out for me (if I had to bring a bag I might as well just bring my laptop). If only they would make a 7" version! (and stick on flash)

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Ed

1:15 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Ouroboros: No problems here with typing on the iPhone 4 but glad to see someone else sees the tablet market in such a clear cut manner as myself. iPad et al are simply too big for my liking and I would indeed rather have a laptop if I have to take a bag anyway.

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Gk.pm

2:10 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@haim Not sure about an iPhone nano, I like the functionality of the iP4 to be there when I need it. However I'm not planning to upgrade from it anytime soon, unless they come out with some sort of brain interface or realistically some fancy stuff like instant provisioning of foreign carriers via the much talked about software SIM.

As for tablet sizes I'm not sure about the 7". Never used one to be honest, but the iPad matches the size of many books so I wouldn't want to go much smaller. Also here in the North of England we don't wear jackets as you all know :-) so I carry a bag most of the time.

To me it's more being able to get use the iPad almost anywhere, in places where I wouldn't take out the laptop. Also the iPad is much lighter and thinner than laptops, plus they last for hours so no need to carry the charger. Much better for going cycling with!

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Kempez

2:29 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Ouroboros & @Ed - do you not take paper anywhere?

I'm a Project manager and am never without my A4 notepad for meeting notes & quick planning. I want to be able to replace this and a ~10" tablet fits that bill. I use my phone for email when I'm really on the go, but based in an office (albeit a 'flexible workspace'), means I can bring the iPad into work in a bag and carry it from meeting to desk, to workshop etc. As such, agree with Gk.pm in that sense. I would use a decent case though, only see the smart covers as a cool gimmick, not a practical case.

I played with the 7" tab and was thoroughly unimpressed with it, but that's last gen so cannot judge on that. However, size-wise, I'm not bothered about the size of a 10" device.

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rav

2:38 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Gk.pm, @Ouroboros
I'm fine using my Desire and iPod Touch for typing things like comments, texts and short emails. Anything longer and I'd want a proper keyboard which would rule a tablet out for me.

The iPad is fairly portable but if I was going to lug one around I'd be just as happy with an 11.6" Macbook Air which would fulfill my needs much better and is only slightly bigger. I find it stuck in the no man's land between the convenience of smartphones and the power of ultraportables. Each to their own though.

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Ed

3:14 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Kempez: Precisely, but I want that device to be a 7incher. I use an A4 pad at work but it's not particularly necessary. My out and about notepad is A5.

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Gk.pm

3:29 PM on 11 April, 2011

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It's hard to agree on an ideal size, like @Ed I also had a A5 paper notepad for taking notes. But for content would I really want it? An A5 sized magazine would be bit silly unless its some sort of manga.

I've already got a couple of magazine subscriptions on Zinio (fantastic for foreign mags btw, even Japanese, without the silly cost)

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Kempez

9:57 PM on 11 April, 2011

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@Ed & @Gk.pm - it's deffo a taste/personal thing. I prefer a bigger pad and really like the size of an iPad. I've experimented at work by borrowing a mates for the day and it really did help increase productivity.

It would be good to play with an alternative smaller device. Apple aren't the most pro-choice, but they should be open to people's preferences and offer a smaller device. I wouldn't think it would harm profit margins or be massively difficult to set up?

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betelgeus

11:13 PM on 14 April, 2011

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"but that's okay; if you can afford a shiny expensive extravagance, why not buy the best available?"

"Doesn't serve any specific function"

impartial reviewing at it's greatest.

-1

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SweetFA

8:38 AM on 15 April, 2011

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Looking forward to someone releasing the tablet equivalent of an Orange San Francisco.

When a decent £100ish Android tablet appears i'll buy one, can't see how i could justify spending £250-£400 on something that doesn't do much more than web browsing.

Until that time i'm more than happy with a Win7 netbook and a HTC desire.

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jsh1120

3:32 AM on 16 April, 2011

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Around the house we have 3 15 inch laptops, an 11 inch netbook, a fairly fast desktop system, a Kindle and a couple of Android smartphones. So why did I just order an iPad2? Simple. My brother-in-law visited for the weekend and brought his iPad. My six year old was hooked in ten minutes.

I agree that the iPad fills a niche that, at least for me, doesn't exist. I use my netbook or the Kindle when I travel in coach. I use a fast i7 laptop workstation in my hotel room. My wife is quite happy with her laptop and the Kindle. And my six year old daughter is developing her skills with a last generation laptop of her own.

But a touch interface device is nice to have on the couch. And while I can understand the criticism of the iPad from Android fans, I think they would change their minds if they saw the delight and easy learning curve my six year old exhibited in using at least 10 different apps; some games, some educational.

In short, the iPad does fill an important niche. And with the wealth of software available it does so without the disadvantages of a device like the Motorola Xoom that has great potential but like Android devices of a couple of years ago is more a hacker's toy than a finished computer product.

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fatriff

5:16 AM on 17 April, 2011

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Some of you people saying the ipad 2 is a full replacement for a laptop.. Is it heck!!

Other tablets are.. Like the Archos 101.. Priced at only £239 now and has cameras and USB ports & HDMI out.. Yes.. HDMI out...

And guess what.. it also supports flash..

It ticks way more boxes as a laptop replacement than the ipad can since you can plug any keyboard and mouse into it and any external hard drive you like and any monitor or tv you like...

So how can you do the same with the ipad??

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mikfrak

9:58 PM on 2 May, 2011

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The trouble is, the iPad2 isn't really for sale is it? The only people who seem to have them are journalists. A few were released about a month ago but since then there haven't been any iPad 2s in the shops. I talked to an Apple rep today and asked when we could actually expect to see iPad 2s in stores that we could actually buy and she admitted she had no idea and suggested it would be well over a fortnight before there would be be any more deliveries. She said she expected there to be plenty available by Christmas! Another major retailer said it would be at least a month. This was on May 2. If you look on every major retail website (including the likes of Amazon) they are out of stock and have been since the day they were supposed to go on sale. The only people that have them are grey importers who are charging £100 mark-ups. So it doesn't really matter how good they are does it? If Apple can't actually make them and put them in the shops then they may as well be unicorns or pixie dust. I suspect Apple may well lose the sales battle with their rivals simply because their rivals actually own factories and can build and deliver real devices instead of hypothetical gadgets only shown off by Steve Jobs at tech shows. Apple can't claim its simply a matter of demand outstripping supply because Apple hasn't actually been able to supply any for weeks and I'm surprised that websites like Trusted Reviews and national newspapers haven't taken this issue up more detail. The Apple launch was phony ... just a few hundred devices released to whip up a media frenzy and upstage their rivals and then a delay of months while they actually tried to release production models.

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Joseph Middleton

8:54 PM on 19 May, 2011

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I find it surprising to read that the iPad is an expensive luxury! Compared against the rest of the market, and the iPod, I actually think, for what you get, its a real steal.

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Without the majority of the tablet competition yet available it's hard to definitively call the Apple iPad 2 the best of this generation. However, it's here, it's good and it's well priced, all of which gives the competition even more to live up to when they finally arrive. Read full review

Overall

8/10

User Rating

9/10

By Hugo Jobling
Reviewed 08 April 2011
Updated 25 April 2012

Price as reviewed

£444.99

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Awards

iPad 2 details

Overall: 8/10

Pros & Cons

Pros

Fast dual-core CPU
Lighter and Slimmer than previous iPad
iOS best tablet operating system available

Cons

Somewhat low screen resolution
3G model is expensive
Doesn't serve any specific function

Manufacturer

Apple

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Price as reviewed

Comments

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