iPad 2 early reviews come in
On cue, early reviews for the iPad 2 have surfaced and put it ahead of the pack, albeit with reservations for some existing owners. The New York Times' David Pogue looked at the design in his review and saw a device whose individual upgrades might not necessarily have tipped the balance but, combined, led to a much better iPad that still didn't have viable competitors. He saw the much thinner, lighter design as leading to a subjectively better experience and the price -- as much as $300 lower than a Motorola Xoom -- overcoming even significant factors such as the lack of Flash or the limitations in app policies and features compared to Android 3.0.
"For the first time, your heart can succumb to the iPad mystique -- without having to ignore the more practical input from your brain," Pogue wrote.
A more technical dissection conducted by SlashGear checked performance. While it validated much faster JavaScript speeds in the web browser, it also used tests that proved the dual-core A5 truly was twice as fast. The synthetic GeekBench test was almost literally double the speed, and apps that were prone to choke on the first iPad's single core and 256MB of RAM were fluid on the twin cores and 512MB of RAM on the iPad 2. OPlayer could decode a 1.4GB video file without the hiccups that the first iPad faced.
Another check argued that some of Apple's strongest points were its new GarageBand and iMovie apps. Both were prone to crashes, but Engadget found them to work "seamlessly" and was most impressed with GarageBand. It didn't come across as a light version of the desktop app and was instead a "whole new game" that had many clever tricks, such as the Smart Instruments and a pattern mode that let you pre-compose passages to create a finished track. It was valuable and a clear advantage.
Multiple reviews had mixed opinions on the Smart Covers. They work as advertised, waking or sleeping the iPad and attaching very easily, but the absence of a back cover led to a large scratch in one circumstance. It could also come off while stored in a bag and would briefly waste the battery by waking the iPad up. Owners who wanted complete protection were still being advised to look for a third-party alternative.
All agreed that the battery life was impressive and saw it improve over the original, getting more than 10 hours despite the much slimmer profile.
Unusually, one of the more critical reviews was that of Jobs' preferred reviewer, the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg. He still believed it "moves the goal posts" and was the "best tablet for average consumers," but also saw some flaws with the ergonomics. The tapered design made it harder to plug in some accessories, and the 9.7-inch screen still meant it was considerably harder to hold than a seven-inch tablet in less than ideal situations.
The absence of 4G was also an issue, he said, although he warned that the Xoom's 4G upgrade might hurt its battery life.
All agreed that the cameras, which were very similar if not identical to those in the iPod touch, were relatively poor next to those on the Xoom, PlayBook and others. They served the trick for iMovie and other core apps but felt like a rare instance of cost-cutting from Apple. "The company is putting its flag in the ground when it comes to tablets with cameras, but it feels like it's done the bare minimum to make it happen," Engadget said.
Most agreed that there wasn't as much of an incentive to buy in as an existing iPad owner but that the differences were enough to keep Apple ahead despite fierce competition. Android 3.0 had its advantages but was clearly rushed as it was prone to crashing and had very few native apps. The Xoom's and those of other tablets, such as the Galaxy Tab, again meant that Apple could win simply because it was the most affordable and accessible for what it did.
"Value is always subjective," SlashGear said. "But right now the general tablet audience will likely find the iPad 2 more approachable, more straightforward and easier to get the best out of from day one."
No comments:
Post a Comment