Apple iPad 2 review: Love and hate 2.0 Pros and Cons

Introduction

The unfortunate naming aside (seriously, didn’t anyone say it out loud before they announced it?), the Incredible S is a pretty great smartphone. You’ve got spotless connectivity, an exciting new screen, those cool rotating buttons and the proven power of Snapdragon under the hood.

Apple is taking it easy with the upgrades as usual – everything is carefully planned to ensure smooth traffic of new and repeat customers. It’s weirdly inconsistent with the hype about every new release. Anyway, faster-thinner-lighter is a fair deal to offer new users without making the original iPad adopters feel duped.

 

It’s a sequel from the creators of a blockbuster. The iPad 2 is in no mood to start a revolution. But evolution should be good enough considering the original iPad is yet to be beaten.

Key features
9.7” capacitive IPS touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels; oleophobic coating
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity
Optional 3G connectivity (data only)
Optional GPS with A-GPS support
Apple A5 SoC - 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics
512MB RAM
iOS 4.3
16/32/64GB of onboard storage
Weight of 601 grams (607 grams for the 3G version)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
10 hours battery life
Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
Compatible with every iPhone app without any modifications
The cheapest version costs less than an unlocked iPhone
0.7MP auto-focus camera, 720p video recording at 30fps
VGA secondary camera capable of Facetime calls
Impressively slim 8.8mm waistline
Four and five-finger gestures (locked by default, but easy to enable with a Mac and a $5 app)
1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $39), 720p video streaming
Magnetic Smart cover ($39 or $69)

Main disadvantages

iTunes required for uploading content
No Flash support in the web browser
Poor still cameras – though, really, this thing isn’t meant for taking candids
No standard USB port
No kickstand – it cannot stand on a table without the help of a dock stand or a Smart cover
Non replaceable battery
No stereo loudspeakers
No GPS receiver for the Wi-Fi only version
No memory card slot
3G model uses micro-SIM, instead of a regular size SIM
iPhone apps designed for HVGA resolution squander screen real estate or look pretty bad uspcaled