iPad 2 out today in the US: early review round-up
Is it a yay or a nay?
Apple’s next-generation tablet hits shelves in the US today (and in two weeks' time in the UK), boasting a faster, dual-core A5 processor, a thinner chassis, a gyroscope, and a pair of snappers on the front and the back.
Should you still be sitting on the iPad 2’s 10-inch fence, we've corralled a few of the best early reviews. Our own review - clearly the definitive one - will be along very shortly.
The Wall Street Journal – Walt Mossberg
“...in mixed and non-constant use, with the screen set to turn off when idle for a few minutes, the iPad 2's battery life was impressive. It easily went 48 hours between charges, even while downloading hundreds of emails and dozens of apps, songs, and books.”
TechCrunch - MG Siegler
“The tapered edges of the iPad 2 feel better in your hands. And those edges also make the buttons on the side and top more pronounced (and a bit easier to use). Of course, the tapered bottom also makes the dock connector a bit harder to use, but that’s a minor nit.”
Engadget – Joshua Topolsky
“The CPU and graphics performance of this tablet felt extremely impressive to us - the iPad 2 performed excellently no matter what we threw at it, games and graphically taxing apps seemed to have higher frame rates, and even when dealing with CPU intensive programs like GarageBand, it rarely (if ever) seemed to be struggling.”
The New York Times – David Pogue
“There’s a camera on the back (no flash) that can record hi-definition video. If you’ve never used a tablet as a camera, you’re in for a treat; the entire screen is your viewfinder. It’s like using an 8-by-10 enlargement to compose the scene.”
The Associated Press – Rachel Metz
“You can buy versions that work with either AT&T's or Verizon Wireless' cellular network, rather than just AT&T before. The cheapest model connects only through Wi-Fi. You can also get it in black or white -- before, your only option was black.”
Macworld – Jason Snell
“FaceTime works on the iPad 2 much like it works on the iPod touch; in the Settings app you log in with an Apple ID and set an e-mail address to use as your FaceTime ‘number’, so people can call you. From the FaceTime app, you can call people in your contacts list and set favorites.”
“The display is the same 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 panel as on the first iPad, with an oleophobic coating for easier fingerprint removal, and 132ppi resolution. An IPS display with LED backlighting, it’s still among the best on current tablets...”
