The ipad 2 and jobs
This week, the world welcomed yet another competitor into the fast-growing tablet market — the iPad 2. In fact, frail Steve Jobs turned up in person to showcase the device to a world curious about both maker and creation.
And the verdict? Well, it’s just about all right. Powered by Apple’s proprietary A5 processor, aimed to hack into the competition’s dual-core processors, the sequel to the smash-hit iPad is 9.7 inches wide and features two cameras. It also includes a gyroscope so, if you’re ever in Australia, your screen should be up the right way.
The iPad 2 is slated to hit stores on March 11, and Apple has considerable ground to cover. Google’s made-for-tablet OS, Honeycomb, is helping companies like Motorola, Samsung and others churn out models week after week — each packing enough processing power and features that make jumbo jets look like science projects.
Also, there’s been doubt about accessories. The geniuses at Apple have decided to charge customers for almost every piece of wire they need to connect the iPad 2 to a TV or even a digital camera. The cost of an HDMI cable that lets you go hi-def between the device and a TV hovers around $39 — ouch!
Price woes aside, we now take a look into the software. Besides a few bells and whistles, analysts claim the iOS 4.3 is still very much the same. We’re also not sure how it will stand up against Honeycomb or that multi-tasking monster Blackberry is trying to groom. Flash is still missing from the iPad and that could mean further frustration for the business user.
The two cameras
If you’ve been crying about absence of cameras on the first iPad, you’ll probably need more tissue. The iPad 2 carries two cameras, and the one at the back, wait for this, has lesser resolution than what the iPhone 4 carries. In a time when competition has sold its soul to high-megapixel imaging, the iPad 2 camera deal seems a little raw.
Prices and variants
“Five of these six models are less expensive than $799. We only have one model that’s more expensive than $799,” said Steve Jobs at the San Francisco launch event. Apple have been smart with the pricing and that factor could just maybe push initial sales.
The verdict
We don’t want to call it “just another Hollywood sequel” —not yet. But when you factor in the sort of experience other makers are promising and Apple’s stance on Flash and its attempts to force buyers down monopoly road, you can’t help feel the doubt sneaking in.
Apple has always relied upon ‘appeal’. That’s the exact reason why you’ve had to gift your teenager an iPod when there were perfectly cheaper alternatives around. The world was perfectly fine with the extra bucks, until now. Because for the first time ever — it seems like a gamble.
And that, precisely, is what the iPad 2 is to us.
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