Section: Apple News, Conferences, Press Events, iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, Features, Opinions and Editorials
First, wasn’t it a delight to see Steve Jobs on stage at the iPad 2 Media Event looking chipper and capable of delivering a one-hour standup keynote for the iPad 2 announcement? He’s still thin, but hardly looks like someone at death’s door, confounding the National Enquirer instigated rumors of a couple of weeks ago.
For nearly a year now I’ve resisted the iPad flood, saying I would wait for iPad 2. Now it’s here, or almost here—we won’t get it in Canada until March 25, two weeks after it reaches U.S. consumers. However, while what’s been added is pretty well all good (especially the A5 dual core CPU), it isn’t really revolutionary. I am happy about the availability of a white iPad, and having cameras aboard will be no hardship, even though it wasn’t a high priority on my wish list. Both thinner and lighter are positive attributes. A better Safari browser in iOS 4.3 is good news, but a Finder folder and document icon interface and real multitasking are still missing. No Retina display either. The iPad 2 comes with the same 9.7-inch display as iPad 1with a ho-hum 1024 x 768 resolution and mediocre 132 pixels per inch pixel; density (compared with the iPhone 4’s Retina Display’s 326 ppi pixel density.
Unfortunately the number one priority on my wish list—a USB port—was not delivered, so iPad 2 users will be stuck with dongles for the 30-pin connector and still have no really satisfactory file transfer interface. You’ll also need a $39 dongle to get HDMI support for connecting iPad 2 to a television, and there’s no SD Card slot for expandable memory. Consequently, I still don’t find it compelling, although it’s moved closer.
However, perhaps I’m just looking at it the wrong way. Yesterday Steve Jobs commented: “Our competitors are looking at this like it’s the next PC market. That is not the right approach. These are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC.”
Okay, I’ll cop to that being part of my problem with the iPad. I love my Macs and don’t have any real enthusiasm for leaving the PC era. However, at least 15 million people evidently embrace the post?PC concept.
For example, by coincidence I got a phone call yesterday morning from an old friend I haven’t seen for a while who used to own and manage a software development firm. He had never owned an Apple product, to the best of my knowledge, and has always given the impression that, for him, Windows machines were the real computers (although he’s politely avoided deriding my Macs). His big news yesterday was that he’s been using an iPad now for several months, loves it, and has become consummately addicted.
Anyway, I’ll venture that perhaps I need to take a different outlook regarding the iPad. Regardless, I still intend to get one eventually, although the rumors of an iPad three possibly coming as early as next fall have given me more pause. I’m thinking that’s likely a very long shot, and the most probable date for release of iPad 3 will be around this time next year, which would make the fairly near future a sensible time to buy an iPad unless one is prepared to wait another year.
I haven’t decided yet, but I’m closer to jumping in than I was on Tuesday.
Full Story » | Written by Charles Moore for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »
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