iPad 2 Review

iPad 2 is simply the original iPad with a thinner design, a couple of cameras, and a faster chipset. Not any more than the original iPad was just a big iPhone. Device by device, year after year, Apple has slowly and now successfully changed the conversation from individual specs to unified experience, from reviewer and competitor driven checklists to mainstream consumer-centric usability. In that regard iPad 2 is the sequel to a smash hit that very few outside Apple ever saw coming.


Apple claims iPad 2 is a complete redesign. Apple managed to ship a white iOS device. It turns out the one thing that does make a noticeable difference between the original iPad and iPad 2 is what surrounds the screen the buttons. For a company that’s done so much to revolutionize music Apple might want to look into revolutionizing up some decent stereo speakers for iPad 3. There’s a VGA FaceTime camera on the front and 720p HD video camera on the back which equates to under 1 megapixel for stills.

Leanna, our resident photo enthusiast, took the iPad 2 cameras out for a test. She found that in well-lit situations, the HD camera produces excellent results and the VGA camera gives acceptable quality. Taking still photographs with the iPad 2 was not nearly as rewarding as video. iPad 2 also borrowed iPod touch 4′s placement for the cameras. The rear camera is tucked in the corner directly beneath the sleep/wake button. Rotate the iPad 180 degrees to fix this.

iPad 2 is too big to use as a regular camera anyway. There’s a reason no major manufacturer makes a consumer grade camera with a 9.7-inch screen. iPhone 4 proved you can have a great rear facing camera in a thin device. Here’s hoping Apple takes the iPad 2 and iPod touch 4′s rear facing 720p camera and puts that in the front of iPhone 5, iPod touch 5, and iPad 3 and gives the entire range of iOS mobile devices a better rear facing imagine sensor next time around.

Georgia maintains the thinner, sleeker, dare-she-say-sexier casing means iPad 2 is from Venus while the original iPad 1 was from Mars. Her point is Apple didn’t only bring the cameras over from iPod touch 4 it brought the curves. A slight bit shorter and skinnier than the original iPad, it’s also an unbelievable 33% thinner at only 0.34-inches. That’s thinner than iPhone 4 thin.

Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm)

Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm)

Thinness: 0.34 inch (8.8 mm)

Thankfully it’s not chromed like iPod touch 4, it’s the same matte finish as the original iPad and even the original iPhone 2G. It’s only 0.2-lbs lighter than the original iPad but on a 1.3-lbs device that’s appreciated. Wi-Fi: 1.33 pounds (601 g)

Verizon 3G: Weight: 1.34 pounds (607 g)

Like iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4 before it, iPad 2 adds a gyroscope to its existing accelerometer which provides precise 3-axis rotation and control to games, Augmented Reality, and other motion-sensitive apps. GSM/AT&T: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

The lack of LTE makes sense given its small footprint and Apple’s reluctance to even go 3G in the original iPhone.