After my huge portion of humble pie which I ate after the initial Apple iPad launch I purchased an Apple iPad 2. Talk about irony and more ironic twists; it seems that my initial reservations over Apple iPad were totally unfounded.
I consume a lot of online media (magazines, RSS feeds and blog posts) and took the decision to buy an iPad 2 to be able to be mobile. The decision also ensured that I bought the Wifi (no 3G) version to keep my data costs down. I believe to a degree that uncapped ADSL played a small role in my purchase decision.
I acquired an Xtrememac cover for my iPad as well as a Cygnett screen protector to protect my beloved device from scratches and potential accidents. A few weeks ago I purchased a Zaggmate keyboard which has made typing blog posts and emails a pleasure.
So what rocks?
- The wide range of apps that is available to iPad owners. If you consume news and magazines from various parts of the world, then you no longer need to go to a retailer for it.
- The second generation iPad launches apps a lot faster than its earlier version. It also weighs less than its predecessor. The ARM Apple A5 processor makes a load of difference in terms of usability of the device.
Some failures:
- The camera is not worth writing home about. It produces low resolution images that are of bad quality. If you want to use it as a camera, rather use your smart phone.
- Facetime is also a bad experience as it is very dependent on your wireless connection. I have used it once and not again as it was nothing short of a disaster.
- Browsing websites that feature a lot of Flash is not possible due to Apple stance on Adobe Flash. If the website has elements of HTML5 in it then it is OK otherwise forget about it.
- The sound quality of the device is also not great. So rather use external speakers for presentations etc.
I can recommend the Apple iPad 2 to anyone that is in the market for a tablet. I have had hours of pleasure and believe tablets will play a bigger role in the future.
