Written by Andrew Hilbert
It seems that everyone’s got their hands on an Apple product these days. The Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet (16GB, WiFi, Black) is a great product and judging by Apple’s commercials, it does everything. You can surf the web, play games, connect with people halfway around the world with Facetime, make slick presentations, learn new languages… the list goes on! Their commercials show young and old getting the same amount of enjoyment out of an iPad so it’s fair to say that the iPad is targeted to a wide audience.
When I first got my hands on the Apple iPad 2, I was struck by how thin it was and how good it felt in my hands. It has a great design. The screen glare is not as bad as I thought it would be but the glare is still there and since it is a touch screen, finger smudges are very visible and all the sleekness that the iPad has out of the box is lost once the screen is turned off but these are minor complaints compared to what the iPad 2 is capable of.
The iPad 2 boasts a library of 140,000 apps which means you can find just about anything you need from games to educational tools. No app store competes with Apple’s.
The touchscreen is a lot more sensitive than the earlier models of the iPad and therefore more accurate. However the lack of a keyboard is really bothersome for a person who is more interested in getting work done than updating their Facebook or playing Angry Birds. Let’s just get this out of the way: tablet computers are not yet at the strength to replace laptops. Someday I’m sure they will but they just are not there yet. The touch screen keyboard invites pecking rather than using all ten fingers which inevitably slows you down. If you’re writing essays or long emails, laptops are better. If you’re on the run and want something to play with and pass the time or if you’re just writing a few short emails on the road, the iPad 2 is a great replacement to your laptop. Save space in your luggage with it.
The iPad 2 also boasts iOS which Apple calls “the world’s most advanced operating system.” It was designed to be instantly picked up and used intuitively because it was made for your fingers and if this video is any evidence, Apple is onto something:
Pros:
- Large library of apps
- Lightweight
- Intuitive
Cons:
- Doesn’t replace a laptop
- Pricey
- Lack of keyboard makes it hard to type
The iPad 2 is a great accessory if you’re willing to spend $499 on the 16GB model. The price only goes up from there. I personally like to have full functionality and until the touchscreen keyboard gets as good as an actual keyboard, I’ll be holding out.