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Anandtech's Apple iPad 2 Review - The Only Review You Need

36 points by pathik 16y ago

davidjhall 16y ago
Great article and excellent advice for those burned by Apple's cycles: "If it weren't for the fact that the iPad 3 is likely 12 months away with another set of similarly impressive upgrades I'd recommend all iPad users upgrade to the 2nd generation model. I find that with Apple products you have to pick an upgrade cadence and firmly stick to it. In the Mac world it's difficult but not too hard to stick to. Upgrading yearly never makes financial sense so usually putting yourself on a 2 - 3 year cycle for the biggest upgraders usually works. "
- alecco 16y ago
  On the other hand, resell price of used devices isn't linear. There must be a sweet spot and I bet it is around 1 or 2 years old. Also there are externalities helping. For example, people travelling might resell abroad for better rates.
- ugh 16y ago
  How can you possibly be burned by Apple’s iPad/iPod/iPhone update cycles? There will be new ones every year, like clockwork. I find other manufacturers to be much more confusing and unpredictable. Isn’t it always the case with consumer electronics – especially everything with a CPU in it – that new, better and cheaper stuff will come out while you still use the device? That’s just normal.
  - wonderzombie 16y ago
    "How can you possibly be burned by Apple’s iPad/iPod/iPhone update cycles? There will be new ones every year, like clockwork. I find other manufacturers to be much more confusing and unpredictable." Yes! I suppose an alternative is to wait infinitely for an infinitely better device. :) "Isn’t it always the case with consumer electronics – especially everything with a CPU in it – that new, better and cheaper stuff will come out while you still use the device?" I'd hazard a guess that Apple's predictable release schedule puts this fact front-and-center, which makes it more difficult to ignore when you're considering a purchase. Who knows when the next Motorola Xoom 2 is coming out, if ever?
  - r00fus 16y ago
    At least you know you'll have 2 supported iOS major updates for each iOS device you buy (ie, I completely see iOS5 doing away with 3GS/iPod Touch '09 support) which install relatively seamlessly.
junklight 16y ago
And how is this the only review I will ever need? Someone who clearly wants a laptop and not an ipad? For me it hasn't replaced my laptop - I moved to an 11" air for that. The ipad replaces all the other stuff that filled my office and my bags when traveling: a great big stack of books for pleasure, work and reference. It freed me from my desk for all that 'catch up' reading to keep on top of the things I need to know about. It provides some good casual games (I barely have time to become good at anything so "toys" are more what I am after). Its got some cool stuff to play with with my children. It has some great synths (most of my actual synths are now in storage pending sale). I do some work on it - writing presentations , ssh etc. It turns out that watching videos in bed in hotel rooms is use case i would never have imagined. it's great for showing other people my pictures and videos. It's a constantly present reference source: wikipedia and IMDb and a dictionary etc etc etc, It's not a laptop it's an other thing.
- ugh 16y ago
  (Cool story. It think “The Only Review You Need” is meant to imply “The Only iPad Review You Need” as is usually the case when this snowclone is used in such a context.)
- msg 16y ago
  It's just a 20 page review of the iPad 2. I missed the extra pages, first time. The title is implying only that no iPad 2 review could be as complete as this one, so other reviews are redundant and not worth reading.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
kqueue 16y ago
The only review I need that has ads everywhere on the page, and is trying to advertise the link to bring in more traffic.
aw3c2 16y ago
Please do not editorialise titles like this.
- junklight 16y ago
  looks at my rant elsewhere on the page looks at this succinct post that gets right to the point learns a lesson
zdw 16y ago
Print view: http://www.anandtech.com/print/4225/the-ipad-2-review/ http://www.anandtech.com/print/4225/the-ipad-2-review/ I really like Anand's coverage here, especially the 3 different perspectives from different editors at the end. Tablets are a new paradigm of both use and interaction, slotting them in when you're already used to laptop/desktop/phone can be a bit difficult. I find the iPad to be useful in places where a laptop is too heavy in terms of interaction commitment, but a phone isn't big enough.
jhugg 16y ago
I stopped reading at, "I don't put too much weight in Apple's iPad app advantage." Sadly, that was in the last paragraph.
dr_ 16y ago
"If it weren't for the fact that the iPad 3 is likely 12 months away with another set of similarly impressive upgrades I'd recommend all iPad users upgrade to the 2nd generation model." Huh? But couldn't that be said of almost every iPad or iPhone or even any other tech product just about every year? I personally never kept the first iPad because, even though it was a fun product to use, I really didn't have a need for it. I knew I'd need a new laptop though and the 11" Air has been fantastic for me in that role. I wouldn't mind having a larger touch screen device, but not something as large as the current iPad. A 7" iPad - maybe, but preferably a larger screen iPhone, that would really do the job.
- mikeryan 16y ago
  Huh? But couldn't that be said of almost every iPad or iPhone or even any other tech product just about every year? Yes, but there are outstanding rumors that the iPad3 is what they wanted the iPad 2 to be but couldn't due to some technical issues. So the current "iPad2" is actually a bit of a stopgap release to get something out on their normal cycle. Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-staffer-ipad-3-is-the-one-to-make-a-song-dance-about/84275 http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-staffer-ipad-3-is-the-one-to-...

36 points by pathik 16y ago

Great article and excellent advice for those burned by Apple's cycles: "If it weren't for the fact that the iPad 3 is likely 12 months away with another set of similarly impressive upgrades I'd recommend all iPad users upgrade to the 2nd generation model. I find that with Apple products you have to pick an upgrade cadence and firmly stick to it. In the Mac world it's difficult but not too hard to stick to. Upgrading yearly never makes financial sense so usually putting yourself on a 2 - 3 year cycle for the biggest upgraders usually works. "

alecco 16y ago
On the other hand, resell price of used devices isn't linear. There must be a sweet spot and I bet it is around 1 or 2 years old. Also there are externalities helping. For example, people travelling might resell abroad for better rates.
ugh 16y ago
How can you possibly be burned by Apple’s iPad/iPod/iPhone update cycles? There will be new ones every year, like clockwork. I find other manufacturers to be much more confusing and unpredictable. Isn’t it always the case with consumer electronics – especially everything with a CPU in it – that new, better and cheaper stuff will come out while you still use the device? That’s just normal.
- wonderzombie 16y ago
  "How can you possibly be burned by Apple’s iPad/iPod/iPhone update cycles? There will be new ones every year, like clockwork. I find other manufacturers to be much more confusing and unpredictable." Yes! I suppose an alternative is to wait infinitely for an infinitely better device. :) "Isn’t it always the case with consumer electronics – especially everything with a CPU in it – that new, better and cheaper stuff will come out while you still use the device?" I'd hazard a guess that Apple's predictable release schedule puts this fact front-and-center, which makes it more difficult to ignore when you're considering a purchase. Who knows when the next Motorola Xoom 2 is coming out, if ever?
- r00fus 16y ago
  At least you know you'll have 2 supported iOS major updates for each iOS device you buy (ie, I completely see iOS5 doing away with 3GS/iPod Touch '09 support) which install relatively seamlessly.

junklight 16y ago

And how is this the only review I will ever need? Someone who clearly wants a laptop and not an ipad? For me it hasn't replaced my laptop - I moved to an 11" air for that. The ipad replaces all the other stuff that filled my office and my bags when traveling: a great big stack of books for pleasure, work and reference. It freed me from my desk for all that 'catch up' reading to keep on top of the things I need to know about. It provides some good casual games (I barely have time to become good at anything so "toys" are more what I am after). Its got some cool stuff to play with with my children. It has some great synths (most of my actual synths are now in storage pending sale). I do some work on it - writing presentations , ssh etc. It turns out that watching videos in bed in hotel rooms is use case i would never have imagined. it's great for showing other people my pictures and videos. It's a constantly present reference source: wikipedia and IMDb and a dictionary etc etc etc, It's not a laptop it's an other thing.

ugh 16y ago
(Cool story. It think “The Only Review You Need” is meant to imply “The Only iPad Review You Need” as is usually the case when this snowclone is used in such a context.)
msg 16y ago
It's just a 20 page review of the iPad 2. I missed the extra pages, first time. The title is implying only that no iPad 2 review could be as complete as this one, so other reviews are redundant and not worth reading.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]

kqueue 16y ago

The only review I need that has ads everywhere on the page, and is trying to advertise the link to bring in more traffic.

aw3c2 16y ago

Please do not editorialise titles like this.

junklight 16y ago
looks at my rant elsewhere on the page looks at this succinct post that gets right to the point learns a lesson

zdw 16y ago

Print view: http://www.anandtech.com/print/4225/the-ipad-2-review/ http://www.anandtech.com/print/4225/the-ipad-2-review/ I really like Anand's coverage here, especially the 3 different perspectives from different editors at the end. Tablets are a new paradigm of both use and interaction, slotting them in when you're already used to laptop/desktop/phone can be a bit difficult. I find the iPad to be useful in places where a laptop is too heavy in terms of interaction commitment, but a phone isn't big enough.

jhugg 16y ago

I stopped reading at, "I don't put too much weight in Apple's iPad app advantage." Sadly, that was in the last paragraph.

dr_ 16y ago

"If it weren't for the fact that the iPad 3 is likely 12 months away with another set of similarly impressive upgrades I'd recommend all iPad users upgrade to the 2nd generation model." Huh? But couldn't that be said of almost every iPad or iPhone or even any other tech product just about every year? I personally never kept the first iPad because, even though it was a fun product to use, I really didn't have a need for it. I knew I'd need a new laptop though and the 11" Air has been fantastic for me in that role. I wouldn't mind having a larger touch screen device, but not something as large as the current iPad. A 7" iPad - maybe, but preferably a larger screen iPhone, that would really do the job.

mikeryan 16y ago
Huh? But couldn't that be said of almost every iPad or iPhone or even any other tech product just about every year? Yes, but there are outstanding rumors that the iPad3 is what they wanted the iPad 2 to be but couldn't due to some technical issues. So the current "iPad2" is actually a bit of a stopgap release to get something out on their normal cycle. Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-staffer-ipad-3-is-the-one-to-make-a-song-dance-about/84275 http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-staffer-ipad-3-is-the-one-to-...