Apple’s iPad 2 – a Thumbs up from Penn Manor Students

By Eli Marcelino and Cheyenne Weber –

The iPad 2 was released today and is thinner than ever.

Should you get one?

“I think it’s awesome. I like it because it is thinner than the iPhone 4,” said Erin Patterson, a Penn Manor sophomore, who also added, “I really want one.”

Nearly $5 billion worth of iPads have been sold  since its launch, and a quick glance at the history of the iPhone, which launches a new model every year, suggests that we should expect to see the iPad 2 right around the first anniversary of it’s predecessor’s launch.

According to published reviews,  the new features the regular iPad doesn’t have are…

1) Longer battery life

2) Thinner and lighter though not a major consideration since iPad as it is is already quite light.

3) Faster processor – Run applications at lightning speed.

4) Camera – Great for taking videos and pictures. Why carry another camera or video recorder when you have your iPad 2.

5) Video Conferencing – Using a tablet for video conferencing would be an awesome experience. The right user experience would probably demand 2 cameras – one front and the other back.

6) HDTV connection – Connect the iPad 2 to your TV and project what is on the iPad 2 on the screen there.

“I think it will have more technology than the first one, and I also hope that it could have Broadband Internet,” said Roxana Perez, a Junior.

The original iPad came in six different variations and the new iPad 2 comes in 18 different variations.

The good news is that the iPad 2 costs just what the original iPad did.

“The base-model Wi-Fi editions cost $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB), and $699 (64GB). Both sets of Wi-Fi/3G models cost $130 more than their Wi-Fi counterparts,” said Snell.

There’s no price difference for white or black models.

The iPad 2 also has 512MB of RAM—twice that of the original iPad—and a 200MHz bus speed, likewise twice that of the original.

Is it worth getting?

“The iPad 2 is an improvement on the original iPad in numerous ways, it’s still an evolutionary product, not a revolutionary one. If you’re happy with your current iPad, there’s no reason to dump it just because there’s a shinier, newer one. (This is not to say that millions of people won’t do just that. I mean: shiny!) If you’ve invested in iPad accessories such as a dock or case, keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to use them with the new iPad,” said Macworld’s editorial director Jason Snell.