Experience with Apple iPad2
By myi4u
As said over and over again, love it or hate it. At the moment, I love it. I have had my iPad2 for almost two weeks now and it is kind of a daily routine for me to use it every now and then. I use it even more frequently than my MacBook Air. Before I decided on iPad2, I was worried about the connectivity and hardware limitation as well as the poor camera quality. The thing is, I don’t really care at all. Even the flash incompatibility doesn’t really bother me much as I have my MacBook Air on standby.
App Store
In the past, I got a bit agitated every time I read an article on how Apple App Store is more robust and better than Android Market. Well, there is nothing wrong with Android Market as you get what you want and I have realised that most Apple Apps can be found in Android Market. However, I have since used Apps Store since I got my iPad2 and it really impressed me. It just feels more stable and easier to navigate around.
I always like to stress that I am no lover of both Apple and Android. Whoever does the better job is the good one. Using both App Store and Android Market, I realise one difference between Apple users and Android users. Apple users are a lot more fuss and they complain about every single thing down to the finest detail about an app. Android users however, are grateful just about everything that is free. This is one of the reasons why most apps in App Store has lower rating compared to the same apps in Android Market.
Browsing
Yeah, that’s what iPad2 is almost about. Yeah, without Flash, it’s not exactly that interesting. Funnily, I haven’t encountered a website that uses flash so far, hence concludes that most websites that I visit daily do not use flash! As stated, it’s really for browsing. I tried to edit my hub the other day and it couldn’t display the box properly. I tried to do my surveys and some of the elements weren’t available. Everything else works great.
Gaming
The Gadget Show once voted that iPod Touch was the best portable gaming machine, beating Sony PSP and Nintendo DSLite. I struggled to understand and even now, I still disagree. For a start, the screen size is smaller than PSP. The on screen control makes the viewable screen area even smaller. Well, it’s a lot different now that iPad is available as a choice. To date, I have dozens of games and the portable gaming experience has taken to another level. Apple may have not speculated iPad as a portable gaming machine but the amount of quality games available in App Store is unbelievable.
The reason that I prefer portable gaming devices has always been the instant on feature; meaning I don’t have to wait for my PC to start up as well as going through the installation process. Portable gaming devices are also less prone to software or hardware hang.
Build Quality
There is nothing much to say about the build quality. It’s sturdy and thin. It is light but it is still not good when holding it for a long period of time. Wait till you hold an iPad first generation, yeah, I know, I know. Cameras quality are bad but I wouldn’t imagine taking picture using a 9.7” “camera”!
iOS
I still dislike the inability to customise home screen. But the news is that I haven’t missed the customisable Android Screen! iOS coupled with iPad2 hardware is quick. Everything is just a touch away and I have no problem with that. My HTC Desire is cluttered with information and the truth is I hardly take note on all of them.
Battery
I charge my iPad2 about every two days. I believe that it can last about 10 hours in a single charge. The charging however takes longer than I have expected. I haven’t really measured the time but I believe that it should take three and a half hours to four hours to fully charge iPad2. It takes half the time to charge my MacBook Air though MacBook Air only last about four to five hours. Fair enough I suppose.
Finally…
I am still in a dilemma as to whether or not to jailbreak it. The jailbreak solution is currently not yet available for iPad2 but it is rumoured to be available in the coming days. I would certainly love to be able to customise the home screen of my iPad2 to make it more useful but at the same time, I am afraid that I will always have to wait for jailbreak release instead of getting my hands on the latest iOS whenever it is released.
One of the reasons that I chose iPad2 over Android tablets is because Apple products can be easily updated. Android users will have different brands of tablets. If Google releases a new Android version, Android users will have to wait a bit longer for their manufacturers to cope with the changes of the new version.
I guess I am less adventurous now as I have chosen a much more simplified device. But the good thing is that iPad2 can be complex too with the wide range of apps available. Sometimes, I hate the idea of being left out too. Most companies will develop an app for Apple first before getting out to Android and the other competitors. Well, unless Apple rejected the app. Despite some of the flaws, I believe I have made the right choice. And hey, there’s an app for Hubpages and I should be checking it out considering that I couldn’t edit my Hubs from Safari! After all, there’s an app for everything!
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Comments
I got an iPad when I was working at an office, but still developing my other business interests. I didn't want to log in on the company's box, since who knows what they watch?? But the iPad is like making an iPhone bigger and more like a laptop. I love it! Sometimes you still need a laptop for keyboard stuff, but the apps are killer, and you just can't tap into them any other way.
Nice hub. I am planning to buy an iPad2, however I am not sure how easy to use the virtual keyboard to type. Can we use it as easy as usual keyboard? if so I think I can carry iPad2 during all my travel and keep blogging :-)
Spirit Whisperer, glad that this hub gave you some useful information. Android is a mobile operating system for smartphone. It's like Windows Mobile or Windows Phone and iOS for iPhone. I think tablets can't really substitute laptops. It just provides better experience when doing light browsing and gaming with the huge and portable touch screen.
You are absolutely right GracieLake! The huge touch screen really makes a great difference and the selections of apps make it really useful and fun!
psf, the virtual keyboard is good enough. The new iOS 5 allows you to split the keyboard into half (to the left and to the right), thus using your thumbs to type while holding the iPad. I think that will make it even easier to type. Otherwise, you have the option to buy a physical keyboard and connect to iPad.
Thanks for commenting!
w o w
I must say I'm still at a regular iPad; no need to upgrade yet. But it's a great product :)
simeonvisser, I agree with you that there isn't a need to replace iPad with iPad2. I almost bought the first gen of iPad only to think that it will be worth waiting for the next gen. Considering that Apple updates its products almost once a year, it's too hard to keep up with the progress.
Looking into getting one myself,have to wait till I move from the UK to the States.Its cheaper there!
So, Alladream74, are you planning to move to US soon? You might want to wait till iPad3 since there are rumours saying that it will be out in a few months' time! All should be very interesting.
The first time I heard of the iPad, I thought it was a useless gadget, because I already had a notebook. A few months ago, my cousin bought an iPad and showed me how to use it. He succeded in convincing me to buy one and I must say that now I use it more than my notebook: the iPad is one of the most useful gadget I've ever had. Thanks for this useful hub.
Hi Corin, thanks for commenting. I was complete opposite to you. When I first heard about iPad, I was very exciting about it. However, I was a little disappointed when I learnt that it didn't have cameras. So, I waited and bought iPad2 and I am still quite impressed by what it can do.
Spirit Whisperer 11 months ago
I didn't know any of this and found it a very informative and interesting read. An Apple laptop is definitely on the cards in the near future but I wasn't planning on getting an iPad. I am not sure I would use it. I had never heard of Android and will have to look up more about that. Your writing makes it easy for anyone to access the necessary information to make an informed decision before spending a lot of money. Thank you.