Thursday, March 3, 2011

iPad 2...thoughts

SAN FRANCISCO - MARCH 02:  An attendee holds t...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
As the fanboys say, "its finally here"!

The ever eloquent Steve Jobs revealed to us all the new iPad 2 today. The specifications are pretty much what most tech sites had predicted. If you have missed those, here's a summary of the specs (at least what little Apple has revealed officially):

Screen Size - 9.7 inch LED backlit (same as the iPad)
Resolution - 1027 x 768 pixels (same as the iPad)
Processor - 1GHz Dual Core Apple A5 processor (no other details revealed)
RAM - not revealed (some sources are claiming it to be 512MB)
Camera - Rear camera (720p, 30fps) and Front camera (VGA)
HDMI out - via a $39 Apple accessory (NOT supplied with the iPad 2)
Others - 16, 32, 64 GB storage; gyroscope, same 10 hour battery life

Disappointments:

1. No storage expansion slots
2. Front camera resolution too low for a high resolution iPad
3. HDMI out only via the accessory, not available straight out of the box
4. Price points remain the same, hence okayish. Nothing to be overly crazy about
5. No path-breaking hardware or OS features
6. Will face tough competition from Android tablets, hence maybe outdated earlier than expected.