They're not wrong. The hardware upgrades were entirely predictable. And the big surprise was roll-up covers?
IMO the roll-up covers look like a great surprise. I mean the iPad and Xoom are already 50% thicker to start with and this new cover looks like the mo st functional way to add a multifunctional stand and protection and customization without adding much to the thickness. I am working an iPad now and the case is maybe one if it's best features. I have tried using it without one and it is just difficult to carry, type, watch, etc.
Don't underestimate ergonomics in this form factor.
And don't think this is something that will be easily copied. Has to be built into the device from the start and I would bet there are a number of patents protecting it.
I can only hope that you are right but you have to remember that Honeycomb is a brand new game and, imo, "if" it hits its stride then we'll have a brand new playing field. From what I've seen, Rubin has learned a few things since Android was first introduced and Honeycomb is a strong step forward... of course, the product manufacturers using Android, for the most part, seemed to have learned nothing... so you may be right.
I don't know, wether honeycomb is a strong step forward, but it suerly is a first step forward. Certainly the first tablet OS that may be if not a competition so at least an alternative to the iPad. Time will tell.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
What's the point though? Apple can't provide hardware that's not there. Just like the smartphone market, the top end tablets will all be using variants of the best Arm chips in production. Over the last two years, that was the Cortex A8 and this year it will be the Cortex A9. One advantage that Apple has (and they couldn't possibly have analysed yet) is that Apple can tailor their chip specifically for iOS. I really don't know what the point of their article was though. Apple's always differentiated itself with the quality and level of integration of its hardware and software, not specs.
Is this game by apple for apple fanboys so they keep spending money for some smaller updates???
. . .
No wonder it is $79 chceaper then Xoom, add all cost up and Xoom will come out cheaper and better then iPad2($39 just for hdmi adapter, LOL)
I love these Envyboys. They lack taste, talent and testicles.
Get this dude, the eXoom doesn't work- the crashes (no surprise) the screen is blocky so 1GB RAM is obviously not enough. It doesn't have 4G support yet and may never have (don't count your vapourware until your shorts are cleaned.) It's plastic and will crack its way to the trash can.
Envyboys crack me up. They are so envious that Apple is creating a world all others have to copy, badly, it sends them to Apple specific forums because theirs are so boooring "How do you fix this?", Why does this happen all the time?", Does anyone know where I can find this to help me get my (non-Apple product) to work?" blah "Help me." blah "It's melting. blah. blah, blah. blah.
Could go on for ever but I have equipment that actually works. I don't have to spend all my time looking for help because cheap eXoom doesn't work.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
How many of these "analysts" called the iPad a failure on its first iteration? I seem to remember a lot of people saying that it was a joke, that the name was ridiculous, that it would never succeed.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
There is an odd theme going on in that article. Everyone says because there were "no surprises" that this in a minor, if not inconsequential update of the iPad. There aren't many surprises because of information resources like Apple Insider. But that is in no way related to the level of upgrade this is over the iPad 1. It is a completely new design and far superior in every way.
Apple engineers are no smarter than those from RIM or Motorola. How is it they can squeeze similar guts into a smaller package? ...[edit]... Apple does not have magic in this technology inaccessible to others.
First, don't be so sure that Apple doesn't have more creative/smarter engineers. But your right the difference in this area might not be huge.
What apple does have is money and a huge push from above for innovation in all aspects of design/technology/software.
What they have is $$$$ from higher profit margins, which they then use to drive innovation further. What they don't have is competition at their price point. All these other companies are always looking at the bottom line because they are use to making cheap products and selling a lot of them. I agree it's Job's and the Apple culture in making great products.
I mean, just think about it. The tablet PC has been around forever.... Nobody could figure out how to make a tablet a great product. It is because the tablet PC had no innovation. Apple turns around produces a tablet that everyone wants. How does Apple do it? They understand products. Job's is a freak of nature. The dude possess some insane ability to understand products like no other.
Ya' know, a while back I was thinking about writing a simple iPhone app that logs geolocation...
So if you are out and about using a camera without geolocation -- you could just tap a button whenever you wanted to film at a new location and it would timestamp and log it to a file. Later you could match with the camera timestamp (compensating for difference in the device clocks).
Not a difficult app!
.
Its been done - was on the App Store. I can't remember the name (it was not all that polished but did appear to work).
Dual core CPU sounds like a marketing gimmick - since, unlike Android, iOS cannot multitask, second core will just sit there idle all the time.
iOS is OS X so of course it is quite capable of multi-tasking. And the multi-tasking capabilities of any OS has nothing to do with whether it can take advantage of multiple CPU cores.
I can remember back when I first got to use Windows '95 which did multitasking pretty well even though multi-core CPUs weren't available yet.
I guess the GPS is part of the phone chips??? and not stand alone chips?
But I agree, IMO all devises should have GPS chips.
What ever was installed for memory should be ok; it 'seemed' to handle the movie demo ok. The upgraded graphic processing is pretty important and speeding up Safari is pretty important too.
One of the reasons I held back, when I demo'd ipad1, seemed a bit slow to load web... so I waited (ipad is a nice to have, not a need)
Lets see that CNET video comparision now, well... March 11th
There is NO GPS in the wi-fi and only cell tower approximation GPS in the cellular versions. If you have limited cell coverage (or no coverage) you have no GPS at all (that means no map routing, geocoding photos, etc.). Even with cell tower approximation the GPS is not nearly as accurate as a dedicated GPS chip.
My only disappointment with the iPad is the lack of dedicated GPS - and for me as a geologist it is a purchase killer.
FYI the FAA just this week granted limited approval of iPad use for aeronautic charts. GPS would be really useful for ANY mapping applications.
I think the container support only lists the format it can decode and play back internally (ie, on the iPad's own speaker).
in which case, presumably, 5.1 lossy audio will be down sampled to stereo for playback via the iPad 2 speaker(s).
Quote:
Another HDMI question I have is about the 1080p support. iPad video playback is limited to 720p, and the screen resolution is not much higher than that.
although the HDMI specification (version 1.0 and above) supports 1080p video, i suspect the iPad 2 will still be limited to 720p output.
Is this game by apple for apple fanboys so they keep spending money for some smaller updates???
RAM is only 512MB compared to 1GB for Xoom.(This may limit/control future iOS upgrade for sure)
No 4G support (Need new iPad3 for that,spend more money on i*!!!, LOL)
No USB
No Flash(Expected),but really need for pc/tablet experience
No SD Slot
Display resolution inferior to Xoom
No Widgets which are much more usable for tablets.
Extra money for HDMI adapter while is is part of Xoom
Display resolution is still same as iPad1!!
All features like Duel processor, front/rear camera, Gyro, HDMI, USB, Flash support,
Widget support, 1GB RAM,SD Card slot to expand memory,4G support, better resolution display are already part of Xoom.
No wonder it is $79 chceaper then Xoom, add all cost up and Xoom will come out cheaper and better then iPad2($39 just for hdmi adapter, LOL)
1st post troller?
Listen, no matter how big the RAM, Xoom GUI will always be choppy because Android apps run on VM. The memory will be quickly full if you open many apps, so you still need Task Killer as usual. Compared to native code on iOS, the GUI is very smooth.
It's a good example of Apple's innovation and forward thinking, that coming up to eight years since it's introduction, the 30 pin dock connector still has new life in it.
Pretty much what was expected" - An incremental 'Update'.
New DUAL-CORE processor, new speed-devil graphics card, two new cameras, new case design, thinner AND lighter, are incremental?
Whatever, dude...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
It would have been nice to have:
- A higher resolution display
Couldn't happen at the moment due to production issues. In a future model, possibly. Remember, it has to be DOUBLE the resolution, not arbitrarily higher.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- A bump to 128gb at the high end
Nice, not necessary though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- Higher resolution cameras
This makes absolutely no sense.
Higher resolution cameras in portable devices are gimmicks. Higher resolution only makes sense for bigger lenses. Read about the megapixel myth to find out. The iPhone 4 and iPad 2 are in exactly the sweet spot. And you can print even A3 sizes with an iPhone 4. Try it. I have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- Built-in Stereo speakers
There can be no real stereo speaker in any such device. Stereo speakers require a specific placement and distance from the listener.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- An SDHC/XC card slot for transferring pictures etc.
A future model may sport one, but there is an adopter for those that need it. If the added a card slot, they would have to add a way in iOS to check its contents, have applications save stuff in it, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- A dock port that allows the connector to sit flush writhe the device.
Huh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
- A design that didn't force one to buy all new cases/accessories.
No one is forced to buy new accessories. They use the same port, iPad accessories would still work.
As about the case, you are suggesting that the iPad should always have the same form factor, so you don't have to invest in a new case?
To be 100% fair the iPad didn't have a great deal of optimized apps when it was first released either.
Yeah, but that was a year ago. And there were close to 1000 at launch, with a promise of thousands more within a couple of months, which is exactly what happened.
Comments
They're not wrong. The hardware upgrades were entirely predictable. And the big surprise was roll-up covers?
IMO the roll-up covers look like a great surprise. I mean the iPad and Xoom are already 50% thicker to start with and this new cover looks like the mo st functional way to add a multifunctional stand and protection and customization without adding much to the thickness. I am working an iPad now and the case is maybe one if it's best features. I have tried using it without one and it is just difficult to carry, type, watch, etc.
Don't underestimate ergonomics in this form factor.
And don't think this is something that will be easily copied. Has to be built into the device from the start and I would bet there are a number of patents protecting it.
Some people were worried that the update would be minor changes. Nope. This is a completely new beast.
Wow. This is no toy.
A5 processor - dual core = up t 2x as fast
9x better graphics
Video cams.
Thinner.
Lighter.
Same battery life (up to 10 hours).
Available MARCH 11!!!
No, if you remove your fanboy blinkers you'll see this is actually a spec bump and little else.
It still has no USB, HDMI, or SD ports (hard to believe Apple are still pushing ridiculous adapter cables).
It still has a comically large bezel around the screen.
The screen is still the same ultra-low DPI as the original iPad.
And crucially no new OS, and iOS as it stands now is a generation behind Honeycomb.
This was a very small update indeed, and clearly a stop gap until a retina display equipped quad core iPad 3 arrives.
I can only hope that you are right but you have to remember that Honeycomb is a brand new game and, imo, "if" it hits its stride then we'll have a brand new playing field. From what I've seen, Rubin has learned a few things since Android was first introduced and Honeycomb is a strong step forward... of course, the product manufacturers using Android, for the most part, seemed to have learned nothing... so you may be right.
I don't know, wether honeycomb is a strong step forward, but it suerly is a first step forward. Certainly the first tablet OS that may be if not a competition so at least an alternative to the iPad. Time will tell.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
Apple failed to move hardware bar with iPad 2, say experts
What's the point though? Apple can't provide hardware that's not there. Just like the smartphone market, the top end tablets will all be using variants of the best Arm chips in production. Over the last two years, that was the Cortex A8 and this year it will be the Cortex A9. One advantage that Apple has (and they couldn't possibly have analysed yet) is that Apple can tailor their chip specifically for iOS. I really don't know what the point of their article was though. Apple's always differentiated itself with the quality and level of integration of its hardware and software, not specs.
Is this game by apple for apple fanboys so they keep spending money for some smaller updates???
. . .
No wonder it is $79 chceaper then Xoom, add all cost up and Xoom will come out cheaper and better then iPad2($39 just for hdmi adapter, LOL)
I love these Envyboys. They lack taste, talent and testicles.
Get this dude, the eXoom doesn't work- the crashes (no surprise) the screen is blocky so 1GB RAM is obviously not enough. It doesn't have 4G support yet and may never have (don't count your vapourware until your shorts are cleaned.) It's plastic and will crack its way to the trash can.
Envyboys crack me up. They are so envious that Apple is creating a world all others have to copy, badly, it sends them to Apple specific forums because theirs are so boooring "How do you fix this?", Why does this happen all the time?", Does anyone know where I can find this to help me get my (non-Apple product) to work?" blah "Help me." blah "It's melting. blah. blah, blah. blah.
Could go on for ever but I have equipment that actually works. I don't have to spend all my time looking for help because cheap eXoom doesn't work.
Envy on Envyboy.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
Apple failed to move hardware bar with iPad 2, say experts
How many of these "analysts" called the iPad a failure on its first iteration? I seem to remember a lot of people saying that it was a joke, that the name was ridiculous, that it would never succeed.
Hmm.
I guess we'll have to see, eh?
Back to the drawing table.
Serious trolling on ComputerWorld - a big IT pro site. They eventually get around to the software and ecosystem - but only after tut-tutting for paras:
Apple failed to move hardware bar with iPad 2, say experts
There is an odd theme going on in that article. Everyone says because there were "no surprises" that this in a minor, if not inconsequential update of the iPad. There aren't many surprises because of information resources like Apple Insider. But that is in no way related to the level of upgrade this is over the iPad 1. It is a completely new design and far superior in every way.
And crucially no new OS, and iOS as it stands now is a generation behind Honeycomb.
Wow... that's one of the most stupid statements I've ever seen on AI.
I'll let you figure it out.
No, if you remove your fanboy blinkers you'll see this is actually a spec bump and little else.
It still has no USB, HDMI, or SD ports (hard to believe Apple are still pushing ridiculous adapter cables).
It still has a comically large bezel around the screen.
The screen is still the same ultra-low DPI as the original iPad.
And crucially no new OS, and iOS as it stands now is a generation behind Honeycomb.
This was a very small update indeed, and clearly a stop gap until a retina display equipped quad core iPad 3 arrives.
You're clueless.
Thank god you aren't in charge of Apple
....
Apple engineers are no smarter than those from RIM or Motorola. How is it they can squeeze similar guts into a smaller package? ...[edit]... Apple does not have magic in this technology inaccessible to others.
First, don't be so sure that Apple doesn't have more creative/smarter engineers. But your right the difference in this area might not be huge.
What apple does have is money and a huge push from above for innovation in all aspects of design/technology/software.
What they have is $$$$ from higher profit margins, which they then use to drive innovation further. What they don't have is competition at their price point. All these other companies are always looking at the bottom line because they are use to making cheap products and selling a lot of them. I agree it's Job's and the Apple culture in making great products.
I mean, just think about it. The tablet PC has been around forever.... Nobody could figure out how to make a tablet a great product. It is because the tablet PC had no innovation. Apple turns around produces a tablet that everyone wants. How does Apple do it? They understand products. Job's is a freak of nature. The dude possess some insane ability to understand products like no other.
Ya' know, a while back I was thinking about writing a simple iPhone app that logs geolocation...
So if you are out and about using a camera without geolocation -- you could just tap a button whenever you wanted to film at a new location and it would timestamp and log it to a file. Later you could match with the camera timestamp (compensating for difference in the device clocks).
Not a difficult app!
.
Its been done - was on the App Store. I can't remember the name (it was not all that polished but did appear to work).
Dual core CPU sounds like a marketing gimmick - since, unlike Android, iOS cannot multitask, second core will just sit there idle all the time.
iOS is OS X so of course it is quite capable of multi-tasking. And the multi-tasking capabilities of any OS has nothing to do with whether it can take advantage of multiple CPU cores.
I can remember back when I first got to use Windows '95 which did multitasking pretty well even though multi-core CPUs weren't available yet.
What about regular movie files? Like pirated avi files?
the AVI container doesn't support HDCP-encrypted content.
I guess the GPS is part of the phone chips??? and not stand alone chips?
But I agree, IMO all devises should have GPS chips.
What ever was installed for memory should be ok; it 'seemed' to handle the movie demo ok. The upgraded graphic processing is pretty important and speeding up Safari is pretty important too.
One of the reasons I held back, when I demo'd ipad1, seemed a bit slow to load web... so I waited (ipad is a nice to have, not a need)
Lets see that CNET video comparision now, well... March 11th
There is NO GPS in the wi-fi and only cell tower approximation GPS in the cellular versions. If you have limited cell coverage (or no coverage) you have no GPS at all (that means no map routing, geocoding photos, etc.). Even with cell tower approximation the GPS is not nearly as accurate as a dedicated GPS chip.
My only disappointment with the iPad is the lack of dedicated GPS - and for me as a geologist it is a purchase killer.
FYI the FAA just this week granted limited approval of iPad use for aeronautic charts. GPS would be really useful for ANY mapping applications.
I think the container support only lists the format it can decode and play back internally (ie, on the iPad's own speaker).
in which case, presumably, 5.1 lossy audio will be down sampled to stereo for playback via the iPad 2 speaker(s).
Another HDMI question I have is about the 1080p support. iPad video playback is limited to 720p, and the screen resolution is not much higher than that.
although the HDMI specification (version 1.0 and above) supports 1080p video, i suspect the iPad 2 will still be limited to 720p output.
Is this game by apple for apple fanboys so they keep spending money for some smaller updates???
RAM is only 512MB compared to 1GB for Xoom.(This may limit/control future iOS upgrade for sure)
No 4G support (Need new iPad3 for that,spend more money on i*!!!, LOL)
No USB
No Flash(Expected),but really need for pc/tablet experience
No SD Slot
Display resolution inferior to Xoom
No Widgets which are much more usable for tablets.
Extra money for HDMI adapter while is is part of Xoom
Display resolution is still same as iPad1!!
All features like Duel processor, front/rear camera, Gyro, HDMI, USB, Flash support,
Widget support, 1GB RAM,SD Card slot to expand memory,4G support, better resolution display are already part of Xoom.
No wonder it is $79 chceaper then Xoom, add all cost up and Xoom will come out cheaper and better then iPad2($39 just for hdmi adapter, LOL)
1st post troller?
Listen, no matter how big the RAM, Xoom GUI will always be choppy because Android apps run on VM. The memory will be quickly full if you open many apps, so you still need Task Killer as usual. Compared to native code on iOS, the GUI is very smooth.
But, there are only 2 free pinouts out of 30...
Assume the 4 pin USB is passed through, then
19 > 2 out of 30
It's a good example of Apple's innovation and forward thinking, that coming up to eight years since it's introduction, the 30 pin dock connector still has new life in it.
Pretty much what was expected" - An incremental 'Update'.
New DUAL-CORE processor, new speed-devil graphics card, two new cameras, new case design, thinner AND lighter, are incremental?
Whatever, dude...
It would have been nice to have:
- A higher resolution display
Couldn't happen at the moment due to production issues. In a future model, possibly. Remember, it has to be DOUBLE the resolution, not arbitrarily higher.
- A bump to 128gb at the high end
Nice, not necessary though.
- Higher resolution cameras
This makes absolutely no sense.
Higher resolution cameras in portable devices are gimmicks. Higher resolution only makes sense for bigger lenses. Read about the megapixel myth to find out. The iPhone 4 and iPad 2 are in exactly the sweet spot. And you can print even A3 sizes with an iPhone 4. Try it. I have.
- Built-in Stereo speakers
There can be no real stereo speaker in any such device. Stereo speakers require a specific placement and distance from the listener.
- An SDHC/XC card slot for transferring pictures etc.
A future model may sport one, but there is an adopter for those that need it. If the added a card slot, they would have to add a way in iOS to check its contents, have applications save stuff in it, etc.
- A dock port that allows the connector to sit flush writhe the device.
Huh?
- A design that didn't force one to buy all new cases/accessories.
No one is forced to buy new accessories. They use the same port, iPad accessories would still work.
As about the case, you are suggesting that the iPad should always have the same form factor, so you don't have to invest in a new case?
To be 100% fair the iPad didn't have a great deal of optimized apps when it was first released either.
Yeah, but that was a year ago. And there were close to 1000 at launch, with a promise of thousands more within a couple of months, which is exactly what happened.