While people are spewing accolades and gushing with tech-envy at the newest iteration of the iPad, I am, on the other hand, slightly disappointed and unimpressed. If ever, it made the original iPad a more compelling purchase if ever they drop the price even further.
I know there are several worthwhile updates in the new iPad, but none are truly revolutionary. Front and rear cameras? Big deal. I doubt if people will be using the iPad as a photography tool. My suspicion is that it was added just to achieve parity with the other tablets, and I sincerely doubt if the other tablet users are using the camera anyway. If ever there was a need for a camera, it would have been the front-facing camera, which makes sense for video-chatting. Unfortunately it’s a VGA camera, and it’ll look pretty blocky if viewed with another iPad.
So, If ever anybody out there wishes to sell their existing iPad, I volunteer myself as a willing buyer. I would probably hold out for the next version.
And what would I want to see in the third version of the iPad?
Retina Display. Screen size is ok for me. Yes it could be a bit bigger but I would rather see a higher pixel density. The difference in clarity between the iPhone 3 and the iPhone 4 is evident—text is crisper, blacks are blacker, whites are whiter.
Bigger storage. If I go on extended photo shoots, I am still forced to lug around a laptop. It’s not because I need to do edits or post-processing, but it’s more for backup. In a world where the cost per GB is getting cheaper and cheaper, why is the iPad 2 stuck at 64GB of storage, the same amount as the original iPad? I’d love to be able to backup my RAW files on the iPad, freeing me from having to carry a bulky laptop.
Bigger memory. Why is the iPad 2 spec sheet silent about the memory? Is it still the original 256MB memory?
Lose the 30-pin connector. We have Firewire 800, USB 3.0, even Thunderbolt. So why is Apple still stuck with the 30-pin USB connector? Why not a faster connection? Or even go wireless? Why do I need wires to sync with the PC to download content? In the iMac, Apple has already ditched the wires for its keyboard and mouse. Why not do the same for the iPad?
Camera connector. And while we are at the topic of connecting to external devices, I’d like to see the capability to tether a camera to the iPad for video-conferencing and image capturing. The camera on the iPad is unimpressive. VGA on the front. And all the specs states about the back camera is that it is 720p. Moreover, based on how one cradles the iPad on one’s lap, the camera angle is not flattering, unless your intention it for the other party to view your nostrils. What I’d like to see is the capability of the iPad to tether a external camera, or maybe even the iPhone 4, so I have the flexibility of positioning the camera wherever I want.
Better notification. Ok, this is more to do with iOS than with the iPad 2. My major complaint with the notification engine is that it freezes the current application and forces me to attend to that notification. It is most annoying when I am watching a movie or composing an email. There must be an option to either shut-off the notification engine depending on certain applications, or even to make it as unobtrusive as possible.
What do you think where lacking in the iPad 2? And what would you like to see in iPad 3?
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