The iPad 2 goes on sale today at 5 pm here in New York. Should you get one? Read the reviews out there before you make your decision:
David Pogue at the New York Times: “My friends, I’m telling you: just that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience….The iPad will still dominate the market, because it dominates in all the most important criteria: thinness, weight, integration, beauty — and apps.”
Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal: “While it’s evolutionary rather than revolutionary like the first model, the changes Apple has made are generally pleasing and positive, and the device worked very well for me….The iPad 2, in my view, offers an excellent balance of size, functionality and price, and keeps Apple ahead in the tablet race, at least for now. However, unless you are desperate for the cameras or feel you are laboring under the greater bulk of the original model, I don’t advise that iPad owners race to get the new version.”
Andy Ihnatko at Chicago Sun-Times: “You kind of have to hold the iPad 2 to really get the redesign. It’s thinner by a third, plus its edges taper to a thin line of metal. It’s almost inconceivable that this thing you’re holding is a multicore tablet computer.”
Edward C. Baig, USA Today: “As Apple unleashes the latest object of desire, a slimmed-down iPad 2, it makes what was already a splendid slab even better, even if the overall upgrade is relatively modest….The iPad 2 doesn’t deliver everything on your tablet wish list. But when it comes to the ever-evolving state of the art, iPad 2 is second to none.”
Joshua Topolsky, Engadget: “The iPad 2 isn’t just the best tablet on the market, it feels like the only tablet on the market….For owners of the previous generation, we don’t think Apple’s put a fire under you to upgrade. Unless you absolutely need cameras on your tablet, you’ve still got a solid piece of gear that reaps plenty of the benefits of the latest OS and apps. For those of you who haven’t yet made the leap, feel free to take a deep breath and dive in — the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now. And it’s really quite good.”
Jeff Carlson, TidBITS: “Hands-On Details about the iPad 2 and iOS 4.3”
Brett Arends at the Wall Street Journal writes about making a Nook into a tablet by hacking it, instead of spending the money on an iPad.