iPad 2 – What it’s not got…
March 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
We’re not about to waste our time typing up a late post about a product you already know about. So if you’re looking for an “Apple unveil the iPad 2″ post, Google it. At last check that search string found 10.4-million results, so you’ve plenty to choose from. So we won’t be bothering, you already know about the iPad 2, right? So this post is designed to highlight some of the stuff it hasn’t got, stuff that was rumoured or what you may have expected… let’s get stuck in!
1. No Retina Display
No high-res display! Gutted. Almost everyone had a higher-resolution display of some kind pegged as a ‘must-be’ feature of the iPad 2. Maybe not the 326ppi we’ve seen in the iPhone 4 and iPod touch, but something better than the 1024 x 768 (132ppi) panel we’re accustomed to. But no. Fear not tho, if they can make it, it will come. We’ll put some more chips on the table as this being a definite feature of the iPad 3.
2. No ThunderBolt
The iPad 2 was never going to have Thunderbolt. It may never have ThunderBolt. Devices like iPods / iPhones and iPads don’t really need Thunderbolt – they need USB. The reason they don’t need Thunderbolt is the same reason they’ve never needed or had FireWire800. Thunderbolt is a ‘pro’ interface, just like FireWire. Used for devices which have the ‘need for speed’ – like mass storage devices, AV interfaces, video cameras and the like. Just because a faster cable solution to USB is available doesn’t it’ll become the de-facto cable for all of Apple’s products going forward. Like FireWire800 it will compliment USB. Not replace it. Yet despite all this, some people out there are kicking up a stink because there’s no ThunderBolt interface to transfer all of their Justin Bieber albums to their iPad 2. Yes all of those Bieber albums. USB3.0 will eventually arrive into every Mac product. And they’ll forget that that ever wanted ThunderBolt in their iPad 2.
3. No iOS 5
While Apple did showcase iOS 4.3, many were disappointed not to see a bigger update to Apple’s touchy-feely OS. In the form of iOS 5 or even 4.5. We have always believed since the iOS 4 launch that iOS 5 will appear alongside the iPhone 5 this summer, so until then everyone will have to make do with those AirPlay improvements and iTunes Home Sharing.
4. No 7-inch display
Despite Steve Jobs publicly slating 7-inch tablets, many clung to the hope that this was just Steve trying to throw people off the scent, and that a 7-inch iPad was in the works. Well that’s certainly not the case yet. We still have the 9.7-inch IPS display, and if Steve is to be believed then it looks like it’s here to stay.
5. No NFC (near-field communication)
NFC is being planned for the iPhone, we’ve seen patent applications proving it. And one day it will make it’s way to the iPad too, in some capacity. Where it’ll excel in the iPhone first is for mobile payments. You have your iPhone in your pocket and with a short ‘wave’ of your device over a terminal you’ll be able to make easy payments in stores, just like you can now with Barclays ‘Contactless’ payment system. I can’t however, see people pulling iPads out of their bags and waving one around at the checkouts on your next trip to the supermarket. NFC in both the iPad and iPhone will have a twist of some kind too, but expect this tech to arrive in the iPhone and iPod touch before coming to the iPad.
6. No lower (or higher) price
The iPad 2 doesn’t need to be cheaper. It’s already very aggressively priced against other tablets of its kind offering a similar feature set. Though we’d like it to be cheaper, from Apples standpoint the iPad is already selling record numbers at it’s current price. So why change it? Nor does the iPad 2 need to be more expensive than its predecessor, despite its advances. A price increase could harm sales. And close the tight price gap between the iPad 2 and the approaching wave of Android 3.0 devices. So it’s best Apple keep pricing exactly where it is.
7. No flash
By this we mean in the camera, of course. That other Flash will never exist in iOS. Ever. But yes indeed, some people are in uproar at the lack of camera flash. Apple probably should have put one in there to be honest, just like the one on the iPhone 4. But no. No flash. No midnight iPad photography for you my friend…
8. No increased storage
For the media-crazy amongst us this was enough to put them off buying an iPad 2. Many had hoped for a 128GB option, or greater. As users consume more and more of Apple’s iTunes offering, be it music, apps, movies, TV shows, podcasts etc – the need for greater storage grows. We believe Apple decided against 128GB storage as current flash memory pricing could mean they’d have to break their nice pattern of £100 increments between storage options, just to fit a 128GB option into the lineup.
Conclusion…
Some, including us, have referred to the iPad 2 as an “iPad 1.5″. As it’s not the major overhaul many were expecting. Being realistic, we got everything we expected. Enhancements like a Retina Display, larger storage, NFC and iOS 5 just aren’t ready yet. But we’ll let you put them back on your wish list for iPad 3. Which, we’d like to clear-up, is highly unlikely to launch this September like some would like to believe.
We love the iPad 2. Despite only minor improvements it’s still enough to keep the worlds greatest tablet at the top of the mountain it re-created itself for the foreseeable future.
