Perhaps the best bit of the iPad2 launch tonight was seeing Steve Jobs on stage. He said it was something he just couldn’t miss. And I (and the US stock market which marked Apple up just on his appearance!) was very pleased he was there.
Given the number of instant reviews on the blogosphere already, you will probably know all the details before you read HotViews. Personally I think it hit all the right buttons (not that it has any!) A third thinner, 0.2 pounds lighter, 9xfaster graphics, 2xCPUs, front and rear cameras, gyroscope. Same battery life and same price as the iPad1. Love the fact that iMovie now works on the iPad – oh how much more time I will waste on holiday now! Also loved the new Apple case – although I’m sure every accessory manufacturer groaned when that was announced! Also liked the new feature whereby you can turn your iPhone (Jobs announced that the 100millionth iPhone had now been sold…) into a WiFi hub to hook up your iPad (and other stuff)
Observers seem to say it’s an ‘evolution not a revolution’. But that’s fine with me. iPad1 was pretty stellar and iPad2 has just about all the features that I expected it to have – and then some. Other analysts talk of the reducing market share of the iPad. Well, that’s a bit rich as it’s a bit difficult to maintain a near 100% marketshare! Apple apparently makes 50% of all the smartphone profits and I would suspect they would be happy to make that claim in the tablet market in a few years time. Whatever people say, everyone continues to play ‘catch up’ with Apple. A Microsoft-based tablet isn’t even due until 2012 by which time Apple will probably be on iPad4.
My only problem is having to wait until 26th March to get one.