iPad 2 – Any reason to upgrade?

Well, the iPad 2 has been officially launched and will be out in the UK later in March. We’ve had an iPad since Christmas now and use it every day. The whole family uses it and we love it. I’ve already written an iPad review so won’t go into what we use it for here but as a much used device we were wondering what the iPad 2 would bring.

All the rumours of faster processor, cameras, carbon fibre bodies etc etc. sounded good but there hadn’t been anything too compelling in the rumours that would have us wishing we’d waited until the iPad 2 was unleashed. A USB port and SD card may have made us a little envious but now the time has come and we know exactly what the iPad 2 will bring.

The main differences are the faster processor, front and rear facing cameras and a thinner, lighter design. All of which are nice, but thankfully there is nothing in that lot that makes it a MCUH better than the one we have. Lighter, faster and thinner is always good and I’m sure the cameras would come in handy now and then, but in essence it’s the same thing but improved.

The thing that impressed me the most was the new Smart Cover accessory that they have for the iPad 2. Not just a cover but a cool, self-attaching,  self-aligning, magnetic cover that also acts as a stand and even a as a cleaner for your iPad 2. For it to work, the iPad 2 actually has magnets built into its body specifically for the cover to attach to… Nice! Click here to see it in action.

Also announced was iMovie for the iPad which looks like a nice app. Not sure if I’ll use it myself really as I’ll probably stick to using iMove on the desktop because there’s so much more screen real estate there and storage for the movie clips, but it still looks nice.

So, overall, no reason for us to upgrade, and our iPad ‘classic’ will remain a much loved part of the family for at least another year until the iPad 3 is released.

Tags: AppleiPad