APPLE IPAD
Rental/day 170.94yuan Rental/week 581.20yuan Rental/month 726.50yuan +17% VAT	System	ios 4.3
	Processor	A5 1GHz
	Memory	512M
	Screen	9.7"
	Resolution	1024*768
	Network link	WIFI802.11b/g/n,Bluetooth

To say Apple's iPad 2is an easy tablet to review is somewhat of an understatement. The device, afollow up to last year's wildly successful (and currently market-defining)iPad, is nearly identical when it comes to software, and though improved,closely related on the hardware side as well. With a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768display, the general size and shape of the device has remained the same, andthough inside there's a new dual core A5CPU, more memory, and a pair of new cameras, most of the iPad 2's changes arecosmetic. Still, the previous tablet soared far above most of its competitorswhen it came to the quality of both the hardware (if not its raw specs) and itssoftware selection -- something Apple still stands head and shoulders over itsadversaries on. So this new model, a thinner, sleeker, faster variant of theoriginal may not be breaking lots of new ground, but it's already at the frontof the pack. But is the iPad 2 worth an upgrade for those that took the plungeon the first generation? More importantly, does the device have what it takesto bring new owners into the fold? Those questions -- and more -- are all aboutto be answered in the full Engadget review, so read on!

 

 

HARDWARE

 

The iPad 2 isboth all about -- and not about -- the hardware. From an industrial designstandpoint, the iPad 2 just seriously raised the bar on sleek, sexy computerhardware. If you're an owner of the original model, you know it was no slouchin the design department, but its latest iteration takes it to a whole otherplace. The first thing you'll probably notice about the iPad 2 is that it'sthin -- unbelievably thin. At its thickest point, the tablet is just0.34-inches (compared with the first iPad's half an inch of girth). The deviceis slightly shorter than the previous model (at 9.5-inches tall), but alsoslightly less wide (just 7.3-inches versus the iPad's 7.47-inches). It looksand feels amazingly sleek when you hold it. As Steve Jobs pointed out at the launchevent, the device is thinner than the astoundingly thin iPhone 4 -- quite afeat considering what's packed inside the slate. Of course, it's still notexactly light, weighing in at 1.33 pounds (or 1.34 / 1.35 for the 3G models),just a hair under the original's one and a half pounds.

As with the previous version, the front of the device is all screen, save for abezel (which appears slightly less broad than the one on the first model), anda home button at the bottom of the display. The iPad 2 does add a cameraopposite from that button at the top of the device, but the small dot is barelynoticeable. Around back there's the familiar, smooth aluminum of the previousversion (it does feel slightly smoother here), a small, dotted speaker grid onthe lower left, a camera on the upper left, and depending on what model youget, the 3G antenna along the top back. The volume buttons and mute / rotateswitch sit on the back left side of the device, while on the right you'll findthe Micro SIM slot (on 3G versions). A standard 30-pin dock connector is alongthe bottom, while the top reveals a power / sleep button on the upper rightside, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left. All pretty standard business foran iPad, but smartly put together on this tiny frame.

The device is available with either a white or black bezel -- we reviewed thewhite model.

In all, it's an incredibly handsome and svelte package. Pictures don't quite dothe iPad 2 justice -- it feels really, really great in your hands. Not onlydoes the construction give it a feeling of heft and permanence, but the thinprofile combined with the new, tapered edges make holding the device a realjoy. Apple is known for its industrial design, and they didn't just chewscenery here; the iPad 2 is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.

Internals / display / audio

Much has been made about what is -- and isn't -- inside the newiPad. For starters, Apple has replaced last year's A4 CPU with a new, 1GHz dualcore chip it's calling the A5 (surprise surprise). According to Geekbench,there's now 512MB of RAM in the iPad, bringing it up to iPhone 4 standards.That still seems on the low side to us -- a device in this class shouldprobably be sporting 1GB, though we had no memory issues. The screen isidentical to the previous model, a 1024 x 768, 9.7-inch IPS display. It stilllooks good, though we really would have liked to see a bump in resolution -- ifnot up to the Retina Display's doubled numbers, then something substantial. Wedon't take issue with the quality of the display as far as color balance ordeepness of blacks go, but we would like to see higher pixel density,especially for the book apps.

On the wireless front, you can nab either a WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n) only model, aVerizon 3G version, or an iPad of the AT&T / GSM variety. Bluetooth 2.1+EDRis on board, as is an AGPS chip in the 3G versions. All the models comeequipped with an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, and a new addition: athree-axis gyroscope.

As we said, Apple has relocated the iPad's single speaker to the back of thedevice. The sound seems clearer if somewhat quieter than the old version, andwe can't say that there's a major improvement as far as the placement goes. Itdoes the job, but if you're working in GarageBand (or just listening to musicor watching video), you'll want good headphones or decent speakers nearby.

Still, on the specs front the iPad 2 feels very iterative. There's nothing herethat is totally mind-blowing, but there's nothing here that makes it feel faroff from its nearest competition. We're early enough in the tablet game that asmall push in specs like this will last us another season, but Apple needs todeliver bigger guns by the time we see a "3" at the end of the iPadmoniker.

As we notedabove, the iPad is equipped with a 1GHz, dual-core chip called the A5.According to Geekbench, the CPU is clocked at 800MHz. When we first handled thedevice, it seemed noticeably faster to us, and even after a week with thetablet, it's still zippier than the previous model by a longshot.

The CPU and graphics performance of this tablet felt extremely impressive to us-- the iPad 2 performed excellently no matter what we threw at it, games andgraphically taxing apps seemed to have higher frame rates, and even whendealing with CPU intensive programs like GarageBand, it rarely (if ever) seemedto be struggling.

But don't just take our word for it: Geekbench demonstrates quite clearly justwhat the processor gains on the iPad 2 look like.

Battery life

Not surprisingly, Apple promises major battery life onthe iPad 2. Though the device has been physically trimmed down, the companysays users can expect the same longevity we witnessed in the previous version.In our testing, this was 100 percent true. For the first few days we used thedevice we didn't even bother plugging it in. In fact, even during heavy use --3G and WiFi on, app testing (heavy work in GarageBand in particular), browsing,news reading, emailing, picture / video taking, and music listening -- weneglected to plug the iPad 2 into a socket for a span of about five days. Whenwe did plug it in, the battery percentage was still only hovering around thelow 30s.

 

In ourstandard video test (running an MPEG4 video clip on loop, WiFi on, screen atroughly 65 percent brightness), the iPad 2 managed an astonishing 10 hours and26 minutes of non-stop playback. That beats Apple's own claims, and bests itsnearest competitor -- the Xoom -- by about 2 hours. That's another whole movie!

To say we were impressed would be an understatement. The iPad 2 fully deliverswhen it comes to battery life.