The long awaited Apple Keynote happened last night; most of you would have caught the news from various blogs and news reports. So without getting into too much detail. here is my perspective on what was announced yesterday:
1. The Announcement
As expected, the new iPad 2 was announced. It will be available March 11 in the US (orders start only that day) and March 25 in 26 other countries (of course, no India). The price points remain the same, starting at $499 and it comes in 6 configurations (16/32/64G; Wifi and 3G... note that there are now two 3G versions: GSM and CDMA). Whether the CDMA version can be activated on the Indian CDMA networks is a question mark.
2. Hardware
* Two cameras, similar to the iPhone 4... front-facing & rear. Supports FaceTime (and other video chat apps like Skype)
* Redesigned body... now quite similar to the iPod Touch. Much thinner than the earlier iPad; thinner than the iPhone 4 too. Therefore, lighter.
* 2 colour options. Black and White. White will be available from Day1.
* Faster processor... dual core A5 chip. iPad was fast, iPad 2 should be a scorcher.
* HDMI Out through an adaptor, and mirroring of iPad on the TV/screen. It is not fully clear how this feature & accessory will work with iPad but it appears from this TUAW article that the accessory will work with older iDevices but only for 720p quality slideshows and movies, and will not do full mirroring.
3. Software
iOS 4.3 will be available from March 11. Please note that most features of iOS 4.3 (except camera related) should work with the iPad.
* Airplay -- will let you play out video/photos from any app or website/Safari to your Apple TV or Airport Express (or any of the new systems that are Airplay compliant)
* iTunes Home Sharing -- now access iTunes on your computer from your iPad and watch/listen to content residing on your computer
* Small but important -- you can now choose (in the Settings) what you want to use the Mute button for... Mute/Unmute or Screen Orientation Lock (like earlier)...
New Apps: iMovie (to create and edit movies) and GarageBand (to create and edit music/instruments) on the iPad for 5bucks each (iMovie will not work on the iPad).
4. Accessories
* The new Smart Cover is a piece of brilliant product design. You have to watch the demo video on this page. I loved it.
* Digital AV Adaptor for HDMI (described above)
What was missing?
* There were some expectations of improved display (Retina Display)... but this was unlikely till Apple could double the screen resolution (to keep the Apps backward compatible). This should happen with iPad 3.
* There were many rumours of USB or SD Card support... I think this was wishful thinking.
* Wild rumours of Flash support
Verdict
The iPad 2 is not an incremental feature upgrade. It is indeed a complete overhaul of the iPad design and specs. Makes the iPad highly competitive (features/price equation) with all the other tablets out there... In my opinion, Xoom is overpriced and Playbook is too small to be of use.
If you don't have an iPad -- you should get one on March 11. iPad 2 is the 'best' tablet out there for 2011 (even taking into account all the others that are promised for this year). Unless of course, you are highly committed to Android or Blackberry. Even then.
If you already have an iPad -- it is a tough decision, particularly if you've got one in the last 6-9 months... I would suggest you wait for iPad 3 (which is probably a year away, despite the rumours of a Fall release)... with iOS 4.3, you will have many of the features that the iPad 2 will get you (except the cameras).
But there are five situations in which you could consider upgrading to iPad 2:
1. You use the iPad to make presentations, sharing with teams, etc. The Video Mirroring feature is unique to iPad 2... and it is a compelling feature.
2. You use a lot of video chat *and* you don't have an iPhone 4.
3. You want to treat yourself to special gift this new financial year.
4. Your spouse/kids use the iPad more than you, so you may as well give the old one to them.
5. You are like me. :-)
Ah, and by the way, Steve Jobs did the keynote yesterday. It was a wonderful surprise. He appeared reasonably healthy, and here's wishing him better health and many more magical surprises for years to come.
Note: Updated to make a correction that GarageBand will work on iPad, but iMovie won't.