That said, I think $700 may be pricing itself a tad high. It's rare that Apple could win a pricing war.

Umm, it's cheaper than the 32GB iPad 3G... yes, the iPad without 3G starts at $500... but that's not exactly a fair comparison...

Again, I'll wait and see when it is actually on the market... so far I have been impressed with Android 3.0... but I need to have it in my hands before I declare it the far superior OS.

Google is holding an Android event on Tuesday. No word if they'll just be demoing Honeycomb, or making new announcements too, but I'm looking forward to it. Not just to see Honeycomb in action, but also hopefully to get some news on the general Android direction.

They badly need to make upgrades to the Market. It remains a joke. Also, how can you launch a tablet device with no native market for music and, especially, tv shows and movies. I suspect you can't. News on that, maybe?

Also, how will Gingerbread and Honeycomb integrate? Will Android for tablets and phones split, or will Ice Cream Sandwich bring the two markets back to one?

I don't want to say I'm brilliant, or have any special abilities, but...if others said such things....

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/01/g...announced-tom/

Heh.

The comments section of that article was just like reading an apple thread here.

"It's changed my life"!1111111

"It's a POS"!!!111

"Hater's gonna HATE"!!!!

WAAAAAHHHHH

Yes, both groups really are insufferable.

"Android is OPEN"

--Okay, but not after the manufacturer throws their shitty skin on it and the carrier adds their bloatware. What good does that openness do me when I can't even get timely updates for my phone?

"Yes, but I've rooted my phone."

--Alright, **** off.

I do like Android though, and Google as a company. A lot of work remains to be done though. If anyone wants to watch, they're streaming on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/android

I'm the same way about google. I'm rooting for Android and am fine with it, but I'm also really, really sick of the Apple-haters who keep thinking that Apple is going to just magically go away and everyone is going to convert to Android en masse.

Apple doesn't suck. There may be parts of their devices that suck, but they also know how to deliver UI and high touch in a way that no one else does. Plus, they're just much better at marketing their brand (probably because they control it so tightly) than the million different "brands" that are trying to capitalize on Android.

It goes back to the iPod. People have claimed that there are tons of other devices out there that are superior and only idiots buy iPods. If that's the case, then the majority of consumers are idiots. And if that's the case, then why do people think that the idiots are going to suddenly change their consuming habits when it comes to their mobile devices?

I have to tell ya, I hate appple's price point on everything. The rest of the nerd-o-rama arguments don't really mean anything.

I got to use an i.Pad for two weeks and now I feel like I'm missing my wallet.

BUT, then I demo'd the Samsung tab. It's incredible. Every bit as good as the I.Pad and priced at $299. Until you add in a minimum of 29.95 data fee from Sprint. For two years. Add in the taxes and fees and it's closer to 35$ per month.

So I'm going to pick up an i.Pad. It's proven it's worth.

Just curious, is the data plan required with the Samsung? $299 is my price point for a tablet but I only need it to be wifi capable and don't need 3G. I have said from the start, if the ipad dropped to $299 I would be in.

I don't think it is, but it may affect the upfront price if not bought from a cell provider.

Where are you seeing it for 299. Just did a online search and the cheapest I am finding is $450

$299 would be a 2-year-contract price, I'm sure.

iPhone's certainly hold their value much more than their Android brethren. It's easier since Apple can claim complete control, cutting the carriers out of everything effectively. And they have the experience, having dealt with developing operating systems for their hardware. Imagine if Apple only offered new versions of OS X to their upcoming refresh of laptops.

But when you have carriers, who care most about progressively locking users into contracts, and manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, who have never dealt with OS-style upgrades before, Apple starts to look good. Google has the Nexus S I suppose, but that's very different.

And I do think that will hurt Android over the long run. When Google has to rely on users buying new, very expensive phones to rollout their software upgrades, how can developers handle that? Look at Gingerbread: it's currently at 0.4%. Some companies are still releasing phones with 2.1!

(Entirely my opinion rather than facts.)

I think we're really seeing Windows vs. Mac all over again. Apple really has the superior product when it comes to usability. They're also far more innovative with their products than their competitor. However, their level of innovation requires complete control over the hardware and some of the software in order to make sure things don't break all over the place.

Their competitor's software is much less refined, but can be used on a wide variety of hardware made by third parties. Therefore, it's being adopted like crazy, despite the fact that the product is less solid in terms of carrier support and upgrades.

In the end, Apple will probably still be very profitable for at least the short term because they can charge more for their products and have a great revenue stream coming from sales of other items like multimedia. However, they've already lost the market share battle, and that'll probably only get worse as time goes on.

Just like 15 years ago, I think that Android will eventually become the "standard" in terms of market share just because it's so widely available and easy for hardware manufacturers to adopt. But Apple will always have its following who would never consider using anything else.

I do think that Apple will survive MUCH better this time around just because of all of the other revenue streams they have associated with the i-whatevers. I also doubt their market share will dip below 10% like it did with the Mac. But their hardware model will always be a dual-edged sword.

Any Sprint store. Just took it back on Saturday.

Have you thought of picking up a Nook Color(if you can find one since b&n pulled them off the shelves for 2 weeks). If you check android central, there is a honeycomb root for the color nook out there...just picked one up and I'm thinking about trying it out...not bad for a $250 tablet running honeycomb;)

Nice! Let me know how it works out and I may have to follow suit... Read today that Google is really ramping things up with Android... looks like Honeycomb will be out soon and Ice Cream Sandwich could be out as early as May.

Looks like the Xoom is going to be $799, and will require you to pay for a month of 3g to unlock wifi. Truly going above and beyond to **** the consumer in the ass.

http://i.imgur.com/OcmJa.jpg

I might just get a Nook Color myself.

That is just bs!! I don't want to be tied to a carrier at all, not even for one ****ing month. I won't buy a tablet that is tied to a carrier. Just make the damn thing wifi only. JFC. I was really looking forward to this one. Not so much anymore. Too ****ing high.

One good superthin laptop knocks them off.

Looks like the WiFi only version will be $600, making it quite tempting. This thing has gotten rave reviews, and it's loaded to the gills.

Xoom Pricing

Pretty disappointed in the Xoom... It has everything necessary to beat out the iPad... except price and the monthly fee. Hell even the wifi version is $599.... tough to beat the iPad at that introduction... despite its shortcomings...

Give it some time for these Android companies to compete against each other. Prices will fall. Galaxy Tab prices collapsed, and that was without outside competition, unless you really consider the iPad a competitor.

I definitely see the iPad as a competitor. Especially considering the Xoom is running Android OS, and is not a full "tablet computer" device.... that limits it greatly.

It looks like a badass device for sure. But an iPad killer it's not, and it's definitely meant to chew into the iPad market. That should be obvious. It has potential though.

We'll see what the iPad 2 delivers, but the Xoom is significantly better than iPad 1 in every respect in terms of hardware. Are you suggesting the iPad software/apps are enough to overcome the hardware shortcomings? I'm seriously considering the Wifi Xoom, as I have a rooted EVO that gives me web access for the Xoom at all times if needed.

Seriously. That's exactly what I mean. As of right now, the Xoom cannot even come close to competing with the current iOS software... As far as apps taking advantage of the Xoom display compared to the iPad.... no way..

Not to say that it can't in the future. I'm certainly rooting for the Xoom. I love all the competition possible, it just makes both solutions more affordable... but right now, the Xoom is miles behind the iPad, despite the hardware differences...

Ok, I'm with you. I haven't researched the apps too much, and I'm not that worried. The Android mobile OS caught up in a hurry, and I'd expect Honeycomb to do the same with the number of Android tablets being rolled out this year. I think the software can and will catch up, but the hardware is what it is.

I was given an iPad 3G from work so that we would know how to support it for our end users. After having it for a few months now, and playing with it, my original stance on it is the same, and now it is strengthened by the fact of actual usage and frustration.

If you are sitting on your couch, and you want to quickly check your email (and your phone isn't right by you, or you don't have a smart phone), the iPad is great.

If you are sitting on your couch and you want to check amazon, or a quick web page (that has no flash on it), then the iPad is great.

Should you want to do something as simple as watch a video on youtube, then the iPad is mediocre at best, and downright right unusable at worst.

Should you come a crossed a web page that has flash at all, the iPad is just terrible.

Should you want to view a web page that has a bunch of pictures, say thechive.com or even our own CP girly thread, the device is utterly and completely a failure.

I could not even imagine trying to be productive on this thing at all, although admittedly the iPad is a consumption device and not a production device. Still, I find the commercials, much like everything else about apple's products a complete lie.

Most of the useful apps I have found have been iPhone apps, and the only worthwhile iPad apps have been some games.

I will admit the RDP app is ok, but even that is limited in use and functionality.

Over-all, I wouldn't pay jack for one of these. The limitations are just terrible, the experience, while speedy in some areas which is good, lacks in other areas that are essential to today's computing world. The iPad is a PoS, and the only reason is has done so well is all the apple fanboi's out there that would worship a steaming pile of shit if it had the apple sticker on it.

You sound like nothing more than the typical Apple basher. I love how the apple bashers call out all the "fanbois", when they're just as bad (often times worse), and are doing the exact same thing.

I've had an iPad through my work for a while now myself, and find most of your points flat out false. I have zero problems with youtube, nor any pic-heavy pages (I can load the girly thread and any page on thechive.com quickly, and with zero issues). IMHO, the only legit gripe you mention is the lack of flash, which, while annoying, doesn't cause me issues very often.

It's not a perfect device, but it's good at what it does, and is a great mobile support and entertainment device for me.

I don't produce much content on it, and think it can be a little clunky for that type of work, but I don't think that's the iPad's primary purpose.

Absolutely this.

If you go back to the beginning of this long thread, I bashed the iPad pretty good before its release. But now that I've had one for quite a while, I'd really be lost without it. I have zero problems loading any youtube vids, or browsing pic saturated sites. I have no idea what the poster above could be talking about there, unless his internet connection is just lousy. Flash is certainly a legit criticism, but not near what I anticipated before getting the device. And there are thousands upon thousands of iPad only apps out there. Any app worth a shit has had separate iPhone and iPad versions for quite some time.

I received the device in the exact same manner as the poster above. But my experience has been completely opposite.

The bitterness and contempt in the post above was quite obvious.

The contempt should be obvious, because its true, and was kind of my point. The device as I said is great for light web surfing. And while you can access websites i listed just fine, trying going through the pictures, you will find that a bunch of them can't be displayed, and yet on a PC they are all just fine.

And for a quick youtube reference, why don't you try and load "I Love the Way you Lie" on the iPad using youtube. Tell me how that goes.

I meant Galaxy Tab as a competitor to the iPad. I always saw the Tab as Samsung's rush to get into the tablet market. It wasn't a very polished or mature product.

Honeycomb and the iPad will be more comparable now.

Try the HP Slate. Does everything you want out of a tablet.

Xoom launching without Flash. Hmm, I wonder why.

because Motorola is pushing the Xoom out the door before Honeycomb is ready for primetime...

Flash 10.1 works AMAZINGLY well on devices like the EVO running Froyo or Gingerbread...

Google and Adobe are doing the right thing and compiling Flash 10.2 for honeycomb... it will likely be ready in a month or two.

This has NOTHING to do with your hard on for bashing Flash.. it has to do with the fact that since 10.2 is almost ready.. why waste time even making a 10.1 version for Honeycomb...

ROFL

So what?

Apple has said all along the reason that they don't support Flash is because the performance on their machines and devices SUCKS. And that's true. And it's exactly why it won't be included in the launch of the Xoom. They could use a version that isn't specifically tailored to the Tegra 2, but they won't, because it would be jittery and suck up battery life. That's exactly why it isn't included on Apple devices. When Flash can make a stable product on an Apple platform, Apple will include it.

The whole thing just reeks of irony. Remember when people were hating on the iPhone because it didn't have Copy/Paste or SMS messaging at one point? Didn't stop them from saying that the device sucked, even though it got the features and implemented them just fine later on.

So, you'll pardon me if I take the time to find the hypocrisy hilarious.

Dude, did you not read my post? There is NO VERSION OF FLASH FOR HONEYCOMB.. end of story. Instead of compiling Flash 10.1 for Honeycomb, Adobe decided to concentrate on 10.2 which is due out shortly anyway.

And your argument on Flash performance is dead on... if you are living in 2009. It simply isn't the case right now. I haven't seen any issues on my EVO. Have you seen how well Flash works on the Android 2.2 tablets? The FACT that you won't own up to is that Adobe fixed a number of the issues you are whining about. I am not a fan of Adobe by any measure, but the did a great job with Flash 10.1

All of that being said, I don't care for the Xoom. I'm not a fan of Motorola in general. #1 they are releasing it about a month too soon #2 they have it overpriced

I fully expect the new crop of Honeycomb tablets that will be released in April/May/June to make the Xoom obsolete in a hurry.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/...st-tablets.ars

People are already installing Flash on the Xoom. Surely Motorola could make it work if they wanted to. However, they didn't do so because they wanted it to be good. There's nothing wrong with that. It's the same reason Apple doesn't want a poor implementation of Flash on their products.

I'm not "whining about Flash." I'm just saying that there are legitimate reasons that Apple, and now other manufacturers, don't include it on their products. Like I said, if Adobe ever made a good version of Flash for Apple products, it would likely be included. That hasn't happened yet.

Wrong and wrong...

Yes, Motorola could hack an install for 10.1 but WHY waste the time when 10.2 is due out in less than a month? It isn't about performance, its about wasted resources on a product that will be out of date in a few weeks. Their mistake is launching the whole thing too early...

Apple may have had a legitimate beef a few years ago... but right now they are just being bitches because Jobs has an agenda for HIS version of the web... even though his version of the web is still years away... how's that HTML5 prediction coming? Seems that things have changed VERY LITTLE since we had this argument almost a year ago...

Fact is, Adobe has offered to develop 10.1 (soon 10.2) for Apple and Apple won't even LOOK at it.. this is well documented.

Watching you miss the point of what AC is trying, and patiently trying at that, to explain to you is like watching a train wreck in progress. You really want to help, or at least look away, and yet all you can do is stand there dumb founded at what you are seeing.


And to top it off, you have done it this entire thread. At least you're consistant. :thumb:

Uh, what is wrong? People are installing Flash on their Xooms already. That's a fact. Yes, Motorola did launch too early, but the Xoom has been in development for longer than 10.1 has even been out. They had PLENTY of time to include some version of it, but they wanted to wait for one that wouldn't suck so that people wouldn't return the thing needlessly.

Really? Looks like most of the top traffic sites have zero problem offering iOS compatible versions of their sites. I can go to just about any site I want and view it just fine on the iPad. Prediction is working out fine.

Look, I hope Apple allows 10.2 at some point. It looks like it's really good. I don't have ANYTHING against Flash or Adobe. I do want my shit to work like it's supposed to, though. I still have issues with Flash on my desktop (Win 7). I mainly use my iPad at school, and I really need it to have as long a battery life as it can. That wouldn't happen with Flash *right now*. I think it would be okay in the future with 10.2, though. Hopefully, I'll get to find out, because it looks like 10.2 is pretty dope.

You think I'm married to Apple and iOS or something, when that isn't the case at all. I'm looking for a new phone, and if the iPhone 5 isn't much of an upgrade, I'm staying with Sprint and getting an Android phone. I don't even use my Mac any longer. It's just a multimedia server at this point. Everything I do on an actual computer is done on my home built Win 7 machine. I'm far from a fanboy. I'm just not rabidly anti-Apple.

Any time you want to offer something constructive, go ahead.

Dude, you are pretty far off on your facts here... #1 who are these people installing Flash on their Xooms that are not even out on the market yet??? Yes, there are hacked 10.1 files that POTENTIALLY will work on a Xoom or other Tegra based tablet but no one (outside of Motorola) has installed Flash 10.1 on a Xoom. PERIOD. So, NO IT IS NOT A FACT. It is in fact the opposite of a fact.

Now, you CLAIM that Flash 10.1 doesn't perform well on the Xoom... kinda hard to make that claim with ZERO, yes ZERO benchmarks done with it. They didn't bother with it because it was a dead-end... end of story. You're seriously just making shit up at this point.

Seriously? #1 that wasn't the argument.. the argument was related to HTML5 adoption.. which is nowhere near the levels you were predicting... as a matter of fact it has barely gained any more adoption then it had at this time last summer. #2 Google can and likely will pull the plug on h.264 whenever it suits them... making Jobs' version of HTML5 video obsolete before it even gets going. #3 CURRENT figures regarding Flash "Adobe Flash content is present on more than 85 percent of the top 100 websites and about 75 percent of all web-based videos use Flash." so, yes .. SOME sites offer stripped down versions for iOS but the FULL web experience requires FLASH on many many sites. You seem to forget that Flash is not just about VIDEO, but many many other applications... I do think it will be less and less prevalent as time goes on... but we are FAR from there yet.

I think I see the failure we having in communication... You have NO CLUE about Flash 10.1 and have a mental shift of 1 version... If I take EVERYTHING you have said and replace Flash 10.1 with 9 and Flash 10.2 with 10.1... you'd actually be right.

Flash 10.1 is a massive improvement with huge strides in hardware acceleration... ALL of which Adobe offered to work with Apple on and Apple flat out REFUSED.

You are also wrong about battery life... Flash 10.1 draws much much much less power than previous versions.. yes it draws more power than if your tablet or pc was OFF... or on a static html page... but come on.. you will need to use some battery to ACTUALLY DO THINGS.

If you are seeing problems with Flash and you have the current version... the likely culprit is the Flash app itself... don't blame the platform for that.

Oh, and the funny thing here is.. I hate Flash and refuse to develop with it if at all possible. Everything I develop is iPad compatible .. but that doesn't stop me from recognizing that we don't actually live in Steve Jobs' perfect world of HTML5 unicorns and rainbows... until then, any computing device I own is gonna need to be able to use Flash.

Why wouldn't you be able to if you could put it on other devices running the same OS? Isn't that sort of the point? And Motorola has put Flash 10.1 on a Xoom?

You're right. It's not a fact yet. I was wrong about that. But, when people get it tomorrow and put Flash on it, it'll be a fact :p

I'm not necessarily saying that it would be the worst thing ever, but it's far from a stretch to say that an unoptimized 10.1 version would be worse than an optimized 10.2 version. Again, not disagreeing about it being a dead-end, just saying that they could have put it on there, but didn't (and for a good reason).

http://macdailynews.com/2010/10/27/r...back_in_html5/

54% of web video (as of 6 months ago) isn't bad at all. I can't find current numbers. But the argument wasn't just about HTML5 adoption. It was about an HTML5 site available for viewing on iOS *OR* an equivalent app for it. In fact, we had quite a discussion about the relative difficulty of tapping on a bookmark versus tapping on an app to access content. Don't change the parameters of the argument after the fact to suit your current point.

I don't disagree.

On the Mac platform, it wasn't like that everywhere. There were still tons of issues with CPU loads and battery life on the mobile platforms, and these are well-documented. Is it partly Apple's fault with the APIs? Sure. But that makes no difference to the end user. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'm not placing all the blame on Adobe here. I'm just saying that if something is on my mobile device, it better not drain my battery unnecessarily.

This is SOLELY on Apple. The reason you have CPU issues on Macs and not Windows is because Apple flat out refused to work with Adobe on hardware acceleration...

I agree that if something is on your mobile, it better work... and it does work for every company that worked with Adobe... (and has decent hardware.. I assume we won't talk about the Chinese knockoff tablets)

Thing is, it's not just Apple that has problems with Flash. Chrome had (and still has) some issues with Flash, but Google, unlike Apple, is actually working with Adobe to fix it.

On a semi-related note.. I'd like to point out something I pointed out almost a year ago... Matias Duarte, the genius behind WebOS is responsible for the new direction Android is taking... I mistakenly assumed that we would see his influence in Gingerbread/Q4 2010 but apparently, he skipped that iteration and went straight to work on Honeycomb.

He admits that they are just getting started.. but they certainly are on the right track.

I fully expect Android to BURY iOS in almost every category of usability within a few more versions... (which Google plans to release in 6 month intervals and that is them slowing down to keep the hardware manufacturers from bitching)

Duarte is simply that badass.

Here is a good article about the future as he see it...
http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...ind-honeycomb/

No offense to google, who I love.... But the whole ice cream, honeycomb, gelato, marscapone naming shit isnt really working for me.

I'll agree with that. It's goofy.

I just don't get what it has to do with the "droid" brand. To me, it's confusing and dilutes their brand (and I'm speaking from a marketing perspective which is something apple excels at).

My boss is trying out the new Motorola Atrix. It is pretty slick and could really up the ante for mobile devices and tablets. If you haven't seen it check it out.

You can plug your phone in the back of a laptop\table type device and uses the phone for connection.

The downside right now it is only for AT&T IIRC.

http://www.thesearethedroids.com/wp-...aptop-Dock.jpg

I don't think it was ever meant to be as public a naming scheme as it has become.. those are goofy internal names that every company has...

It's pretty easy to follow the pattern...

(Apple Pie)
(Banana Bread)
Cupcake
Donut
Eclair
Froyo
Gingerbread
Honeycomb
Ice Cream

But again, I think they are just like iOS in OFFICAL names... 1.0, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.0 etc

So, will the iPad 2 have a SD slot or not?

I agree with this and I love Android. My company bought me a Samsung Captivate to test out back in October with the promise from AT&T that Froyo would be released that month.

Well 5 months later it looks like today is the day that it finally gets updated to Froyo. JFC.

I will never recommend anyone to buy a Samsung mobile device again after this debacle.

So what does everyone think about tablets a year later?

I thought they were pretty cool at first but I just can't seem to get too excited about them now. I don't really know what they are good for except if you want a bigger picture of an Iphone or Android phone.

I played with the Ipad to test for work and after about 5 minutes I was bored with it.

Maybe it just me though..

http://mrkpop.files.wordpress.com/20...-butt-head.jpg

uhhhhh heh heh heh heh heh........"slot".

People I know with them keep telling me, "They're great for our kids." (and we're talking about preschoolers here). :spock:

Yeah that doesn't make much sense to me either.

And why the heck would I want my preschooler banging on my $500 tablet?

I don't have one yet (I'm in the market), but I assume drawing shapes/letters/numbers with their fingers and getting that instant feedback, on top of any app that provides challenges, etc. would be really cool for kids. My kids use a web based program called Study Island in elementary school, and I have an easier time getting them to do work there than homework on a piece of paper.

Bingo...my kids love playing with the iPad. They like to "color" with their finger, providing that instant feedback.

For my younger kids, there's an app that lets them drag jumbled letters to a matching "hole" to form a word. Stuff like DOG, CAT, etc. It was really cool to see my 2-year-old pick up the concept right away and start forming those words. I doubt I could have taught him how to use a mouse to click and drag the letters to the right "holes", but because he could simply use his fingers and get that instant feedback, he picked up the concept in a matter of seconds.

I'd kind of like one to have around as a light-weight internet machine to have by my side while I'm sitting around and playing on ChiefsPlanet. I'm not paying over $400 for one, though, so I may have to wait a while.

The MAIN reason that Android updates take so long to get out is that each different manufacturer has their own UI customizations that they put on top of Android because Google had such a clunky base UI. With Honeycomb and even more so with Ice Cream, you'll see more phones using the default UI and that will allow updates to flow more freely. In theory, by this time next year, most new phones will be able to get the updates every 6 months as they are released.

I suppose..I don't know it would seem a laptop or a mobile phone with a huge screen can do the same thing.

I hope that's the case, but I have a hard time believing manufacturers will stop putting their own customizations and bloatware onto phones. I think they also like holding back updates in order to try and force hardware upgrades...

I would hope it improves because both Samsung and AT&T were saying the Captivate updates were going to be out in September and it just came out today

They won't stop the bloatware, but with the new Android UI they won't need to work as hard to do so and can push out updates MUCH faster. PLUS, it will be easy for a user to add the updates themselves and not notice a huge UI change.

My laptop's a 15" widescreen that probably weighs 4 pounds. It takes around 20 seconds for me to turn it on from hibernate, type in my username and password, open up the web browser, and get to ChiefsPlanet (or wherever else). I could do all that in about 5 seconds on a tablet, it weighs less, and stays cooler.

Plus it is neat!
Posted via Mobile Device

There was a coupon code yesterday that was supposed to take 25% off Xoom accessories, but it was actually being applied to the Xoom itself also. $800 Xoom became $600. It was a mistake, but Motorola is honoring the discount (so far). I should have jumped at it, but waited and it cost me. Guess I'll wait for the Wifi only version.

Also, rumor out today that iPad 2 won't have SD card slot or hi res display.

What no IPAD2 posts?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/the-ipad-2/

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both front and rear! The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output, which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, but we've yet to hear any rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity. There's an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, though resolution has not budged from the original iPad's 1024 x 768.

There's a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: "We designed the case right along side the product. It's not a case -- it's a cover." Basically, it's a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it's open or closed. Guess we know what that proximity sensor was about now. These Smart Covers will cost $39 in plastic or $69 if you opt for leather.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and will ship in two hues: white and black. It'll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th.

In terms of new software, Apple's launching iOS 4.3 alongside the new iPad and bringing with it much improved Safari performance as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth and iMovie apps specifically for the newly camera-enriched iPad. Personal Hotspot capabilities are also arriving in the latest version of the OS, but they'll be exclusive to the iPhone 4, so you won't be able to share your 3G iPad's connection.

Guess I'm still not in the market for one.

They are cool, but Id rather a laptop than an IPad. I can sit it on my lap without having to hold it, i like having a real keyboard, and i can do real work on one.

The son of a friend of mine has an iPad and the case he keeps it in has a foldout, physical keyboard (the case opens like a book and one side holds the ipad while the other holds the keyboard) so it's like a laptop when he wants it to be one and like a pad when he doesn't.

What's there to post about? Complete FAIL on Apple's part. They have officially fallen behind in all aspects of tablet hardware except battery life. With Honeycomb being a better OS, there will be almost no reason to buy an iPad over the slew of other tablets coming out this year.

(caveat: this is based on skimming the specs, I'll take the time to go over them in detail later)

Those are accessories...(another added cost in addition to the IPad itself). I can buy a laptop for the same price as an IPad.