The iPad 2: The Apps are what Matters, Damn the Hardware
Apple's website updated with iPad 2 info.
Mar 2 2011, 1:45pm CST | by Robert Evans
Those of you interested in buying an iPad 2 will have your chance on March 11 at 5:00 PM. That's when the tablet market's new apogee will hit retail outlets. The Year of the Copycats may cause some drop in Apple's market share, but 15 million iPad sales tell me they don't have much to fear.
Apple wasted no time in updating their website with "How to Buy" instructions. While the online store itself is still down, the site also notes that the iPad 2 will be available "at your favorite Apple retail store" from 5 p.m. on March 11. Apple will offer on-site personal setup and will have a complement of new accessories to upsell as well.
Like the new magnetic Smart Cover. It's a design dozens of imitating cover-manufacturers are sure to copy.
Listen to the commercial at the bottom of this page. Now tell me that little click-snap sound isn't going to be one of the iconic ad sounds of this decade.
Steve made a comment at the end of the iPad 2 event that really resonated with me. As transcribed here:
"A lot of folks in this tablet market are rushing in, looking at this as the next PC. hardware and software are done by different companies, talking about speeds just as they would with PCs. Every bone in our body says this is not the right approach."
One thing I noticed right away about the iPad 2 announcement- Steve never mentioned the clock speed of the A5 processor. He did note that it was twice as fast and had nine times the graphics processing power. But he didn't just stand up on stage and give us a spec dump. Because the hardware only matters in how it impacts the user's life.
Apple dedicated a huge chunk of their event to the new apps that will launch with the second iPad. They showed us Garage Band, an 8-track audio recording app that looked nearly as capable as its OS X analog. And Apple also bragged about their new 'Smart Instruments' app, which is going to utterly change the way people annoy me in the Student Union. The point is, the focus of this event was always on how the new iPad feels. On the cool things it allows you to do.
Traditional PC ads tend to leave a lot of the actual "advertising" up to your brain. They give you specs and benchmarks and a few airbrushed photos and your brain fills in the rest with the things it wants to DO on that hot new rig. But not everyone is comfortable enough around technology to inherently understand its creative applications based on a list of hardware specs.
In fact, most people can't.
But everyone gets what 'twice as fast' means. We know how we can use Apple Keynote or Pages or Garage Band. The apps matter, and the hardware only matters inasmuch as it can drive and support the apps. That is what Apple gets. And that is why the iPad 2 is going to bury the competition for months to come.
Updates
Samsung argues 4G Galaxy Tab not in direct competition with Apple's 3G iPad 2
Source: AppleInsider
Published: 10:10 PM EST (07:10 PM PST) Samsung is fighting Apple's requests for a preliminary injunction against its Galaxy Tab with the argument that the 4G capability of its tablet means it does not directly compete with Apple's 3G-equipped ...
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For many Wall Street analysts, it’s not a question of “if” Apple will ever release a full-fledged television set, but “when”. Yet many of them fail to consider the unexpected from Apple. Which is why there’s a good chance this rumored big scr ...
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All over the app
Source: New York Post
Using an iPad without the right apps is like driving a Ferrari with a Ford engine — especially with the high-definition “Retina” display of the latest version of the iPad. To really unlock the tablet’s power, head to the App Store and download these prog ...
Full article at: New York Post
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where to buy
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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive
Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast
moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows
where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.
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