Apple Unveils iPad 2 - Should You Care?

That Apple had a revising of its iPad line of tablet computers ready to go wasn't a singular surprise, although the exact details of what they were going to publish wasn't known until they announced it late last week. It's not, despite anything that Apple might say, a revolution in tablet computing, and much more an evolution of the concept, adding a faster processor -- a similar step to what you'd see in laptop computers, and even Apple itself did the same thing the week before with its Macbook Pro line -- inbuilt cameras for Apple's Facetime video calling clarification and an full, thinner and lighter body.

Sight unseen, I'd have to say that if you've already got an iPad, this is a pretty easy iteration to skip. Sure, it's faster, but the only other major new technology feature is the inbuilt camera, and the utility of these on tablets is questionable at best. It's also worth noting that last year's iPads -- still very capable machines -- are being sold out all over the land at what amounts to fire sale prices. For the quality you get, last year's iPad at this year's fire sale prices might just be the tablet business transaction of the year.

Android Tablet 7

At the same time as Apple's unveiling the iPad 2, its competitors are lining up competitive tablets at a fair pace. Blackberry has its Playbook due out before the middle of the year, Motorola has the Android-inspired Xoom tablet, Viewsonic has the Viewpad 10s already out on store shelves and Samsung's taking a bet both ways. There's an upcoming iteration of its Galaxy Tab Android-based tablet due out in a 10" form factor, similar to the iPad, as well as the 7 Series "Sliding" tablet, which runs full Windows 7. It's a "Sliding" tablet because behind the screen lies a full keyboard and trackpad, so you can fairly quickly turn it from a straight up touch-based machine to a small notebook. Touch on Windows 7 has been one of those features that's been baked in from the start, but not all that well set. Most Windows 7 applications naturally aren't built with touch in mind, so while it works, it's never -- to date -- worked well. Having had a brief report session with the 7 Series, it might just be the tablet to break this singular curse, with more than a passing endeavor put into providing it with beneficial touch-based applications.

If touch-based computing makes sense for you -- whether you're seeing at it from a pure buyer web-and-video style "consumption" model, or even as a transportable productivity tool -- it's going to be an consuming year. As it stands, Apple's decision to not radically tinker with the iPad 2 leaves the field quite open to competitors, and it could be worth waiting to see what comes to market, and at what price point before committing yourself.

Apple Unveils iPad 2 - Should You Care?

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