Well how about that. Just last week I was talking about how the Motorola Xoom was looking impressive and Android Honeycomb seemed promising. Now I'm swayed over to Apple's new iPad 2 offering. Let me explain.
The Xoom reviews are in and the Xoom has a few issues. Namely it's heavy and the plastic case seems fragile. I still think Android 3 will be something to keep an eye on but at launch there were only had a handful of tablet-optimized apps in the Market. Using a tablet with apps made for a different screen and layout is rather depressing.
White iPad 2. Credit: Engadget
As John Gruber noted on the iPad 2 launch, Apple first marketed the iPad as a work device (oh look, iWork suite!) but now they're realizing it's place: media and fun (gyro for gaming, better graphics, amazing Garageband and iMovie for iPad 2). The main reason I'm interested in a lightweight tablet? To keep me entertained on long flights. That's the big use case for me. Email checking at airports, coffee shops and in bed when I wake up in the morning is secondary.
I was a bit disappointed by the iPad 2 at first. But two days of thinking it over, I'm fine with it. I wanted a higher resolution display and better quality cameras. In the end, the only thing that matters is the portability and battery life. More than that? It's the feel. This is a lifestyle device and it needs to look and act like such. Real world usage. The iPad 2 appears to excel at both. A third thinner than the first generation and much faster to boot. Done deal.
The iPad 2 wasn't the big announcement at the Apple event. It was Apple saying that they exactly know how the iPad fits in with your life and proclaimed 2011 as the year of the iPad 2. Smart covers were arguably the largest announcement from the event. But don't take my word for it.
In case you're wondering, yeah I think I'll be picking up my first tablet in the coming month. A white iPad 2. Probably just the Wi-Fi 16GB version. Why no 3G? iOS 4.3 gets personal hotspot functionality and I'm never without my iPhone.
What do you think?