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Should I Upgrade to the iPad 2? 5 Reasons I’m Upgrading

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Over at Notebooks.com I posted a comparison between the specs of the old iPad v. the new one. With the iPad coming March 11 (video of announcement), some might be wondering if upgrading is really worth it. In one sense it is such a minor difference, it is unlikely that most iPad owners will really need to upgrade. But as an owner of an original iPad, there are a few reasons why I will definitely be getting the new iPad 2 on or as close March 11 as I can.

(Update: Here’s how to upgrade to the iPad for $200)

The iPad 2 Camera

Before Wednesday, I couldn’t imagine why I might want a camera on my pad. I carry a 5 MP compact point-and-shoot camera with me everywhere I go. It is called an iPhone 4. But then it hit me. I hate paper and with the iPad 2 camera I have a mobile scanner with me everywhere I go. I can’t wait till the next time someone hands me a bunch of paper documents that I will need to have for a later meeting. I always forget the paper. Now I can just snap a photo of each sheet and, using one of the many PDF markup apps on the iPad, I will not only have the ability to keep the paper with me all the time but make notes and highlights as needed.

And since I’ll have  the camera already, I might as well take some pictures with it. I carry my iPad everywhere.

Movie Editing on the Go w/ iPad 2

I’m one of the few people who actually likes iMovie on the iPhone. But I have to admit that it is challenging doing serious editing of such a small screen. I can’t wait to get iMovie on iPad. I will be able to ship product videos, family videos, videos of events at my church, and edit them on the fly. A quick upload to YouTube or my MobileMe account and I can share these videos with others.

iPad 2 Speed

I thought the iPad was fast, especially when compared to some of the other tablets I’ve used. But I’m a speed demon and I can’t wait to try out the new A5 processor. Apple says the graphics chip will be nine times faster than the original iPad. Even if that’s just half correct, four or five times faster will be a nice increase. Just twice as fast would be a plus.

iPad 2 Size

After having played with the Nook Color that we just got for my wife, my iPad feels large. I like the weight of the Nook Color, but not the screen size. So having a thinner and lighter iPad is going to be nice.

iPad 2 Color Choice

I can’t decide if I like the new white iPad yet. I guess I’ll wait till I see it in person. But I have a feeling that many will be choosing the white one only because it is different. If the new iPad is in short supply I may go for the black one just because I think the white one will be more popular. However, it might be nice to have something different. So since I plan to upgrade for the reasons above, getting a new white iPad might be just icing on the cake.

How to Upgrade to the iPad 2 for Cheap

If spending $499 or more on the new iPad 2 isn’t in your budget, you can cover the bulk of the cost by selling it. Instead of trying your luck with an eBay auction or Craigslist, many iPad owners are turing to services like Gazelle.com that buy back used electronics. The service pays about $430 for a used 32GB iPad in perfect condition.

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. bacho

    03/03/2011 at 5:17 pm

    Here’s 6th reason for you: It’s “MAGICAL!!!”
    typical iSheep

  2. Gaspar98

    03/03/2011 at 5:21 pm

    After my experience with iPod, iBook and the Apple white keyboard I am pretty sure I will never get the white iPad. In everything else I agree with you.

  3. Host

    03/03/2011 at 5:26 pm

    iForeskin for the win!!!

  4. Weebly

    03/03/2011 at 5:39 pm

    you left out the fact you certainly must have money to piss away

  5. Elgringo79

    03/03/2011 at 6:36 pm

    While I am an iPad fan, there is an awful lot of new gadget giddiness here that you might want to keep in check.

    1) Paper scanning: can’t you do that with your iPhone and just transfer it to your iPad??
    2)iMovie: an app, avalable for iPad 1.
    3)Speed: It’s faster. You just need to determine if iPad 1 is fast “enough” or is it worth the net $150 to upgrade. (BTW, “future proof” is a unicorn.)
    4)Size: it’s 0.2 lbs lighter. 0.2!!! Do you know what 0.2 lbs is? Barely noticeable. Well I work in a lab and just did a 1.33 lb to 1.5 lb comparison. It’s barely noticeable. Bottom line, 1.33 is still a little bit on the heavy side for long periods.
    5)Color. There’s no accounting for taste, so I won’t harp on this, but they do make colorful silicon skins for iPad 1 that will run you $5.

    Again, I am an iPad fan. I love my iPad 1. But once the excitement subsided and I weighed the differences (literally, in point #4) I’m content with keeping the iPad 1 and my $150.

    • Xavier Lanier

      03/03/2011 at 7:02 pm

      Thanks for commenting and I agree that the original iPad is just fine for many people.
      I think the reasons for upgrading are very valid- at least for many users.
      1) You can scan paper w/ the iPhone 4, but it’s not much fun to review letter sized documents on it. iPad 2 wins.
      2) iMovie – the app will be available for the original iPad, but it’ll run slower. And then of course you need to transfer your video clips. With the iPad 2 you can shoot, edit and upload from the same device.
      3) I think the hands on videos show why a lot of iPad users are upgrading to the iPad 2. It’s really fast and more apps will be developed to take advantage of the speed.
      4) Good point on the weight. I think the thinness is more attractive than the weight.
      5) Silicon covers in my opinion look like crap unless you get a Twilight one… ;-)

  6. Elgringo79

    03/03/2011 at 7:02 pm

    I realize 0.17 lbs is small, but then the weights I was holding weren’t iPads. Can one of the GBM authors who’s actually held an iPad 1 in one hand and an iPad 2 in the other please comment on the real world weight difference?

  7. Healthychocolatehabit

    03/03/2011 at 7:33 pm

    anyone know if the verizon version will have the embedded 3g on ipad 2? I don’t like having to have a mi-fi in order to use ipad with verizon if not in a hot spot?

  8. tivoboy

    03/03/2011 at 7:50 pm

    I’m upgrading, because I’M WINNING!!

  9. Anonymous

    03/03/2011 at 8:25 pm

    Diner

    You are waiting for a device with latest version. Are you wish to for Nano technology. Yes….iPhone is coming together with this.

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  10. Kevin Purcell

    03/07/2011 at 2:22 am

    I actually have one more reason. Our family has been planning for a new iPad anyway. My wife would like to use one in her classroom. So we would likely have been upgrading or adding a new one.

  11. bob

    05/05/2011 at 4:40 am

    Bleh, most blogs giving reasons to upgrade to iPad2 don’t really sell it for me.

    2x RAM, 9x faster GPU, dual-core processor
    – most people probably won’t notice this, since they’d probably just be using it to browse the net, watch videos, or play low-requirement games like Angry Birds. Only people who would notice this would be the ones who play cutting edge high-quality 3d graphics (probably powered by Unity3D) games, like me. And YET, I’m not sold.

    Lighter and thinner
    – I admit this is nice, especially since I get tired while reading e-books, or playing tilt or driving games, but it’s not enough of a selling point

    White! and A cool auto-lock casing
    – ooooh! Right…

    Cameras
    – which are crappy. I don’t even use my phone cam, because I like using a real digital camera, with precisoin so high, I can zoom on someone’s zit and see it in detail.

    The only real ACTUAL selling point that would convince me is the new gyroscope.
    iPad 1 only had an accelerometer, so it could only measure tilt and pitch (and not yaw).
    But with the new gyroscope, it could measure literally anything.
    I would be sold if blogs would go into detail what the new possibilities are for games, what kind of controls new games would implement that are impossible on the iPad 1, etc. But sadly, almost all gloss over this new feature. *sigh* Sad, especially since most gyroscope uses I’ve seen on the iPhone 4 pretty much suck. Leaves me wondering if it can actually achieve “Wii-like” controls, and how would one use it on something as big/bulky as the iPad (compared to the Wiimote anyway).

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