Reviews

Apple iPad 2 review First Look

The much-rumoured iPad 2 has finally been announced. Read on for our first impressions of the sleek new tablet, including how it feels compared to the original model.

3 Mar 2011

Typing on the white iPad 2 works well enough when using the Smart Cover as a stand

Apple has fitted a new processor in the iPad 2 its own custom A5 dual core 1GHz processor. It's not clear if this is a modified ARM Cortex chip like the A4 in the iPhone 4 and original iPad. The company also hasn't confirmed how much RAM is installed inside the new iPad, but we suspect it's more than the 256MB of the first model and at least as much as the 512MB in the iPhone 4.

Apple announced several new apps to take advantage of the iPad 2's increased processing power. One of the most impressive was the iPad version of iMovie, the video-editing app that's long been available on both the Mac and the iPhone 4.

Video can be recorded straight into the app using the iPad 2's two cameras. In our brief test, both cameras struggled with the subdued lighting of Apple's launch venue at BBC Television Centre in London, producing grainy looking footage. We'd expect this from most smartphone and tablet cameras, but the omission of a flash from the iPad 2 probably doesn't help. It's not yet clear if one can import footage from another camcorder's SD card into iMovie.

There's support for three audio tracks so you could add music and a voiceover to your video in addition to the already-present soundtrack. The gesture-driven interface will require acclimatisation if you're used to desktop video editing programs, but it still looks remarkably similar to those apps. Sadly, it won't be pre-installed on the iPad 2, but will instead be sold separately from the App Store for $2.99 UK pricing to be confirmed.