Hands on with the iPad 2 - first review

IT FEELS thinner and a little lighter in your hands, like you’ve ripped the woven cover off a large book.

Apple

IT FEELS thinner and a little lighter in your hands, like youÂ’ve ripped the woven cover off a large book.

Its body is also easier to grip, it works faster, takes your photo, lets you make video calls, and can be used to create movies and music thanks to slick new Apple apps.

It even keeps a lid over its screen with hidden magnets.

iPad 2 - the launch

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But the freshly revealed iPad 2 doesn’t reinvent the original; it simply refines it, adds missing features and makes a new purchase tempting.

Switched On was given the chance to try the new iPad shortly after Apple’s announcement in San Francisco today.

The iPad 2 has dropped 117g, but you’re more likely to notice its thinner form.

At just 8.8mm thick, it sits much closer to the desk than before.

Its curved back looks different, its speaker is larger, and it now comes in white as well as black.

Plus, using two magnets hidden along its left side, it can hold in place a new Apple-made Super Cover.

This lid clicks into position and its magnetic hold is strong enough to suspend an iPad (I tried as Apple demo staff looked on in mild horror).

Apart from its slimdown, one of the major changes is the addition of two cameras.

A VGA camera sits on the front of the iPad and an additional, better quality camera sits on its rear panel.

This camera can capture video in 720p high-definition, though Apple has yet to say how many megapixels its still photos offer.

Both cameras can be used to make Facetime video calls, letting your caller see you or what you’re looking at, and a new Photo Booth app lets users take wacky photos with either camera, adding effects including kaleidoscope and X-ray.

Internally, the iPad 2 has received a dual-core chip that should speed things up, particularly graphics, though you don’t notice any immediate difference on the screen.

It does handle video well in the new iMovie app, however.

The new tablet has also been given a gyroscope, which could pave the way for a wave of augmented reality apps that let you move the iPad around in the air to explore virtual worlds.

There are some omissions from Apple’s latest tablet though.

The screen resolution of the iPad remains unchanged, there are no extra ports for a memory card or USB connection, and iPad 2s do not store any more than the existing 64GB (sorry video lovers).

The new iPad is the same price as the old iPad, however, and its cameras, apps and slim form make it a tempting proposition.