Will you buy an iPad 2?

The dust of the announcement has settled, and the immediate effects of Steve Jobs' famous Reality Distortion Field have waned. The iPad 2 is almost here: get used to it. Predictably, crackpots and pundits have had their say, and just as with the original iPad, not everyone is thrilled with Apple's latest device. And just like the original iPad, the crackpots and pundits are wrong, wrong, wrong-o wrong. This thing will sell in the millions. The tens of millions.

The question is, are you getting one?

I can't answer for you, but I can answer for me: the iPad 2 addresses almost every gripe that kept me from buying the original iPad, so just try to stop me from buying one. Back in December, I asked you what you wanted from the iPad 2, and I presented my own wish list as well; Apple hit four out of six of my wish list items. As someone once said, two out of three ain't bad. Unfortunately, the one feature readers wanted most from the iPad, an increase in display resolution, didn't make the cut this time around. I suspect a fair number of those readers might hold off until the iPad 3.

I won't be waiting any longer. Despite the same 1024x768 display resolution as the original iPad, and despite the top capacity still topping out at 64 GB (a complaint that's at least partially mitigated by iTunes Home Sharing in iOS 4.3), I'm taking the express train to iPadia as soon as Apple pulls it into the station.

When the iPad was first announced last year, I didn't think there was enough of a gap between the iPhone and the Mac to justify its existence. But after getting an iPhone 4, a far faster and more capable device than my iPhone 3G, I noticed a couple of things. First, I noticed that I was using my iPhone for a lot of the stuff I used to do exclusively on my Mac. Second, I found the only truly restrictive aspect of the iPhone 4 was its small screen. "Gee," I thought, "if only Apple made a product that was a bigger version of the iPho- OH, HEY."

I'll be one of the legions of "Kool-Aid drinking fanboys" ready to buy an iPad 2, and I'll do it with a smile (followed by a wince when my credit card statement arrives). How about you? Are you joining the iPad ranks for the first time, upgrading from the original iPad, waiting for the iPad 3 with Retina Display/antimatter fuel cells/built-in Cuisinart, or just waiting for this touchscreen "fad" to blow over? Let us know in the poll below.

Will you get an iPad 2?
Yes, and it'll be my first iPad.	6007 (35.5%)
Yes, I'm upgrading from the original iPad.	4756 (28.1%)
No, I'm sticking with my original iPad (or buying one on clearance).	2560 (15.1%)
No, I'm waiting for iPad 3 (4, 5, n plus 1).	3124 (18.5%)
No, I'll never buy an iPad. Ever.	478 (2.8%)

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Source: http://tuaw.com/tag/ipad2

Source: http://tuaw.com/tag/ipad%202

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The dust of the announcement has settled, and the immediate effects of Steve Jobs' famous Reality Distortion Field have waned. The...

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Paul Smtih

Here's a little off topic question -

Is it really worth it to get an iPad 2, or buy an iPad refurb (at up to $170 off)?

I'm going to mainly web surf and watch movies, some simple gaming. I'm thinking a 16GB refurb iPad for $349 sounds like a good deal.. thoughts?

March 08 2011 at 4:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kelmon

Put me down as a "maybe". At the moment I'm presently torn between something like the MacBook Air, HP TouchBook and iPad in order to provide a convenience computing device to use in tandem with our iMac. The MacBook Air does "more" but is quite a lot more expensive. The HP TouchBook isn't available yet and could die a death in the market like the original Pre did. The new iPad doesn't really "wow" me relative to the original and the iOS software is feeling a little stale. At this time I'm inclined to wait until the summer when hopefully both iOS 5 and the TouchBook are available, and perhaps the Air line has received a speedbump.

March 04 2011 at 5:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

IcyFog

Yes, I'll buy one. Bought one last year for my family. This one will be for me. When the iPad 3 comes out I'll buy that one and donate the iPad 2 to my dad.

March 03 2011 at 10:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

justin Tyler Moore

Hello fellow readers!

I was one of the people waiting in line on day one of the launch of iPad 1, and will be for iPad 2 as well. I totally understand where people would like more space, but to be honest, you don't need it anymore. I have a 3G 16GB model and two apps that make it incredible. The first allows remote access to your ENTIRE itunes library over 3G. That is the Audio Galaxy app. The second I use is the Air Video app. That gives you access to every single video on your machine in any format over 3G. So there really is no need for 64GB as I can access terabytes of data from anywhere in the world on my iPad. What sold me on the iPad 2 is the video editing capabilities. I work in the Television industry and see this changing the game all together. Anyways, love this site! I visit it multiple times a day.

March 03 2011 at 7:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to justin Tyler Moore's comment

Kelmon

Whether this is applicable surely depends on how much you want to spend on 3G data plans per month and how good your 3G signal actually is. Personally speaking, the iPhone 3GS is my first experience of a modern cellular telephone and I've been thoroughly unimpressed with 3G (UK Orange). I quite often only have a GPRS connection or when I do have a 3G connection I get the message "Server stopped responding". Your own mileage may vary but I wouldn't depend on 3G currently for accessing my data.

March 04 2011 at 5:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

chrish

You miss the other option: buying a second iPad for the household.

March 03 2011 at 6:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kyle

No "Nope, I can't afford it" option?

March 03 2011 at 4:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kira

The iPad2 seems to be a pretty clever move on Apple's part. It's not so advanced that iPad1 owners will feel like they *have* to upgrade. But it's improved enough that people who were on the fence now want to buy one. Sneaky. :)

March 03 2011 at 2:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

matt

I will be a first time buyer mainly because last year I bit my lip and decided I would hold out until it at least had a camera. I had hopes and dreams of the Courier coming to be but they were squashed. I only wish Apple would add USB support to the thing so I could plug in a USB drive. I am a physician and I frequently go to educational conferences where they no longer give out slides or handouts, but they give you everything on a USB key and then you can load it to where you want. It would be nice to only have to take an iPad instead of having to take a laptop to transfer the files to Dropbox and then be able to view them on the iPad.

March 03 2011 at 2:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

akri

LOL Chris..an ipad with a built in cuisinart..I cracked up..that's too funny..and yes I'm waiting for that one..I have the 1st gen ipad which I love but i'm holding out on buying the 2nd one mostly b/c of money..and also waiting to see with baited breath if the ipad 3 w/have retina display.

Love TUAW..you guys rock!

:)

March 03 2011 at 2:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Robert

Another big problem with the ipad 2 is that it's like buying a product IN THE SECOND HALF OF IT'S LIFE CYCLE. Assuming a typical 1-year cycle.

An Ipad 3 with a retina screen and Thunderbolt connectivity is gonna make the ipad 2 feel like crap and it's only 6 months away. You're gonna start hearing non-stop rumours about the ipad 3 all summer.

So if you're the type that likes to upgrade every other generation. You're in a sweet position because the ipad 2 is gonna a short lived generation.

And a second thanks to the guy who posted that Incase Magazine Jacket. Nice!

March 03 2011 at 1:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Robert's comment

iBearTouch

Maybe not 6 months away but soon enough... but the more I read about the 2, the more I get an itchy trigger finger to buy one. :-p

March 04 2011 at 11:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply