iPad 2: Thin, Not Picture Perfect
Just as most of its competitors are rolling out their first multitouch tablets to compete with its game-changing iPad, Apple on Friday will start selling a second-generation model, the iPad 2. — The new iPad 2 is about a third thinner and over 10% lighter …
Context & Ripple Effects
This review closes a two-week loop: Engadget's February sourcing had already sketched the second-generation tablet — a thinner body with cameras, but no SD slot and no higher-resolution display — before Apple's March 2 launch made it official. The verdict 'thin, not picture perfect' confirms exactly that split: the industrial-design leap landed, the screen spec did not.
The timing matters as much as the judgment. Apple is shipping its second model in the same window its rivals are rolling out their first multitouch tablets, and the same-week spec-leak reporting plus the iOS 4.3 release show a company iterating on an annual cadence while the competition is still on version one. Developers have already torn down the new A5 processor (identified as model S5L8940) from the update, underscoring how fast the platform detail is moving.
First-order effects
- Buyers deciding this weekend between the iPad 2 and the first competitor tablets get a concrete trade-off: roughly a third thinner and over 10% lighter than the original iPad, against a display resolution that did not advance — the exact gap the February leak predicted.
- Existing iPad owners get the iOS 4.3 software update the same week, so part of the new model's appeal arrives free on year-old hardware, softening the upgrade case.
Second-order effects
- Rivals shipping their debut tablets now face a moving target: any spec sheet drafted against the original iPad goes on sale looking a generation behind on thickness and weight, forcing last-minute redesigns or price pressure.
- Apple's dual-core A5 becomes the reference chip for the category — developers dissecting it within days of launch means every competing tablet's performance will be benchmarked against it from day one.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, tablet competition settles into a cadence race where matching Apple's yearly refresh and industrial design matters more than any single spec win — a structural disadvantage for first-generation entrants who must commit designs months ahead of Apple's reveal.
The trend: The tablet market is shifting from feature-checklist competition to an annual design-and-release-cadence race set by Apple, with the iPad 2's thinner chassis as the new bar rivals' first tablets miss.