iPad2: Review
Arived at the Apple Store - Shearman Oaks, CA at 1:30pm March 11th I was about 55 inline. The iPad2 was set to go on same at 5pm. Lines were very long close to what it looked like for the iPhone4 release. At 5pm Apple reps came out and made a show of force run around the mall giving high fives to people in lines. A little bit after that reps walked around handed out tickets to people in line and those that did not get a ticket did not have a guarantee for an iPad and went home. The ticket did not guarantee you would get the iPad2 you wanted just that one would be available.By the time the we hit 3o's in line all the At&t iPad2's were sold out. By the time I got to the door all some of the Verizon iPads sold out as well. Needless to say I walked away with what I wanted a black 32gb wi-fi version and a black leather smart cover. Side note there was plenty of Smartcases's still available. Unpacking and first impressions.
Unpacking was straight forward like every other apple product. However the Smartcover box was a bit different with their clear cover. Taking the iPad2 out of the box you can feel it's lighter and different in your hand. Putting the smart cover on went on with no issue and was as seen in video's. One thing I was worried about was the possibility of scratching the iPad2 with the magnetic pats of the Smartcover what I couldn't see in the video's was the smart cover and little rubber/plastic bumpers on it so it's not really metal on metal. However I could see it producing some where over time but unlikely to scratch the iPad2.
Restoring from our previous iPad backup went off with out a hitch (I mentioned to do this when pre-paring your old iPad for sale) took about 15-20 minutes for me however may very for you due to how much data you have on it. When plugging in the USB cable into the iPad2 some of the 40pin connect is exposed due to the contour of the new design form the back
Exposed portion of 40pin connection to iPad2
Browser and app loading does feel snapper. As for the camera in low light or even indoor light it does very poor producing a grainy image however taking pictures out side in the shade pictures look decent.
Examples of camera Pics
The Smartcase is a nice idea and executed nicely I only have one issue. The magnets do not hold when you have the cover flipped around to the back. I am finding it a bit annoying at times. I am also concerned about not having a cover on the back I have ordered a Carbon Fiber Black skin from StealthArmor will post a review when I receive it as well.
Facetime - Bug There seems to be a bug in the iPad2 version of Facetime. If you're on a call, and you switch away to another app then come back, you lose your video and your control bar (so you can't hang up). The person on the other end can hear you while you're away, but the camera shuts down. When you come back, they can see and hear you, but you get a static screen.
