Is The iPad 2 Worth Buying?

So you're stuck in the same dilemma that the rest of the world is facing. You already have a first generation iPad and want to know if you should buy the iPad 2 or you don't have an iPad at all and want to know if you should buy a brand spanking new iPad 2 or buy the first generation now that it's much cheaper.

These are the questions that you must face about every 6 months when dealing with Apple products.  No doubt about it, Apple is an amazing company and has some amazing products, however, that also means they pump out crazy new things every 6 months that puts you in one heck of a bind.

No worries people.  We got all the information for you to help determine what you shall do regarding the brand new iPad 2!

Let's breakdown the details of both the first generation iPad and the iPad 2.  Once we can accurately compare the two (without Apple's amazing sales skills getting in the way), we should be able to make a confident decision.

Is Thinner Better?

The first thing you notice when picking up the iPad 2 is that it's a 3rd thinner than the first iPad.  That may not seem like a lot but when you actually put these things side by side, you'll be pretty shocked at the difference.  Considering the first iPad was pretty slim to start with, you can only imagine what this thing looks and feels like.  

However, when deciding between purchasing the iPad 2 or keeping/buying a first generation iPad, we have to go with the first generation.  Sure the extremely thing iPad 2 is sexy, but it's not like you were carrying around a brick with the first generation.  If you want to save some bucks then the slim aspect is not really a big deal.

Time For Face Time!

The next thing you'll with the iPad 2 is that you now have 2 cameras instead of just the one on the first generation.  This is something that really takes the iPad 2 to a whole new level.  Now that you have both a camera facing you and a camera facing your point-of-view, the possibilities are endless.  The camera facing you gives you the ability to use "Face TIme" which is essentially video chat between iPad 2 and iPhone 4 users.  As more people begin to buy up these products, it's going to be more and more common to video chat.  The camera facing your point-of-view gives you the ability to take pictures and videos of what you're looking at and be able to see them instantly on your iPad screen.  

The iPad 2 wins major points with the new duel cameras.  It takes the usability aspect of the iPad to a whole new level.  This alone may be enough to fork over some extra bucks and purchase the iPad 2

iPad On Your TV Anyone?

The iPad 2 now has a port for you to directly connect your iPad to a television.  This is a huge feature that can instantly expand your iPad experience to a large screen for everyone to see.  The possibilities with this are endless.  Presentations, movies, games, articles, home videos, pictures, etc.  

This simple addition to the iPad 2 makes it a very tempting to pass on the first generation.  However, if you don't think you'll want or need to put your iPad's capabilities onto a larger screen, then you really don't need the iPad 2.

Overall Decision Based on Hardware Alone

If the decision where to come down to the hardware upgrades on the iPad 2 then we'd be really tempted to buying one.  It really comes down to 2 things.  Do you care about video chatting while using your iPad and do you care about seeing your iPad's screen on a large TV?  If these are big deals to you, then save yourself some cash and stick with the first generation iPad.

Sexy Covers

Apple has created it's own cover for the iPad 2 called "Smart Covers". It's a pretty cool concept considering that it connects magnetically to the iPad and also folds up so that you can type and view the screen easier ("Smart Cover" Video Below).

There will also be a ton of new covers created now that the iPad 2 is thinner and can't use first generation covers.  We also can expect to see tons of third party add-ons that take the HDMI port into consideration.  Apple has really only highlighted the ability to use the HDMI port to connect your iPad 2 to a television but the reality is that the HDMI port will open up many new doors for iPad 2 uses. 

The HDMI and thinner hardware upgrades will probably be the only major changes that will effect third party add-ons.  Of course those are two things that can open many doors, but we can't really foresee any major additions that will be introduced because of these. Because of that, we don't think the iPad 2 is worth the extra money when looking at 3rd party add-on possibilities 

Now that we've taken a look at the iPad 2 from every angle and furthermore put it up against the first generation iPad in a head-to-head battle, we have come to our final verdict.

Without further-a-do our decision is...

Stick with your first generation iPad or save some money when buying an iPad and buy a cheaper first generation instead of the more expensive iPad 2.  To us the reasoning for this is pretty simple.  The iPad 2 does have some cool new things like duel cameras for face talk, a thinner body, and a faster engine, but none of these things are really that groundbreaking.  All of these things could have easily been included in the first generation iPad which makes it pretty apparent that Apple loves convincing you to buy a new version of their product every 6 to 12 months.  We personally we'll save our money and hold off for the iPad 3.  That's when we predict that Apple will actually role out some new exciting features and software that will blow the iPad 2 and first generation iPad completely out of the water!