iPad 2 vs. iPad 1: Should You Upgrade?

The iPad 2 has been a hit since day one. Critics are praising it, customers are lining up for it and scalpers are cashing in on resold devices.

So where does this leave the early adopters who took the plunge on an iPad 1 in 2010--or early 2011? Is it better to upgrade from last year's hottest gadget to its slimmer, faster successor or to wait for the iPad 3, which rumors suggest will offer far more updates.?

We've compared the iPad 2 with the iPad 1. Do you think it's worth upgrading? If you own an iPad 1, tell in the comments why you have or haven't made the switch to Apple's new tablet. Also check out our roundup of iPad 2 users' biggest problems so far, as well as 7 iPad alternatives.

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Weighing 1.3 pounds and measuring 8.8 mm thick, the iPad 2 is 15 percent lighter and 33 percent thinner than its predecessor. The length and height are the same for both models, so they looks pretty similar, except that the iPad 2's aluminum back is flatter than the original tablet. "[J]ust that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience," writes the New York Times. Though, if you found last year's 9.7-inch display too large for your tastes, you'd better steer clear of the new model.

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Weighing 1.3 pounds and measuring 8.8 mm thick, the iPad 2 is 15 percent lighter and 33 percent thinner than its predecessor. The length and height are the same for both models, so they looks pretty similar, except that the iPad 2's aluminum back is flatter than the original tablet. "[J]ust that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience," writes the New York Times. Though, if you found last year's 9.7-inch display too large for your tastes, you'd better steer clear of the new model.

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Advantage: iPad 1 Advantage: iPad 2

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Comments

[bethend]

06:08 PM on 04/03/2011

I have the first ipad. I'm waiting for the third gen. hoping it will show flash video and have upgrades to camera.

[Kiernan van doorn]

12:05 PM on 04/03/2011

i have a table of links to bestbuy walmart and target to help see if your local stores have any apple ipad 2 in stock. http://kiernanvandoorn.livejournal.com/1977.html

[Mitchman57]

08:04 AM on 03/31/2011

I'm thinking that someone at Huffpo owns a LOT of Apple stock.

[samba2623]

05:06 AM on 03/31/2011

It's thinner and lighter than the first one, which already was very thin and very light. The camera sucks and flash websites are still not working. I think it's a little bit too expensive for what you get.

[terroh8er]

01:40 AM on 03/31/2011

My iPad 2 has half the battery life of my 10 month old iPad 1 (about six hours; Ping disabled, no 3G, and the only tasks are browsing and using Notes). I also know someone else with the same problem. There may be faulty units out there.. or a few unusually good ones?

[realDexDunford]

10:44 PM on 03/30/2011

I'm glad I resisted the urge to buy an iPad 2. Compering the specs side by side with the Motorola Xoom and the upcoming Blackberry Playbook makes the iPad 2 seem outdated already. Also, from my friends that have purchased one, I've heard the cameras on the iPad 2 are a joke.

[terroh8er]

01:37 AM on 03/31/2011

I'm not an Apple fanboy (in fact I prefer Android as an OS), but the hardware performance of the iPad 2 is far better than the Xoom. Benchmarks have shown it to be 2-4x faster, depending on the test. But yes, the cameras are terrible.

[Spartacus1]

10:25 PM on 04/10/2011

I have an iPad2 and the overall experience is much nicer than the 1. That said, your friends are right about the cameras.

[Sharkbyter]

04:35 PM on 03/30/2011

Being a Ludite Geek, I buy my gear after it's been debugged by all the early adopters. After technology has been released a few years, I can see what's available on Craig's list or eBay. I'll also know what to avoid looking at what the pioneers found with arrows in their back were carrying across the silicon desert. This allows me to spend less than half for my communications equipment and it lowers my need for killing the pain I used to suffer from jumping on the latest technology band waqon.

[polishsumgai]

05:13 PM on 03/30/2011

Very smart move, I wish I could do that, but at my age every day counts - LOL !

[frank day]

05:56 PM on 03/30/2011

I know! Life moves too fast to wait.

If you're not already thinking of tomorrow you're late!

[frank day]

05:52 PM on 03/30/2011

Apple is for people with $$$$s.

[Sharkbyter]

06:10 PM on 03/30/2011

I have $$$$$$ because I shrewdly spend them.
A fool and his money will quickly be departed.
I know people who spend their last dime or max their credit card to stay in the front line of the tech battle. I'm typing on a 6 year old laptop on it's second hard drive with Windows XP. The money I'm not spending is doing very well in the stock market. Nothing I know of loses value faster than the latest tech gadget.

[ware]

04:24 PM on 03/30/2011

I've seen this discussion every day in the past month. I am sooo tired of it. This is a ridiculous
"Science and Technology" section, maybe the worst from all the websites I'am visiting.

[deweydecimal]

07:46 PM on 03/30/2011

Try sciencedaily.com. Real science is actually posted there as opposed to what trendy hipsters think is science and tech. And the inquirer.net is still my favourite tech read.

[Nadir Vardar]

03:45 PM on 03/30/2011

Another issue is 3-4 weeks shipping time?? Apple delivers every product in 52 weeks (1 year) cycle and thye want me to wait 4 weeks ... I am good without it ..

[frank day]

05:53 PM on 03/30/2011

Yeah,cause its so hard to wait a few weeks for the best technology.

[Nadir Vardar]

05:57 PM on 03/30/2011

It's not hard to wait for the best technology, but waiting for an Apple, hard ...

[Dreamsign]

03:08 PM on 03/30/2011

thank you, HuffPo, for tirelessly illustrating, day after day, what is so profoundly wrong with our culture.

[StuntManMike]

05:26 PM on 03/30/2011

Yes!

[solid]

08:33 AM on 03/31/2011

A little judgemental perhaps? What products do you prefer to buy so we can scrutinize them?

[traceminerals]

04:16 PM on 04/09/2011

I think the author was speaking from outside the consumer box.

[Titus Pullo]

02:59 PM on 03/30/2011

I didn't buy this one twice as fast as I didn't the first one. Huge improvement for me

[Haggerznaple]

02:54 PM on 03/30/2011

Personally the upgrade isn't worth it for me. I'm happy with my iPad 1. I use it for school, work, and web-surfing, not gaming. So, for me, the faster processor just isn't worth spending another 600 bucks. I can see why some people would upgrade, though. The weight difference alone was almost worth it for me. Almost.

[frank day]

05:54 PM on 03/30/2011

Sell your old Ipad and upgrade. Its so worth it.

[Geromme Talampas]

12:57 AM on 04/26/2011

Agree with frank. But How To Sell iPad? Sell your Used, Broken or Old Laptop, iPad or iPhone at Cashforipads.com for Cash! Visit: http://www.cashforipads.com/

[SvK]

01:52 PM on 03/30/2011

its Ipad 1.5

ill keep my ipad1 and wait...

SvK

[CaptainObvvious]

02:39 PM on 03/30/2011

I don't follow that line of logic at all.

Some people are so superficial. If it looks kinda the same then it isn't a real upgrade.

It is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH faster... It is a third thinner, lighter, has cameras...

It is a massive upgrade over the original even if it kinda looks the same.

The only disappointing thing is the screen resolution which could be better but its more than fine... The screen looks great.

I could also care less if the cameras suck.. It is for teleconferencing.

[lqw]

03:09 PM on 03/30/2011

It is a great upgrade.

[proudloudlib]

01:34 PM on 03/30/2011

I'm still madly in love with my original iPad, and nothing here makes me want to upgrade any time soon. I definitely do not need a camera. Maybe if I didn't have an iPhone 4...

[HonestJohnnis]

01:11 PM on 03/30/2011

Got a demo in at work and I've had a chance to play with it for a few days.. From what I've seen not much better than the ipad 1, speakers aren't as good, battery life is the same, cameras are nowhere near as clear as the iphone4, and the facetime setup without a number (even though it's 3g so it technically has a number assigned to it) is a joke. If you have the original ipad you really have absolutely no reason to upgrade.

and none of the 15 that came in have that screen cover flap, and it's not exactly a revolutionary accessory.. i fail to see why it needs a slide.

[biodieselvw]

01:25 PM on 03/30/2011

The processor is the biggest improvement. Camera quality is fine for facetime, which is what they're there for.

[CaptainObvvious]

02:43 PM on 03/30/2011

It is massively better.

Its leaps and bounds faster. It is shockingly thin and light compared to the original.

I can't imagine what issue you have with setting up a Facetime e-mail address. It has 3G doesn't have a registered 10 digit phone number... I can't imagine why someone would complain about that.

The cameras aren't as good as the iPhone 4 because they were intentionally designed not to be. It is for video calling and nothing else except to play around with Photobooth and it takes nice video.

The Smart Cover is really cool, I can't see denying that. It isn't revolutionary but it is unlike any other accessory ever.

[J0E1]

04:17 PM on 03/30/2011

The cameras aren't as good as the iPhone 4 because they were intentiona­lly designed not to be.
 
LOL!

[HonestJohnnis]

04:56 PM on 03/30/2011

No my good man, all 3g connections have a registered number attached to them :)

get back to the rest of this shortly