by mia
iPAD 2 is Unveiled
20:44 in iAMDA News, Mobile Digital Art by mia
iPad 2 has been unveiled with a fast approaching worldwide release date (March 11, 2011). Looks like its got some cool new features. But are they enough? Does it meet the mark for the mobile artist?
I had a wishlist for only a couple new features–MORE memory (to minimize crashing) and video-out–for ALL apps. Though I have to say, the thinner, lighter in white does draw me a bit.
Check the list of upgrades:
- Thinner, Lighter and WHITE – weighs 15% less than the original iPad
- Faster – Dual Core A-5 chip–which makes it twice as fast
- Two-way camera – for photos and face-time
- Smartcover – special magnetic case that works sort of like the display screen/lid for a laptop
- Airplay – You can live stream movies, videos and photos wirelessly to your television
- Video Mirroring – ChaCHING! You can now do live demos or presentations directly from the pad. ALL APPS!
Looks like there’s no difference with price. The base is still at $499.
I ask you–is it worth it? Who’s planning to trade or upgrade to the iPad 2? Inquiring minds want to know…:-)
I think it’s going to help a lot with the Art apps. It will also be interesting to see our favorite apps developed further to take advantage of the new hardware. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that devs. are responsive.
It’s a definite upgrade for me. I’m looking forward to a more stable Artrage
Trying to figure what to do with my current one…to keep or to sell. Or to stick with–that is another option. That video mirroring feature is a HUUUUUUGE stride in the right direction. Still, I’m thinking about it.
I don’t think I’m going to upgrade for a while. I’m pretty content with my current setup. It’s always fun to try new apps or hardware, but I tend to gravitate back to what I know best.
I work from photos a lot and it’s really inconvenient to carry the laptop around when I want to paint on the iPad. I might just keep my current version as a photo viewer.
I’m in for a nice new white one. Selling old one. Love the cameras, Can you see me holding up that slab of joy trying to take pix. LOL! BTW the specs say finger proof coating on the glass. Hmmmm, plein air painting may be better then too.
White, yes. James’ laptop is going so he’s taking my ipad and I get the new one! Lighter, thinner and with face time will help. I was fine with mine but circumstances make it better. Faster!!!
being a college student and “not a real artist” sucks, I can’t get any of the cool toys. If anyone has a hand me down you could get me connected with I’d appreciate it greatly
Let’s make a group Torben. I think that’s a good idea.
no dough for the new one, but when we do, my husband says my two & 1/2 year old can have the old one and I get a new one. yippee. i love the lighter, maybe on the whiter, definitely on the video mirroring, and i’m with mia on all apps having video out
nine times faster image processing: useful. the design: nice. the cameras: nice mainly because there will be improved ones later. i do music, so garage band is pretty sweet. but here’s my wishlist: iphoto. the ability to create and manage albums. the ability to upload to sites in te ordinary way, like with laptops. basic editing functions: crop, rotate, sharpen, soften, contrast, and saturation. batch editing. a nice touch would be a collage app a la picasa. also: ability to add more ram. finally: over the air sync and OS updates.
Looks great, but was disappointed that there isn’t a big increase in picture quality. The biggest attraction for me is how light and thin it is.
I shall probably get the new iPad. Seems to me the improvements aren’t great but maybe I’m wrong and I feel I ought to try it. I’m a mini-gadget junkie and sell replaced gadgets on Ebay for UK only, but will be happy to offer iPad1 to IAMDA members first. (We don’t get iPad2 here in the UK until 25th of this month.)
I notice Apple don’t mention how many megapixels the camera runs to. Anyone know?
By the way, I also noticed that the new Garage Band will offer pressure sensitivity for sound. Wonder if this bodes well for pressure sensitivity for painting….
The two-way camera will spark some interesting applications, i’m sure. It is slightly strange that it only has 256mb of RAM, but perhaps that doesn’t matter, given the architecture.
White is somewhat controversial from an art standpoint, given that it will frame the content differently than black, changing the appearance of colors onscreen; black makes colors ‘pop’ more, while white shows lighter tints better. YAWV – Your Artwork Will Vary.
All the new specs are very impressive. The cameras especially. I would have liked to see a screen resolution upgrade for the art apps as the 1024 x 768 is restrictive.
hmmm…interesting point about the white @ David I just imagined my work framed by white and got a little anxious. It could definitely make a difference.
Iquanyin@ i would ADORE being able to upgrade on memory without having to purchase an entirely new device!
I’ve been weighing my guilt about my apple addiction, but reading all this has convinced me to get a new one to cut back on all the artrage crashes. (I sure hope this helps). I will definitely get black because it shows off my work better. I’m not sure I’ll like the case as well as the old one, because I can slip my hand in the back to make it easier to read with. Otoh, lying here high on drugs (for my knee) it is a lot of fun to obsess about a new toy…. so I’m off to the (online) apple store to spend big bucks.
I can not wait to check it out in the apple store, I want to be able hold it and hopefully the colorful (and cute) cover will convince my wife to let me upgrade.
@Valerie the pressure sensitivity of Garageband isn’t really pressure sensitive. They are using the accelerometer to gauge how much a tap (like on a drum) moves the iPad as a whole in space. All that to say, if you tapped and pushed with enough pressure (meaning a lot or enough to move the iPad) I would say you could mimic some pressure sensitivity. But it wouldn’t be like a Wacom, not even close.
Another thing to note, is that some apps use different resolutions than the iPad’s 1024x768px. I believe Artrage and Artstudio do 1400x1400px. If I remember correctly, I don’t think there is a limit on a “canvas” size. I think the issue is more about memory and the amount of data that can be held on a canvas. It’s not clear how much memory the new iPad will have ( I don’t think it’s true that it has 256mb), but I think it will have 512mb (we’ll see when it gets a teardown on March 11). Anyways, I think it might be possible to get double canvas sizes with the power of iPad 2. I think it’s entirely possible with zooming that developers might be able to offer a larger sized canvas than 1024×768.
I hope I’ve explained that well enough.
I’m not a techie or pro artist and have no complaints about the original, in fact adore it to bits (except for it not running Flash…arghhhh).
So I’ll wait before jumping, see how the reviews come in as people put the 2 through its paces. And save up for the 2012 model, because I wouldn’t want just the basic. Just hope that in the meantime new and updated Apps don’t leave us Junior users in the dust.
I’ve been holding out for v2 of the iPad and will definitely be in line on the 11th!
Although I’m glad the prices didn’t increase I’m also a bit disappointed that they didn’t upgrade to the higher retina display. I appreciate that we can output to larger sizes with some of the apps but I’d like to be able to work on a screen that displays a sharper image. All the more now that there’s a vector app on the market.
I’m also excited about the video mirroring. It will be interesting to see work displayed via HDTV.
@ Mia I think one of the iPad’s most important non-techie attributes is how it frames the screen content:
http://chromaticarts.tumblr.com/post/1375840448
I often put mine right on the wall to check out how something looks. All you need is velcro;)
I’d love one but can’t afford it yet. The early reports are that it has 512MB ram and that the rear camera will be 1 megapixel but HD video. I think it’s mainly for apps rather than photography.
I believe that the mirroring will be for the iPad1 and 2, with the HDMI adapter. I look forward to testing this!
Thanks for explaining Garage Band pressure sensitivity Christopher. What a shame we shan’t get wacom-style painting sensitivity after all. I wouldn’t want to press so hard I shoved the machine about! That’s along the lines of asking me to shake my iPhone for Undo. I never do, as I’m afraid I might accidentally let go and hurl it out of the window!!
Mia, I was hoping for white because I love the Pre-Raphaelite edict of bright white ground and white mats which reflect light. As much as I also love Vanitas paintings which rely on dark grounds I’m inspired by light. Your work and Helene’s definitely would benefit by the black. It is a big consideration if you’re choosing which. It also might push your work. You can always get a gelaskin if it doesn’t!
iPad 1.2. not a 2.0.
unless you’re in marketing.
Love reading everyone’s comments. Especially white versus black.
I’ll be sticking with black.
Anyone going to wait in line on March 11? Where are you buying your iPad 2 from?
I think I’m just going to order mine online, which means I won’t have it until after launch. I don’t think it matters too much since I already have an iPad to paint on.
Looks like HDMI cable will work on iPad 1 but only in the same way the VGA adapter does – not mirroring. I’m sure more will come to light on its release.
I’m hoping that HDMI cable is LONGER and fits more securely to the device. I’ve decided to hold off on my purchase and wait for the 3rd generation (or someone to just hand me an iPad 2 and say “it’s yours.” lol) Of course, this could change in the AM. Today, though…today, I say “no, I’ll wait…but I won’t wait LONG. So hurry up!”
Thanks for all the great feedback, guys. I’m hoping those of you who are going for the 2…or…iPad 1.2 
…will update us about it. I’d like to get your feedback once you have it in your hands.