Why You Should Not Buy An iPad 2: iOS

Like many tech enthusiasts, I followed last week's Apple event closely. Steve Jobs

unexpectedly took the stage, but the company announced an expected product: the iPad 2.

Although not nearly as revolutionary as the original, the second generation model brings

refined hardware improvements. Extras such as cameras are also a great addition, however

there is one major flaw: iOS.
Do Hardware Specs Matter?

This questions comes up quite often and the answer is not simple. Apple's original iPad was a

game changer since there was nothing else like it on the market. Tablet PCs had been around

for ages, but they still ran a desktop operating system. While I adore Windows 7 and use it

primarily for all my work, it is far from being ideal for tablets. With the introduction of

iOS, hardware specs for tablets became more along the lines of a smart phone rather than a

laptop computer.

Although 2010 was definitely the year of the iPad, 2011 has an entirely new landscape.

Competition such as the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab

10, and LG G-Slate each offer a very similar set of features. There are some benefits and

drawbacks to each which we highlighted in our series of infographics, but the specifications

are roughly the same. They are so close in some regards that it truly does not make a

difference to consumers.
Software Matters Too

While hardware specifications were all the rage for ages, easy to use and intuitive software

has pushed for consumer friendly devices. Apple made a great decision when they chose to run

iOS on the iPad instead of Mac OS X last year. The interface was efficient, familiar, and

simple. The iPhone was already a hit and the iPad was a perfectly complement to the family.

Although I do not own an iPad, I spent some time using and reviewing it last year. There were

many missing features at the time, however iOS ran incredibly smoothly. Fast forward a year

later, not much has changed aside from the addition of multitasking. The new iPad 2 makes

things faster with a dual-core processor, but the operating system is nearly identical.

This creates a major issue for Apple as we head into the flooded market of tablets in 2011.

The current iOS for the iPad is essentially an enlarged version of the operating system for

the iPhone and iPod touch. The platform was a great start, but the original design does not

take advantage of the tablet form factor. Although I was hoping for a new refreshing

interface, Apple did not announce a major software revamp for the iPad 2 aside from a few

minor enhancements.


There are many amazing iPad apps that take advantage of 9.7 inch screen, but the operating

system does not go far enough. Google, HP, and RIM have started from the ground up with new

tablet operating systems that take the slate form factor into consideration from the OS

level. BlackBerry Tablet OS, webOS 3, and Android 3.0 Honeycomb each offer many user

interface improvements which are more innovative and intuitive than iOS.

For instance, HP's latest webOS 3 lets users stack sets of applications together for

organized multitasking. Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb has an impressive notifications panel

for keeping up to date with the latest information without letting pop ups disrupt work flow.

It is not just about multitasking and notifications either, these new breed of  tablets offer

creative home screens with widgets and improved navigation for getting things done fast.