iPad 2 vs iPod Touch
iPad 2 and iPod Touch (4G) are two amazing mobile devices from Apple. It has been only a year since Apple launched iPad to enter the tablet market. The gadget became a darling of the consumers in all parts of the world with millions of units being sold. Now Steve Jobs has unveiled its upgraded version aptly named iPad 2 which is ostensibly thinner and lighter than its predecessor but also faster and better. How does it compare with another killer product, iPod Touch and what the differences between the two are? Is it just a bigger iPod or does it hold more surprises. Let’s check out.
iPad 2
iPad 2 is the second generation iPad from Apple with many improvements in design and performance. In comparison with iPad, iPad 2 gives a better performance with high speed processor and improved applications. The new A5 processor used in iPad 2 is twice fast as A4 and 9+ times better on graphics processing while the power consumption remains same.
The iPad 2 is 33% thinner and 15% lighter than first generation iPad while the display is same in both, both are 9.7″ LED back-lit LCD displays with 1024×768 pixel resolution and use the IPS techology. iPad 2 RAM size also doubled to 512 MB from 256 MB in iPad1. The battery life is same for both, you can use it up to 10 hrs continuously. This is great news for those who use it for reading e-books as it provides a more enriching experience.
The additional features in iPad 2 are the dual cameras – rare camera with gyro and 720p video camcorder, front facing camera for video conferencing, it can be used with FaceTime. What is great is that the new iPad 2 is HDMI capable, allowing the user to see the videos captured in HD instantly on TV. You can connect to HDTV via Apple digital AV adapter that comes separately.
The tablet works on Apple’s iOS 4.3 which makes browsing on Safari a very pleasing experience. You can use iPad 2 for browsing or for other web based applications by connecting to internet via Wi-Fi tethering or via 3G.
iPad 2 is available in black and white colors and the price varies depending on the model and storage capacity. Surprisingly, despite boasting of advanced features, iPad 2 costs same as iPad with prices ranging from $499 to $829 for 16 GB Wi-Fi model to 64 GB Wi-Fi plus 3G model. Apple also introduces a new bendable magnetic case for iPad 2, named as Smart Cover, which you can purchase separately.
iPod Touch
For millions of music lovers, Apple’s iPod has always been the best media player in the world. It has just got better with the launch of iPod Touch. This is certainly a gem of a media player that is almost an iPhone without the phone. Listening to music and watching videos has never been better than on this amazing device which also has dual camera allowing user to video chat with the front camera while at the same time recording HD videos at 720p with the rear camera. The display stands at 3.5 inches with a capacitive screen at a resolution of 960X640 pixels and the pixel density is 326ppi. It is Wi-Fi with Bluetooth for connectivity.
iPod Touch is much smaller than iPad 2, with dimensions of 4.4X2.3X0.28 inches and is reasonably priced too. With price range of $299 to $399, even the priciest one is cheaper than iPad 2, which starts at $499. iPod Touch has all the apps that iPad 2 has, and some more also. Some of the popular built in apps include calendar, contacts, notes, maps, videos, YouTube, iTunes, Safari, FaceTime, Mail, photos, stock, weather clock etc. One great feature of iPod Touch is that microphone and mic have been combined making it very convenient for Skype/VoiP calls. Earlier, one had to use a headset which was not very comfortable.
iPod makes use of A 4 processor that is a bit slower than A 5 used in iPad 2 which means that apps take that much longer to boot.
Difference between iPad 2 and iPod Touch
In a nutshell, though both iPad 2 and iPod Touch are marvels of modern technology and very similar to each other, there are differences that are mostly in the size of the display which is important if you want to read e-books. This is where iPad 2 scores over iPod Touch. But if music it is that is more important, iPod Touch is much better for you as it is more handy and easier to carry along.
The other major difference is the connectivity. iPod Touch does not support 3G connectivity while iPad 2 3G model has the additional connectivity feature. If you spend more time in places where there are no Wi-Fi hotspots and you need to connect to internet frequently then you have to go for iPad 2 3G model. There is also a price difference that is not easy to ignore. It all boils down to what is more important for you and what are your main requirements.