Unveiled on March 2, the iPad 2 features many improvements over its previous version. However, it remains to be seen if these improvements will be enough to keep Apple’s share of the tablet PC market intact. The first iPad was a booming success with global sales reaching 14.8 million in 2010. The original iPad was so successful that it cornered 75 percent of the tablet PC market.
The iPad’s commercial success, however, has attracted many competitors. With a lot of companies joining the tablet bandwagon and offering their version of the iPad killer, many are eager to see how the iPad 2 are going to compete against an improved competitor.
In this review we make a head-to-head comparison between iPad 2 and what many consider its strongest competitor to date, the Motorola Xoom.
1. Processor
The iPad 2 is fitted with Apple’s dual-core 1GHz A5 chip, a major improvement over the previous iPad. The A5 chip is reported to clock ten times the graphical performance of the older tablet. We don’t know for sure on the RAM size for the iPad 2, but 512MB is a huge possibility.
Motorola Xoom are build with a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 CPU. At 1GB of RAM, this chip along with the Android 3.0 OS and make the tablet to multi task effortlessly.
Advantage – Xoom
2. Display
The iPad 2 has the same 9.7-inch backlit-LED IPS display that are similar to iPad 1, it’s fantastic because it’s the best in it’s class.
The Xoom has a standard 10.1-inch TFT display. Great for surfing the web and watching movies but does not offer the types of viewing angles like the one in iPad.
Advantage -Apple iPad 2
3. Camera
One of the biggest drawbacks of the older iPad was the lack of a camera. Now iPad 2 has two cameras. The iPad 2′s dual cameras are a 0.7-megapixel main camera with 720P movie capture capability, and a secondary VGA camera that works fine if you want to use it for video calls.
In this category, Xoom has an upper hand. With an impressive 5-megapixel main camera which is equipped with dual-LED flash and autofocus and a secondary 2-megapixel camera for video conferencing, no doubt that Motorola are the winner.
Advantage – Motorola Xoom
4. Design and Build
On the design category, Apple will not disappoint you. The look and feel of the iPad 2 is simply fantastic. The iPad 2 may be 33 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, however it is still made from the same top-notch materials.
The iPad 2 has the same solid feel but is now more comfortable to handle because of its slimmer dimensions.
The Motorola Xoom is just as well constructed. The chassis is solid. It does however feel bulkier and heavier than the slim-built iPad 2.
We give this round to the Apple tablet.
Advantage – Apple iPad 2
5. Operating System
The new iOs 4.3 are equipped for the iPad 2, it serve you with a better web application performance and browser.
The Motorola Xoom comes with the Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” OS which boosts multi-tasking capabilities and of course more user friendly.
We feel that the Honeycomb OS gives the Xoom an advantage. The iOs 4.3 feels like its just a minor tune-up for Apple.
Advantage – Motorola Xoom
6. Connectivity
The Apple iPad 2 comes with Wi-Fi a,b,g & n, and Bluetooth 2.1 capabilities with A2DP and EDR. It als has HDMI-output. However, it does not have a card reader, USB Port and MicroSD slot.
The Motorola Xoom has the same capabilities as the iPad 2′s but none of its shortcomings. The Xoom has MicroSD support, Micro USB port, HDMI-out, Wi-Fi a,b,g & n (dual-band) and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR.
Advantage – Motorola Xoom
7. Price
This is where it gets interesting. The Apple iPad 2 has an introductory price of $499 for its base Wi-Fi unit.
The Motorola Xoom’s introductory price is $599 for its Wi-Fi only base unit.
The iPad 2 price is one that many did not expect especially its competitor.
2) The headlies are identify in red color.
The iPad 2 price is one that many did not expect especially its competitor.
2) The headlies are identify in red color.
