“Based on Consumer Reports’ preliminary tests with iPad 2 samples in our labs, we found the new version to be an improvement over the original iPad—without any increase in price,” Jeff Fox reports for Consumer Reports.
“One major difference in tech specs is that the iPad 2 has a new processor that’s supposed to make it far speedier than the original,” Fox reports. “While performing routine tasks such as Web browsing and e-mail in our tests, we didn’t notice any significant speed improvement.”
MacDailyNews Take: Try removing your heads from your asses.
Fox continues, “By keeping iPad 2 prices the same as those of the original iPad, Apple has kept its market-leading tablet more than competitive with the small-but-growing field of Android-based tablets. The Motorola Xoom seems to be the iPad 2’s chief rival for now, but it’s pricier than a comparably configured iPad 2, and it’s thicker and heavier as well. The iPad 2 is a very good choice in the tablet market. Still, many more tablets are expected to reach market this year. The tablet race is far from over.”
Fox reports, “We’ll continue our lab tests, including battery-life testing, and expect to add the Apple iPad 2 to our Ratings (available to subscribers) within a week or so.”
Full article – Think Before You Click™ – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Consumer Reports is a total farce.
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PC Mag reviews Apple iPad 2: The tablet to get; Editors’ Choice – March 10, 2011
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I can confirm the Consumer Reports results. Just now I stood on a ladder and dropped an iPad 1 and iPad 2 from the same height. I didn’t notice any speed improvement.
I did notice some cracks, however. Further tests may be necessary.
Ha! A 14.4 modem. And They likely posted their benchmarks in a AOL “forum”.
Some of you Apple fans are so stupid and deluded as to be worthy of nothing more than being ignored. As an early Mac user, starting in 1984 with the first one, upgrading through the years, now the owner of 3 Macs (a Mini, an iMac, and a Macbook Pro), persistently recommending Macs to all my friends and acquaintances, writing 2 complex mac programs (teleprompter simulation and doctor’s office billing–very complex!), I nonetheless am not blind to deficiencies in Apple’s offering. Chief among these is the repugnant censorship/suppression practice relating to sharp political commentary, foolishly calling that “defamatory,” and silly exclusion of normal risque material, calling that “porn.” These actions will forever tarnish the legacy of the good, but badly educated Mr. Jobs (who admitted to me once, over the telephone, that he had never read any George Bernard Shaw, for example). Apple’s record here is truly disgraceful, and enough reason, not to mention the FLASH business, for me to forego the iPad in favor or a more open tablet,
Dr. A. N. Feldzamen
Wow, they offer doctorates in stupidity now?
ahh…so you’re like…ah…a pretty big deal…eh. m’kay
sounds like SOMEBODY had an app rejected by the app store!!!!
Hi fives all around from my fellow MacSupremacists.
” What’s up Doc?.”
Bwahaha… Feldzamen… Google reveals your quixotic crusade against Apple appear to be quite epic! Ill-fated, but epic nonetheless.
I’ve edited Docta Felt-a-man’s thread down to the narcissistic bits. Let’s take a look shall we…
“… As an early Mac user, starting in 1984 with the first one, ….now the owner of 3 Macs…writing 2 complex mac programs (teleprompter simulation and doctor’s office billing–very complex!),….Mr. Jobs (who admitted to me once, over the telephone…. Dr. A. N. Feldzamen
George Bernard Shaw??!! –when did the Black anchor guy from CNN in the 1990’s start writing hi-brow literature anyway?!?!
Just what we need- another pretentious pillpusher.
Enjoy the fragmented, “open” world of Android.
Doc, you’re killing me! If it’s porn you want then go get you’re little android tablet and lock yourself in your bedroom and porn away. You’ll richly deserve all the bugs and viruses you’ll get. As to flash, are you f’n kidding me??? Do you read any of the tech blogs that go on and on about how much it sucks? About the death of flash? Did you read about the Mozilla boys dumping it like a load of snakes in the toilet? Do you read about it’s battery sucking tendencies? As to your grand mac status, big deal. I’ve been on macs since 1984, I’ve owned dozens of them, I currently own 6 macs, 2 iphone 4s and an iPad…BFD! I’ve also had Click2Flash on all my macs for years so I can keep the crap that is flash off of my Safari so it won’t crash constantly. Sorry doc, you SHOULD be a PC…
The one thing Apple seems to be doing inadvertently is putting lots of previously-respected pundits/experts/media types to shame. Each time Apple launches something, these people work overtime to paint a negative picture of the product, putting their reputations on the line. Each time, they fall flat on their asses as the public turns out in droves to buy the product. Apple’s turning them into emperors without clothes.
Though we must keep our hubris in check. But is it really hubris when you actually are better than everyone else?
WOW.
CONSUMER REPORTS JUST LOST **ALL** CREDIBILITY.
THEY HAD VERY LITTLE TO BEGIN WITH, BUT NOW THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NONE.
It’s dual core, for anybody to notice a significant deference, the application needs to lend it self for concurrent processing, and it needs to be optimized for such a task. Once applications are written, taking account of this cartiera. You will notice a significant boost in speed.
As far as the CR speed test results, it’s completely understandable when they’ve opted to use a Grandfather Clock as their measuring device. [Simple mistake, probably forgot to pull the chain.]
Consumer Reports, and their ilk, are the reason there is so much confusion in the market place, and why people get stuck with inferior products.
With successive adverse reporting on Apple products, I can sense a speed change at Consumer Reports. It is a deceleration of credible reporting. We the consumer however, tend to purchase well-engineered products, Apple is an example, that reward us for their credible experience.
Perhaps rather than bash Consumer Reports, we simply stop funding their inferior toiletry and give them something else to write about … their Chapter 7.
They have the audacity to proclaim that tests were done in their “labs” but back up none I’d their claims with any technical data whatsoever. So, in their “lab” testing, the best they could come up was we didn’t notice any speed improvement? This leads me to believe that their “labs” are actually their bathrooms and they were too BLIND to notice any difference in speed because they were busy touching themselves. It’s fitting that their labs would be their bathrooms because their opinions are sh&t!
I didn’t notice any significant change in Consumer Reports’ dickhead biased lies. They probably tested the performance with the smart cover still on.
These people are seriously a bunch of biased idiots….
@Dr.Al
For someone who could not ignore “Apple fans”, you have a lot to say. Very impressed with your programming prowess. Your view on porn is funny. Apple will not sell porn through the store. Go into Macy’s and any retailer with a whole family focus and tell me where the porn is located. If you want porn there are many web sites that provide you iPhone and iPad access. Same with Apple’s decision not to allow something that is defamatory in the store. As for Flash support, we can disagree but Adobe could have written a product that works. I am sure you saw the article today about another security issue. Since I have stopped allowing the Flash plugin to run without “Click for Flash”, my MacBook Pro battery life is better and Safari hasn’t crashed.
If you are going Android good for you, only please really ignore us and play with the “open” product.
hits, hits, hits and the truth falls victim
Safari is an extremely fast browser when it comes to rendering pages, so its speed is bound by the network and the server you’re connecting to. I would not expect to see any noticeable differences between iPad models just using Safari.
Where the speed differences will show up is in the frame rates of games that really lean on the GPU.
-jcr
Again if you subscribe to Consumer Idiots I suggest you cancel as they are bias towards Apple and its products. You could get a more accurate review from a 2 year old versus reading anything in there farce magazine.
Ya think? First the iPhone 4 debacle but this takes the cake. With every tech blog doing articles about the incredible speed increase you would think CR would have at least tried….Hacks, out dated and irrelevant
So check what Engadget, Anandtech, ipadngravy, slashgear, iphonehacks and a plethora of others had to say.
So why does consumer reports not see a speed increase and all these tech sites do? Because the tech sites actually scientifically benchmarked the iPad 2 rather then stick their finger up their rear. Good job consumer reports, another nail in the coffin….
I hate Consumer Reports. Everything I bought that the recommended was a terrible product, from a Vacuum Cleaner to Dishwasher soap.
Fanboys.
All I want to see is the videos of the performance side-by-side. To just dismiss what they are saying is stupid. Is the iPad 2 really faster? Really? Let’s see it. I actually suspect that it is noticeably faster, but I’m not so blinded by koolaid to just believe all the hype.
Howard Stern: Bwahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Before with the “antennagate” issue I wasn’t certain that CR was being unbiased, but now after this report I’m certain!
Honestly, as an Ipad 1 owner, I was pretty hyped to get the new Ipad. went to the Apple store and tested the speed. really not that much improved. I will wait for the next version. The other “upgrades” are more gimmicky than anything else. photo booth, video recording (which didnt look great), and same screen resolution. Needless to say, as a big Apple supporter, I was disappointed after waiting in line at 5pm to get my hands on the device. Apple can do better. I think we can agree that this version is not a “significant” step forward in the Ipad line. I have to agree with Consumer reports on the speed.
MDN whomever you are, you are a genius. I love you. Consumers Union has lost all credibility with this report.
I have to agree with CR on this one. I too saw no speed difference doing routine tasks. It took me just as long to do the dishes as with my iPad 1. It took just as long to take out the garbage as with the iPad 1. It took just as long to wash the car as with the iPad 1. No speed differences doing routine tasks.
There’s definitely an agenda. I’ve never noticed any other category or product review with the message- “Yes, it’s the best, but something else better, cheaper, or at least as good or almost as good may eventually come along.”
Also, maybe they’re actually reviewing their own wireless setup.
May be Consumer Reports being funded or being supported by M$. who knows.