iPad's tweaks keep Apple tops in field

The iPad wasn't slow before. Now it's faster. It wasn't bulky before. Now it's thinner. It wasn't heavy before. Now it's lighter.

That, plus a couple of new cameras, sums up the difference between Apple's first tablet and the new iPad 2. Taken together, the changes are unremarkable. What's remarkable is that Apple didn't really need to do more to maintain its position as the class of the field.

Here's something even more remarkable: The iPad is the value-price leader in the market. It isn't often you can say that about an Apple product.

The iPad 2, available in black or white, maintains the same 9.7-inch diagonal touch-screen display and resolution of its predecessor. It's when you pick it up that you notice the changes. The iPad 2 is almost startlingly thinner than the first model: .34 of an inch, which is a third less -- and even thinner than Apple's iPhone 4.

The weight has been shaved to 1.33 pounds from 1.5 for the Wi-Fi-only editions and 1.35 pounds from 1.6 for models that add 3G service from AT&T or Verizon.

Under the hood, the principal change is a custom Apple-designed processor, called the A5, and graphics that the company says are up to nine times faster. That seems like a lot, and it is, but the differences become evident only upon a direct comparison with the older model. Yes, the new one renders Web pages faster and launches apps more smoothly, but the previous edition was good enough that the improvements feel more incremental than transformative.

If you're looking to do something on the iPad you couldn't do before, you'll gravitate toward the two cameras, front and rear, which make it possible to send and receive video calls over Wi-Fi with other iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac users with Apple's Face Time service. You also can use the cameras to shoot still photos and video that you can edit using a new, $5 iPad version of iMovie, the editing software that comes preloaded on Macs.

Making video calls is fun, and the iMovie app is flexible and easy to use. At the same time, the cameras are no great shakes. Apple won't discuss their specifications except to say that the rear one will shoot 720p high-definition video, while the front one offers VGA quality. I found the video to be acceptable, but still photos were grainy and barely adequate. If you have an iPhone, you'll be much better off using it for snapshots.

It's also worth noting that the iPad 2's tapered case makes it harder to hook up its docking and other cables, including the one that now connects it to a high-definition port on your big-screen TV. And pay attention if you spend the extra $39 or $69 for Apple's new "smart cover," which attaches to the iPad magnetically and automatically puts it to sleep when closed. Tossing the iPad into my computer bag, or even onto the seat of my car, jostled the cover enough to wake it back up by accident.

The most important things about the iPad 2 might be what haven't changed much. Battery life, for instance, remains good. As part of my testing, I wanted to run the battery down to zero through routine use; I finally gave up because it wasn't draining quickly enough. Instead, I ran back-to-back videos -- with both Wi-Fi and 3G turned on and the screen brightness and audio cranked up -- until it finally conked out after almost nine hours of continuous use.

That isn't quite as good as what I achieved on the original iPad, but it suggests that the new version should be able to attain Apple's promised 10 hours of playback time when used under normal conditions.

The most important thing that hasn't changed with the iPad 2 is the price. Like its predecessor, it starts at $499 for a Wi-Fi-only model with 16 gigabytes of storage, with 32 gigabytes for $599 and $699 for 64 gigabytes; the 3G-equipped versions each cost $130 more.

For anyone in the market for their first tablet, the discussion begins -- and for the moment probably ends -- with the iPad. For existing iPad users, the question is whether to upgrade. Unless you truly need the video capabilities, the answer is: not really.