Apple iPad 2: further progress in prospect?

Apple’s iPad has legions of zealous fans – but it’s right we should look to the industry leader for more progress in iPad 2 

The Apple iPad Photo: AP

 

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor

Apple has sold 15 million iPads, and in the process created a whole category of computer that, despite many previous attempts, no company had ever got off the ground before. A combination of technology maturing at the right moment and Apple’s peerless command of user interface design has meant that, in just over a year, the iPad has spawned more than a hundred tablet rivals on various operating systems.

Challengers from Google’s Android stable, led by the Motorola Xoom and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab, have shown that other tablets will soon offer Apple a greater threat than ever. And HP’s ToucPad, too, is an impressive machine, with wireless charging and a host of clever accessories.

But Apple, in its marrying of hardware and software, continues to stay at the head of the tablet pack. It’s that which makes iPad 2 an exciting prospect; rumours that it will be thinner, lighter, feature a higher resolution screen and cameras would not, in themselves, be terribly exciting from any other manufacturer.

With Apple, however, it’s the ease of use that is crucial. In a way that few other manufacturers ever manage, the iPad and iPhone make their sophisticated features available to users. It’s that which makes the fans so loyal, and it’s also that which explains the huge levels of hype. And better for all of us, Apple users or not, it’s that which drives competitors on.