You already know most of the story: The iPad 2 is crazy thin, it’s lighter in a way that really matters, and it’s much faster than the original iPad.
This video should show you all of that in a way you haven’t quite seen yet, if you haven’t already picked one up yourself. The difference is stark. Every app loads faster, some in a very meaningful way. Infinity Blade looks more exquisite, with more detail you can see in almost every textures—your armour reveals more nooks and crannies, highlights and shadows. When you switch between apps—or tabs in Safari—you won’t have to reload the whole damn app or page nearly as often. Which makes it feel faster and more usable still.
Something we’re not sure we saw in other reviews: The iPad 2’s screen is noticeably better than the original iPad, at least when it comes to viewing angle. It was one of the first things we noticed when we put them side-by-side. The iPad 2’s colours stay truer, richer longer as you look at it off-axis, so it’s easier to show stuff to other people around you. It’s really obvious in the photos, and in the last few seconds of the clip.
And yet, the iPad 2 is almost as thin as an issue of the New Yorker. As impressed as I was with the Xoom in some ways, its weight and bulk makes it feel like Cold War technology right now.