Yesterday, I got a chance to use and review an iPad 2 in comparison to The original iPad. This will be one of the shorter reviews you will read (as my hands on time was limited for both devices), and it will be targeted toward primarily Ministry use.
First, the differences…
You can read any number of reviews that will give fine detail of the specific details. The main real-world differences are: Speed and Weight. The original iPad was not bad in either, but the iPad 2 expectedly improves on both. The iPad 2 was significantly faster in accomplishing the same processing and application tasks than the original iPad. Keep in mind, the original iPad is not slow by any means.
Ministry Uses:
There are a lot of potentials for ministry with the iPad 2. The unit I tested was loaded with the Penultimate app and a stylus to take notes. It also had the Youversion HD app installed and Quickoffice. I can a potential here for moving toward paperless meetings and presentations within the administrative side of ministry. The display mirroring of the iPad 2 could be a useful tool withing ministry as well for presenting multimedia resources.
Overall ministry use?
I see it as a very useful tech tool with a lot of potential. Is it going to replace your notebook or desktop? No. However, I can see a lot of scenarios where the notebook could get left at home for the iPad2.
Overall build/Quality
Both were very good in this department. The “Smart Case” was not my cup of tea, as it does not protect the back shell of the iPad2. The build quality was worlds beyond the Chinese Android tablets we use in my youth ministry (but so is the price…)
Given the short amount of test time, it was an overall positive experience. Not really drinking the Apple Kool-Aid, but they were solid units designed for a purpose, and that purpose could include some of the everyday tasks we do in ministry.