iPad 2 wins high marks from sticklers at Consumer Reports
The Apple iPad 2 has received rave marks from Consumer Reports, the same magazine which slammed the iPhone 4 for reception issues. In a multiway test with a bunch of tablets, including the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the 32GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G support came out on top.
“So far, Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced,” Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports, said in a statement published by the Huffington Post. “However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”
ALSO SEE: 10 most intriguing tablets of 2011
Consumer Reports gave the iPad 2 an "excellent" ranking in a range of categories. Among them: versatility, portability, and ease of use.
Of course, as Wilson Rothman of MSNBC points out, there is a catch. Consumer Reports has "also given a 'recommended' stamp to the worthy but overpriced Motorola Xoom; to the immediately obsolete original iPad; and to the played-out-before-anyone-knew-about-it 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. Their only rejects were tablets nobody is paying attention to anyway, products from Viewsonic, Archos and Dell," Rothman notes. Which is true!
Meanwhile, over at PC Mag, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore tells Chloe Albanesius that he has changed his prediction for overall 2011 tablets sales to 45 million units – up from an original estimate of 40 million. Of that 45 million, Whitemore adds, 35 million units will be Apple iPads. "[W]e remain skeptical whether the likes of HP, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and RIM etc can close the competitive gap on iPad 2," he said. More here.
In the meantime, if you haven't done so already, sign up for the free Innovation newsletter, which is emailed out every Wednesday morning.
RELATED: 10 most intriguing tablets of 2011
