Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

1. 544 of 582 people found this review helpful

   By bkluvr on Amazon.com 25 August, 2011

   honeymoon is over

   i bought this from apple because amazon didn't have it yet. I am middle- aged, love my nano, a kindle devotee from the first days, don't have a smart phone, and am a pc user. at first i was awed by the touchscreen and the resolution quality. images are gorgeous. but now, it is really annoying. too often the screen doesn't respond, and then reacts when you don't even know you're touching it. the word processing function has been limited and limiting from the start, for someone accustomed to microsoft.
   if you think in buying the ipad you are getting a compact, fast, light computer, you are not. it IS fast. a computer it is not. no flash player is definitely a hinderance. what it is great for is apps, games, (although the screen has been frustrating there too), watching movies and tv shows, some browsing on the internet, and as a portable photo album, because images are truly fantastic on the ipad. i find the screen very fatiguing on my eyes, and have the brightness level down almost as far as it can go. i would never dream of reading a book on it. kindle has nothing to worry about, as far as the ipad as a reading device. the fact i can't see the ipad screen outside, even in the shade, is also unfortunate, but i get it, that's a backlit screen.
   i am submitting this review not to bash apple, but to clarify a bit to people not familiar with macs and/or touchscreens what this device is about. would i buy this device again? not unless it sold for maybe $300. it is more a toy than a tool.
2. 31 of 32 people found this review helpful

   By Peter Zadek on Amazon.com 18 August, 2011

   Nice Toy

   The iPad 2 really is a nice toy, but not more than that. I own the 32 GB WiFi version.For getting things done even a Netbook is a better choice and cost's a third. The keyboard and the connectivity with the "real" digital environment is really missing. For reading books the Kindle is way better. It's the perfect device for casual surfing. Casual fit's the device the best. If you like to read rather get a Kindle. When it's about work a PC or Mac is the better choice. The iPad kind of fill's the gap, if you already own any of the above devices, then it's often more convenient to use the iPad. Just be sure that you are ready the pay the premium for something you don't really need.
3. 27 of 28 people found this review helpful

   By A. Catlett on Amazon.com 21 June, 2011

   Wifi problems

   At first this device was the best thing I had ever bought! Two weeks later I'm kind of disappointed.
   
   I have had a couple of issues with this device, biggest one being serious issues with wifi connectivity. Apparently this has been a common issue for ipad 2. I found a fix for mine, which is to say its not complete junk, but definitely an inconvenience to go through all the steps again and again to fix it. The other issue is I keep having audio problems...sometimes when muted it cant unmute itself and I have to restart it in order to get my audio working again. The camera picture quality is not great, in fact its useless. The video quality is decent in good lighting, very usable if you can really see yourself taking video with a 10 inch tablet. The device isnt heavy for me, but my older mother found it heavy for her to hold after only using it for 5 minutes, which is why I would also recommend getting the smart cover for it..it can turn into some pretty useful sturdy positions for typing, reading, or watching video.
   
   The positives of this device, I was surprised at how great the screen would be. I thought it would scratch easy or be high maintenance...but its been really easy to keep clean with a small microfiber cloth (not included). Apps load fast, graphics are nice, and perfect for netbook replacement as long as you dont do a ton of typing. Its great for social media and web browsing, but i would NOT use this as an ebook reader, your eyes start to hurt after reading for awhile. Get the kindle for that.
   
   I think the app store is slightly over hyped, i have found two unique apps that i couldnt have got for an android tablet...but overall the most popular apps seem to be on both devices.
4. 29 of 32 people found this review helpful

   By Reader2008 on Amazon.com 1 June, 2011

   Don't ORDER it ENGRAVED...NOT RETURNABLE!

   Apple online offers free engraving. There is a saying "nothing in life is free. Guess what, free engraving means you CANNOT RETURN IT. So, I wait a month for it to arrive. It looks delicate and expensive and I am excited to use it. I can't get it to work. I HAVE TO DOWNLOAD Itunes to register it and get to work. I get it to work and then the WIFI at my home and work and everywhere else is locked so I have to buy some service. I buy the 250MB. Yes, I know it is not a lot but I have a computer at home and at work; this was just for play. One day later, I HAVE only 40 MB left. I had to buy the 2GB service.
   
   I call Att and complain about how slow the device is and how the data usuage is disappearing even though I am not using the tablet. Att informs me that basically I have to reserve use for "special occasions" and go look for WIFI service. In lieu of that, I would have to keep paying for more data usuage.
   
   At that point, I am thinking what??? I pay $800.00 for this thing and now I have to come up with $25.00 a month and I have to limit my youtube use and netflix use or else I am going to have an overage fee.
   
   In addition, my service is slow because Att in my area is slow and oftentimes I have to turn the IPAD off to try to get it to work.
   
   If you are buying an IPAD, make sure you know what exactly you are getting. I didn't understand that and now I am stuck with it.
   
   UPDATE: I highly recommend this book to people trying to figure out the IPAD2 My iPad 2 (covers iOS 4.3) (2nd Edition)
   I don't know if it is just MY Ipad2 or what, but videos are not clear on my Ipad2. I can see the videos and they look nice, but they are not clear. It is easy to take pictures, but they too are not clear. The volume and audio sound is outstanding though--very loud and clear.
   
   I must add that the Ipad2 is LIGHTWEIGHT but the item is much too delicate. For $829.00 they should include a protective case for free; this thing is too delicate to be out on its own.
5. 25 of 28 people found this review helpful

   By Chet Brewer on Amazon.com 13 August, 2011

   ok, so tell me why I bought this

   Ok, my rating is a compromise, in terms of working exactly like its intended to it should be 4.5 stars or so, in terms of how it replaces things like a kindle, a smartphone or notebook, its maybe 1 star. I really wanted something that would allow me to ditch the laptop and use this on travel. Its not happening, functions are too poor, touch screen keyboard is not tactile enough to use for any real typing, Safari browser is cumbersome to use, can't read the screen in even normal daylight so doesn't replace my e reader at all. No real spreadsheet functions or presentation modes. Too clumsy to take noes on. The only things it replaces laptop for are movies or videos and even then the battery life is pretty poor. As far as I can tell I really got sucked into buying one from the hype. On the other hand I use my smartphone (iPhone) constantly and it also replaced my mp3 for traveling. A case of a product making your life easier. I'm going to give the tablet to my daughter, I'm sure she will use it, but I havent really found a useful role for it
6. 19 of 22 people found this review helpful

   By A. Sanchez on Amazon.com 13 May, 2011

   Ipad2 Expandability or Lack Of

   The ipad2 I ordered from amazon came very quickly, a lot faster than they expected. It was a 32 gb. This was for my 68 year old sister-in-law who has not used a computer. After a few instructions, she was able to pick up and use it, using face time to talk to her son abroad, nephews and grand nephews across the state, skyping, emails etc. She wanted to store pictures in it so we bought a usb cable to attached an external portable hard drive, and lo and behold, it doesn't eve see it. Apparently, apple products are not expandable as I thought. (I used an android operating system from verizon). So she is stuck with pictures in her sd card. So I told her to just store the pictures in sd cards. SD cards are not that cheap though but I don't see an alternative. She does not have a laptop at all. This is my only gripe with the Ipad.
7. 17 of 20 people found this review helpful

   By Hurticus on Amazon.com 20 August, 2011

   Great under optimum conditions.

   I bought the iPad 2 wifi 16g to take with me to Afghanistan. When I first recieved it, it was amazing. It was new, flashy, fast, the charge lasted forever and all my friends wanted to play with it. After about a week or two, the battery didn't seem to stay charged as long. It wasn't that big of a problem though, because I was never far from a plug. When I got to Afghanistan is when I lost all respect for the iPad 2. The lack of constant signal caused apps and updates to half download which left permanent gliches in the programs and the main screen as well, that I cannot get rid of. Problems, that none of my friends with other brand's tablets had. The battery life was almost cut in half and its a hassle to do anything with it now because of the poor state of apps and the whole iPad itself. I would recommend this if you will always have perfect signal and never be more than 10 feet away from a plug.
8. 28 of 35 people found this review helpful

   By Michael Tran on Amazon.com 5 April, 2011

   Has its same limitations...

   I bought the first generation ipad and was pretty pleased with it. I must admit that I had alot more fun with the ipad 1 due to the fact that it was unlocked, so I virtually got everything free. The only problem, if you will, is that it lacked a webcam, and the ipad 2 solved that very problem! Although the webcam isn't the best out there, it gets the job done, but if you're looking for a professional resolution, prepared to be dissapointed! Ipad 2 basically does exactly the same thing as the first generation in terms of features. The only difference is the fact that it's thinner and lighter (HALLELUJAH!). I enjoyed it when it arrived, but just gotta wait for a jailbreak to enjoy its full potential, but so far has the same limitations such as no flash, glares on the screen in sunlight, not bullet proof (sarcasm intended) etc. In general the ipad is not for school, work, or anything serious of that nature (I TRIED typing a 2000-word essay, surely was not fun). Things like the ipad is just for the trend and casual uses like surfing the net, it looks cool, fun to play with, but is not gonna beat a laptop in terms of effiency and definitely not internet speed. Overall an OKAY experience, if I had a jail break I'd definitely upgrade this rating :PP
9. 13 of 15 people found this review helpful

   By L. Belz on Amazon.com 13 August, 2011

   iPad really great, iTunes really horrible

   Could really like the iPad except that iTunes is totally horrible. The interface on iTunes is way too frustrating--every single time I checked a box with iTunes, it automatically unchecks itself within two seconds later. The script on iTunes doesn't even work correctly on a pc--I've tried to sync from two different PCs, and kept getting the same problems reading the script on the interface. It may work for a MAC, but it's not really designed well for a PC (and both of the PCs I tried to sync the iPad with on iTunes are about a year old...Windows 7...)
   
   Bottom line: way too frustrating an experience dealing with iTunes all around... Besides, it doesn't even look half as nice as Windows Media. (Not that I particularly care for Microsoft, either, but come on, Apple...can't you do better than Windows Media???!!!!) If it weren't for iTunes, I'd give the iPad a 5 star rating--a portable computer for under 1.5 lbs--yes!!!! But since you have to use iTunes--no way around it--I can only give this 3 stars until Apple comes up with a better solution to the iTunes problem.
   
   (In an earlier review I complained about transferring email accounts from the PC to the iPad. Well, I figured it out. It's not that hard. Unless you have Outlook, you can't transfer from your PC, but it's not that complicated to transfer directly from gmail or the imaps server at the university just as you would with Outlook express or Windows Live.)
10. 15 of 18 people found this review helpful

    By Greg Smith on Amazon.com 20 June, 2011

    Outside of the cool factor What is an IPAD Good for?

    I really don't like technology for the sake of technology, and anything I buy I want it to have a specific purpose. I bought this IPAD for a specific reason, and following it's use for that purpose, I am trying to figure out what else this thing can do, and what it is good for. Sadly, the only thing I have found so far that made me smile was when I got to watch Family Guy on HULU while stuck in the Las Vegas Airport. So, all in all, I am unimpressed. Outside of the "cool" factor, I really don't understand the flurry of excitement over this technology. Service from Amazon was amazing and hopefully I will get something to use this for. If not, I guess I will give it to my daughter for use at her school that is now issuing them to students.