Apple iPad 2 review

The best tablet of the year or an unnecessary consumer bauble? We take an in-depth look at the 16GB WiFi iPad 2 to see whether you should deploy it in your business.

IT Pro Verdict

Despite some operating system niggles, the otherwise slick iOS combined with elegantly designed hardware leads to some real, tangible benefits for the end user - such as excellent battery life. All this makes the iPad 2 the standard by which all other tablets will be judged. If you've already deployed the original iPad there's not enough in the new model, with the possible exception of the dual core processor, to make it worth upgrading. Although it's currently the best tablet you can get, if you're deploying tablets for the first time and can wait, it'll be worth seeing how well it compares against the numerous upcoming competing tablets from rival manufacturers.

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Exchange support does mean the iPad 2 can be remotely locked and wiped in the event that it's lost or stolen. This would wipe the entire iPad though, which may or may not be desirable if your company allows employees to use their own Exchange-connected iPads for work purposes. Alternative remote lock and wipe services are available, including Apple's own free Find My iPhone app which also works with the iPad 2.

Giving presentations is now a lot easier thanks to new the HDMI adapter, sold separately, which allows the entirety of iPad's screen, from apps to the home screen, to be mirrored onto a HD TV or projector. The adapter also you to charge your iPad 2 even as you give your presentation.

Making a secure VPN connection shouldn't a problem as iOS 4.3 supports the L2TP, PPTP, and Cisco IPSec VPN protocols out of the box. There's also a huge array of apps available from database apps to office suites, alternative Exchange clients and remote desktop apps. Apple's own iPhone Configuration Utility also supports the iPad 2, allowing IT departments to deploy multiple iPads with the same settings, application restrictions and provisioning certificates for enabling in-house non-App Store distributed apps. More sophisticated management and deployment utilities from third parties are also available.

Alan Lu
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