Spec Showdown: iPad 2 vs. Its Rivals
Posted: March 04, 2011
How does Apple’s new tablet compare with the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the HP TouchPad and the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook? PC World's chart breaks down the specifics.
Judged on specs alone, the Apple iPad 2 doesn't do much more than keep pace with its tablet rivals. It's a bit thinner that its major rivals--the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the HP TouchPad, and the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook--and it's lighter than most. But its processor appears to be on a par with those of other tablets, and its cameras' resolutions seem to be lower.
Of course, people don't buy tablets based on specs alone. The iPad 2 will carry a base price ($499) that no major competitor has managed to match; it will come with a new version of iOS, a mobile operating system that many people prefer; and owners 
will have access to vastly more apps than are available for any other tablet. Plus, Steve Jobs promised that the iPad 2 would ship on March 11. Of the competing tablets we looked at, only the Xoom is already shipping. There are no hard availability dates for the other competitors.
Apple has shaved off a third of the thickness of the original iPad in the iPad 2, making it the thinnest tablet in this comparison. (Click the chart at right to see the full comparison.) At 1.35 pounds, the iPad 2 is also lighter, on a par with Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet as the lightest of the roughly 10-inch-screen tablets. Motorola's Xoom and HP's TouchPad are slightly heavier at 1.6 pounds.
Apple didn't change the display of the iPad 2: As on the original iPad, it has a 1024-by-768-pixel resolution and a 9.7-inch size (same as the TouchPad). The Android tablets from Motorola and Samsung have 10.1-inch screens with 1280-by-800-pixel resolution.
The iPad 2 will have the largest available built-in storage (64GB), but the Xoom probably trumps that advantage by providing 32GB of internal storage plus expandable storage via an SD Card in a future software update.
The iPad 2 is also stronger under the hood. Visit PC World for the full comparison and more specs.
Biz Tip Source: PC World
Author: Daniel Ionescu