iPad 2 only runs 1.5 Times Faster Than iPad – Worth £100?
The main selling point, apart from the iPad 2s newness, is that tasty looking A5 processor.
The A5 promises high speed iPad thrills but it’s only once the iPad 2 is benchmarked you can see the real-life benefits.
Initial tests run by CNET UK suggest that the gap between the dual-core iPad 2 and the single-core iPad isn’t the huge leap in performance on every day tasks that would command that extra £100.
According to SunSpider JavaScript benchmarks run on an iPad 2 and an iPad running iOS 4.3, the iPad 2 runs only 1.5 times faster than the original.
This has sparked a discussion as to whether the iPad 2 A5 processor isn’t actually based on Cortex A9 cores, but rather a dual version of the A8 core found in the original iPad.
That may dampen the touchpaper for the likes of iJustin who is already camping out in Texas for an iPad 2 (nutter!) but for those taking my advice regarding the original iPad it’s nothing but good news.
You see, the tests performed on two original iPads, one running iOS 4.2 and one running 4.3, showed that the newer iOS ran 2.5 times quicker. This means that older iOS devices will run faster anyhow once updated 🙂
So – add the minimal boost in performance in its most common tasks and an underwhelming camera are you still hungry for iPad 2 or will you wait for iPad 3?
