Apple iPad2 vs BlackBerry PlayBook

We test the mettle of Apple’s newly announced iPad 2, putting it head-to-head with RIM’s hotly anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook, but which will emerge victorious?

Software Apple’s iOS is a great operating system. It allows users to accomplish as much (or as little) as they like, and doesn’t demand a lot in return. Naturally users get access to the hundreds of thousands of apps available in the Apple App Store and will no doubt find plenty to please.

The simplicity which is iOS’s greatest plus point, also provides its biggest negative though, with a lot of users left feeling hamstrung by Apple’s training-wheels approach to device usage.

iPad 2 will come with version iOS 4.3, which includes some pretty exciting additions, such as Wi-Fi tethering, Apple’s new Find My Friends service and Google Maps 5.0, which includes the rather nifty 3D user interface that has been pleasing Android users in recent weeks.

AirPlay functionality is also expanded in version 4.3 of iOS, extending usage rights to developers so you’ll be able to use third-party apps to stream content to your Apple TV or Mac.

BlackBerry’s PlayBook comes with an altogether new operating system, BlackBerry Tablet OS, a platform based on RIM’s recently acquired QNX software.

BlackBerry Tablet OS is a secure operating system, based on open source ideals that offers true multi-tasking, enterprise level security and a uniquely simple user interface.

In addition to the firm foundation users can look forward to full flash browsing, HTML 5 support and, if rumour is to be believed, access to the huge array of apps available on the Android Market™, courtesy of RIM’s Dalvik emulation software

Winner – PlayBook

Media When you buy an Apple device you know you’re going to get a slick multimedia experience and the iPad 2 is no different. With support for .MP4 video, access to iTunes for all of your films, games, TV shows and music plus10 hours of playback on single charge you’ve got a pretty powerful entertainment device on your hands in the iPad 2.

When you factor in the newly added mirrored HDMI-out it takes on a whole new dimension. You can sit and play your games on your HD television (making use of iPad 2’s new gyroscope sensor for more control as you do), or simply sit and enjoy content from your iTunes library on the big-screen.

RIM’s PlayBook is no shrinking violet in the entertainment stakes though. It too offers HDMI-out , allowing you to view your content on your HD display but also allows business users to output presentations while maintaining control over their tablet to access notes and other information.

In terms of applications RIM’s app store does pale in comparison to Apple’s, though the aforementioned support for Android apps will no doubt take people’s minds off that minor drawback.

Winner – PlayBook

Well that’s a surprise! Apple’s newly announced super tablet has been comprehensively  seen-off by RIM’s pocket battleship! The PlayBook, for all its small stature, still packs a heck of a punch and even the might of Apple’s iPad 2 wasn’t going to be enough to stride past it in the tablet stakes.

We’re not going to lie, the lack of decent optics and an improved screen on the iPad 2 was a huge disappointment, and we can’t help but feeling that this is the device the original iPad should have been.

Sure, it’s attractive, slim and svelte but, save for the addition of a dual-core processor, it is, technologically speaking, a very 2010 piece of hardware.

We don’t expect this small point to put people off though because, for all of its omissions, it’s an Apple, and people know and trust the company with good reason.

Jack Morris for e-News