5 reasons not to buy the iPad 2

Apple has a new iPad on the way, but you've probably gotten pretty chummy with your original model. For a first-generation product, the Apple iPad is a fine tablet that can do tons of different things and hasn't lost any of its functionality in the last few days. Sure, the newer iPad 2 is more compact, faster, and adds cameras, but besides that, there's not much more in the way of upgrades. So, should you make the move to the iPad 2?

Well, the new one has a camera, so you can use FaceTime, Photo Booth, and other fun iLife apps that focus on taking photos or videos. If your best friend or favorite relative has an iPhone, iPod touch, or a Mac, this would be the perfect way to get some video calls going without getting a new cell phone. And its faster CPU and graphics processor means it's better suited for the apps and games of the future. Still, there are several good reasons why you shouldn't ditch your old iPad just yet. Here are five of them:

It's as good a media player as the iPad 2
The iPad 2 doesn't increase the resolution or improve the brightness or colors of its display over the first iPad, so as a plain movie viewer, there's no compelling reason to replace your iPad. There are no movies you can watch or songs you can listen to on the iPad 2 that you can't on the original iPad.

 

It's as good an ebook reader as the iPad 2
Once again, same screen, same ebook reader. The iPad 2 isn't going to display newspapers, magazines, and books any better than the original iPad. At best, the iPad 2 will load large documents like PDFs faster than the iPad, but that's it. Not a good justification to toss out your tablet and spend $500 on a new one.

It can access the same online content as the iPad 2
Again, just like playing local media files and loading ebooks, the iPad 2's additional power won't make online content any smoother or prettier. The iPad can already load Hulu Plus. It can already load Netflix. It can already load the Adult Swim mobile app. What more could you want?

It can output video to an HDTV just like an iPad 2.
Apple announced the Digital AV Adapter alongside the iPad 2, and showed off its video-mirroring feature as a strong benefit of the new tablet. Unfortunately, video mirroring only works with the iPad 2, but the adapter itself works just fine with the old iPad. You can still use your original iPad as an HDTV-slinging movie player, albeit at 720p compared to the iPad 2's 1080p maximum output resolution. (Update: The Digital AV Adapter only works with the first iPad at up to 720p, while the iPad 2 can output at 1080p through the adapter and supports video mirroring. You can still send video to your HDTV through your original iPad, but it will be slightly lower resolution. Whether that's a deal-breaker is up to you.)

You'll still be able to use GarageBand
Next to iMovie, GarageBand is the biggest new app Apple announced alongside the iPad 2. However, it will run on the original iPad. Yes, the iPad 2's faster, but you won't need that power to cut some fresh tracks in the iOS version of GarageBand.

This article, written by Will Greenwald, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc..