iPad 2 JavaScript speed test

CNET UK was able to take the iPad 2 running iOS 4.3 out for a test drive and the results are hypercar impressive -- 2097ms. iOS 4.3 and its new Safari Nitro engine gets a lot of the credit -- it blows iPhone 4 and the original iPad past the likes of the Nexus S and Galaxy Tab as well (they've been unable to test a Xoom as of yet), but that Apple A5 is enough to power iPad 2 to very top.

Why does this matter? Increasingly popular sites like Facebook are using more and more JavaScript to provide more and more functionality. Parsing and presenting that as fast as possible is key to having a good web experience. Who wants to wait to see their fri

Certainly Android will get an even better version of Chrome in the future, and iOS 5 might just bring us WebKit2 like Mac OS X Lion is currently providing in beta form.

For pure web performance junkies, 2011 is looking to be a very good year.

[CNET, thanks Jason!]

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.