iPad 2 breaks more often than original, report claims

The iPad 2 is more susceptible to accidental damage than Apple's first tablet, a report from warranty provider SquareTrade claims.

The findings says that Apple's second, slimmer tablet is reported unintentionally borked 3.5 times more often than the original iPad. Over 9.8 per cent of people who own a warranty with SquareTrade reported accident-induced failure in the first year, compared with just 2.8 per cent of original iPad owners.

The iPad 2's higher failure-report rate is blamed on the tablet's skinnier frame, which seemingly makes it more fragile and vulnerable to damaging knocks. I've seen original iPads take a dent or two and keep on trucking, but when you lose the chunky frame, I suppose it makes sense that the tablet becomes a bit more vulnerable to falling off a bedside table.

The new iPad, launched last week, is slightly bulkier than the iPad 2, at 9.4mm thick and weighing 652g for the Wi-Fi only version (compare to 8.8mm thick and 601g for the equivalent iPad 2), so it'll be interesting to see if that slight design alteration makes the tablet more robust.

The magnetic Smart Cover accessory is also mentioned -- making the foolish mistake of gripping your tablet by this flimsy cover rather than by its casing will cause the iPad 2 to detach under its own weight, hurtling towards your tiled kitchen floor as your eyes widen in frozen horror. 

Interestingly, the report also details the eight most common causes of reported iPad accidents. Not surprisingly, dropping the tablet while handling it is top of the list, with the tablet falling off a table being the second most common cause of iPad injury.

Oddly enough, driveway and in-car accidents are third -- what are all of you doing with your iPad in the car? Eyes on the road, people! Children, spillages and pets also make the list, as do damage sustained while carrying the iPad in a bag, and accidentally banging the tablet against something. 

Would you prefer a thin and light tablet, or a chunky, robust one? Do you like to bundle your gadgets in protective casing, or let them go au naturel? Let me know in the comments, or over on our Facebook wall.