Apple unveils iPad2

At a live event in San Francisco, Apple introduced the iPad 2, a thinner, lighter, and more robust successor to the iPad. The iPad 2 improves on many aspects of the original iPad: it’s 33 percent thinner, 15 percent lighter, has both front- and rear-facing cameras, and packs a 1GHz Cortex A5 dual-core processor that Apple asserts will allow for up to twice the CPU speed and graphics processing that is up to nine times faster.

Dual-core A5 chip

Two powerful cores in one A5 chip mean iPad can do twice the work at once. You’ll notice the difference when you’re surfing the web, watching movies, making FaceTime video calls, gaming, and going from app to app to app. Multitasking is smoother, apps load faster, and everything just works better.

Superfast graphics

With up to nine times the graphics performance, gameplay on iPad is even smoother and more realistic. And faster graphics help apps perform better — especially those with video. You’ll see it when you’re scrolling through your photo library, editing video with iMovie, and viewing animations in Keynote.

Two cameras and FaceTime for iPad

You’ll see two cameras on iPad — one on the front and one on the back. They may be tiny, but they’re a big deal. They’re designed for FaceTime video calling, and they work together so you can talk to your favorite people and see them smile and laugh back at you. The front camera puts you and your friend face-to-face. Switch to the back camera during your video call to share where you are, who you’re with, or what’s going on around you. When you’re not using FaceTime, let the back camera roll if you see something movie-worthy. It’s HD, so whatever you shoot is a mini-masterpiece. And you can take wacky snapshots in Photo Booth. It’s the most fun a face can have.

iPad Smart Cover

iPad 2 and the iPad Smart Cover are made for each other. Literally. We designed the iPad Smart Cover to work side-by-side with iPad — and on top and underneath it, too. Smart magnetic technology built into each really pulls them together. The iPad Smart Cover falls perfectly into place and stays put to protect your iPad screen, yet doesn’t add bulk to its thin, light design. Open the Smart Cover and your iPad wakes up instantly. Close it and your iPad goes to sleep automatically. And here’s another smart part: It transforms into the perfect movie-watching, game-playing, web-surfing stand. It comes in 10 bright colors — including five in rich, aniline-dyed Italian leather. Choose your favorite, and your iPad will be smart all around.

iOS 4

iOS 4 is the operating system for iPad (along with iPhone and iPod touch). It lets you browse, read, and see everything just by touching the screen. It includes all the powerful, innovative, and fun built-in apps you use every day, many times a day. And it’s the platform on which more than 65,000 other amazing apps have been created for iPad. It’s highly secure, stable, and responsive, and it’s made to work seamlessly with the iPad hardware. iOS 4 is the reason no other device has yet come close to iPad. The upgrade will be released later for current hardware.

Gyro, accelerometer, and compass

With the built-in accelerometer, you can rotate iPad to portrait or landscape, or even upside down, and whatever you’re watching, reading, or seeing adjusts to fit the display. And now the accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, and compass all work together. They sense which direction iPad is heading and how it’s moving. So games, maps, and other apps know your every twist, turn, tilt, and 360. It’s an epic win for gaming. And it’s just the beginning of better-than-ever iPad apps.

AirPlay

All the great stuff on your iPad — your music, photos, and video — can now stream wirelessly to your HDTV and speakers via AirPlay-enabled speakers or Apple TV on a Wi-Fi network. With just a tap on the AirPlay icon, blast some tunes, have a movie night, show off some photos, or watch YouTube. And go big.

Video mirroring

Video mirroring is new for iPad and for every app, web page, presentation, video, movie, or photo you want to show a big audience. Just plug in the Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (sold separately) and your HDTV or projector becomes a bigger version of your iPad. One plug, that’s it. Everyone sees what’s on your display — even when you rotate iPad from portrait to landscape or zoom in and out on photos.

AirPrint

Print your email, photos, web pages, and documents right from your iPad over Wi-Fi. There’s no software to download, no drivers to install, and no cables to connect. With just a few taps, you can go from viewing something on the iPad screen to holding a printed copy.

While some things have changed, many remain the same: like the original model, the iPad 2 will get ten hours of battery life, be available in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, will be WiFi or WiFi+3G-capable, and will have the same pricing structure, with the 16GB WiFi version starting at $499. The iPad 2 will ship with iOS 4.3 starting March 11, and is currently unavailable for preorder.

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