A follow-up to the Apple’s successful iPad tablet, simply dubbed iPad 2 has just been presented in San Francisco. The first iPad was released in April last year. iPad 2 features a completely new design, and many new features, such as built-in cameras and a new gyroscope.
iPad 2 uses a 1.2 GHz dual-core Apple A5 processor, a large improvement over 1GHz A4 which ran the first iPad. Apple says that the A5 is two times faster than previous processors; graphics performance is nine times faster. “The graphics on this thing is astonishing” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
iPad 2 has two integrated cameras that can be used with FaceTime video chat and other applications. FaceTime can be used between any two Apple gadgets – two iPads 2, between an iPad 2 and an iPhone or iPod Touch, or between an iPad two and a Mac with FaceTime A new Photo Booth application for iPad 2 is presented for communication between an iPad 2 and Mac .
The front camera can record VGA video (640 x 480) with sound at 30 frames per second . The front camera can also capture still images in 640 × 480 resolution, while the rear camera can record HD video in 720p at 30 FPS with sound. In still mode, camera features a 5x digital zoom.
iPad 2 has a 9.7-inch LCD screen with a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution at 132 dots per inch, the same as the predecessor.
iPad 2 is on the whole thinner and lighter than its forerunner, weighing around 600 grams and being 8.8 mm thick. The first iPad weighed 680 g (730 g) and was 13.4 mm thick. iPad 2 is actually thinner than the iPhone 4, which is 9.3 mm thick.
Other new features include a gyroscope, 10 hours of battery life and you can choose between a black or white iPad.
Apple offers six versions of IiPad 2. There are three Wi-Fi models: a $ 499 model with 16GB flash memory, a $ 599 model with 32 GB of flash memory, and a $ 699 model with 64 GB of flash memory.
Apple will also present three 3G-equipped models: a $ 629 model with 16GB flash memory, a $ 729 model with a 323GB and a $ 829 model with 64 GB of flash memory. Apple has also said that iPad will work with AT & T or Verizon.
iPad 2 will be available from 11 March 2011 from the Apple Store.
At the Apple event, Jobs said that nearly 15 million iPads have been sold during a nine month period in 2010. According to Apple, iPad holds 90 percent share of the tablet market.