Apple confirmed the U.S. release date of its Ipad 2 Wednesday along with a surprise appearance from Steve Jobs. Jobs announced the Ipad 2 would hit store shelves on March 11th in the U.S. and be available in 26 other countries on the 25th. Those anticipating the newest version of the Ipad can expect to pay $499 for the 16 GB edition in white or black. For those with less cash to spare, the original Ipad is still available for $399.
The Ipad 2, weighing in at 1.3lbs is slightly lighter than the previous versions of 1.5lbs and 33% thinner. One feature that stayed the same was the 10 hour battery life of the device. Many technology enthusiasts are happy about the increase in processing power. The Ipad 2 is twice as fast as the original with a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip as opposed the old A4. Another plus is the addition of two cameras on the front and rear of the device. Face Time video conferencing and Photo Booth accompany the front facing camera, and the rear facing camera is video recording capable with 720p HD video and a 5x digital zoom. The front and rear facing cameras definitely make the new Ipad 2 stand out among the previous version which comes with no cameras at all.
The new edition comes complete with a gyroscope and faster CPU as speculated. The device supports both the CDMA and GSM cellular networks from AT&T and Verizon. A few new accessories have been incorporated into Apple’s Ipad 2 that have some people talking. The first is the doc cable providing HDMI Mirrored Video Output providing 1080p to HD TV’s and computers. The second is the “smart cover” lending the device a layer of protection over the screen and acting as microfiber cleaner when installed on the Ipad 2. The “smart cover” can also be used as a stand when taken off the device.
The Ipad 2 is available with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G. Of course the price varies with each edition and available GB’s on the device. The Ipad 2 Wi-Fi edition will cost you $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB. For the Wi-Fi plus 3G editions expect to pay $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32Gb and $829 for 64GB.
Since the release date and specs of the Ipad2 were announced, there have been mixed reviews popping up in newspapers and online. An abundance of consumers were expecting something different from Apple and instead feel as though they got more of the same from the original Ipad.
