iPad 2 officially announced

At the iPad 2 launch event today, Steve Jobs took the stage and presented his latest baby to the world – the iPad 2. The sequel to the hottest selling tablet in the world. After months of speculations, leaks and gossip, we finally have the final details about the tablet. Is it worth all the hype it’s been getting? Well, read on to find out.

The iPad 2 improves upon its predecessor in almost every way. It is lighter, faster, and thinner. A testament to the skills of Apple’s design team – the iPad 2 is even thinner than the iPhone 4! It is only 8.8mm thick and weighs 1.3lbs. Did Apple skimp on technology to make it so compact? No they didn’t.

The iPad 2 packs an A5 dual-core processor that provides up to 2x more processing power and 9x faster graphics than the A4 processor used in the first iPad. It comes with dual cameras with the front facing camera obviously used for FaceTime video calls. It will be launching on both Verizon and AT&T, so Apple isn’t playing favorites with either carrier here.

What didn’t change though was the iPad 2’s display. It has the same 9.7″ (1024 x 768) touchscreen as its predecessor, which isn’t a bad thing since it wasn’t a bad display to begin with. But better readability in daylight would have been welcome. Good thing for us consumers, Apple will be keeping the iPad 2 at the same price points as the previous iPads though prices of the original iPads took a dive to make way for the new tablet, so folks who feel they don’t need the features of the iPad 2 might be keen on picking up the first iPad now.

The iPad 2 will ship with iOS 4.3 in two colors – black or white, and will be available next week, March 11. Head over to the official Apple site for more details on the tablet and purchasing info. What do you think of the new iPad? Is it enticing enough for you to make you upgrade?