Steve Jobs unveils iPad 2
Faster, slimmer, dual-core
Apple unveiled its second-generation iPad on Wednesday morning, called simply the iPad 2. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, away from Apple on medical leave, did the honors, as was rumored yesterday.
According to live blogs from Macworld and ArsTechnica (for some reason, The Register is not invited to Apple press events), the iPad 2, Jobs said in a bit of an exaggeration, is an all-new design: "not tweaked." Some of that purportedly all-new goodness includes a new dual-core processor that Apple calls the A5 and up to nine-times faster graphics. The iPad 2 also has two video cameras, one in the front and one in the rear, as does the iPhone 4.
iPad 2 – also available in black
One truly striking thing about the iPad 2 – available in both black and white "from day one" said Jobs – is how thin it is. At 8.8mm, it's slimmer than even the iPhone 4, which is a comparatively chunky 9.3. Its weight, however, hasn't dropped all that much: from 1.5 pounds in the original to a still somewhat hefty 1.3 pounds.
As expected, the iPad 2 will support both GSM and CDMA, making it available in the US from both AT&T and Verizon – also "from day one." No mention was made of 4G connectivity, however.
Accessories include a $39 HDMI adapter to mirror video at up to 1080p, and a rather odd magnetically attached, polyurethane or leather cover – not case – that, as explained by Jobs: "Automatically wakes the iPad when you open it, and puts it to sleep when it closes it." The polyurethane case covers are $39, and the leather ones $69.
The iPad 2's oddball innovative unusual Smart Cover can double as a tilt-up or stand-up prop
The iPad 2 will begin shipping on March 11 in the US, then on March 25 in 26 more countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and other big-market targets. Pricing will parallel that of the original iPad, starting at $499 for the 16GB, Wi-Fi–only version, and topping out at $829 for 64GB and Wi-Fi plus 3G.
In addition to the iPad unveiling, Jobs announced that Cupertino has (finally) struck a deal with Random House that will add more than 17,000 books to the iBookstore, bringing the number of publishers in the store to over 2,500.
In other number news, Jobs said that Apple has now paid more than $2bn to developers, the company's online app, music, video, film, and book stores now have 200 million credit-card accounts, they've sold "almost" 15 million iPads in 2011, generating $9.5bn, and have recently shipped the 100 millionth iPhone.
Steve Jobs, by the way, looked good. ®
COMMENTS
I know I shouldn't feed trolls but...
I am so impressed how quickly you managed to get your disparaging comment posted on a device you don't care about.
Commercially it looks like a strong V2 of a device. Faster, lighter, new features.
Soooooo what's your problem? I bet you were one of the "it's just a big phone" brigade weren't you? Or they cost too much? Yeah they'll never catch on. Mark my words.
I'm an early adopter and I like gadgets so bought the 1st gen as soon as it came out. It paid for itself 4 times over in less than a day after showing just one client how they could optimise their website for tablet devices. Happy days!
Sad.
Always sad to see pathological prejudice with neither sense nor reason.
It's a perfectly good product serving a particular market. Just because YOU don't like it doesn't make those who do 'retards'. By resorting to such namecalling, you destroy any credibility you may have.
Sad.
Best Bit
Is that Steve Jobs looked well.
I hope he gets over his health problems and lives a long life.
Confused?
Now, I'm used to being on the Daily Mail website and having my neo-liberal views on basic human rights like not being executed downvoted. But I'm desperately struggling to see what was objectionable about this post.
Was I not polarised enough? I'm failing to see how "Yes, this upgrade looks like an upgrade - I still can't find a useful niche for it in my household though" could cause two real, breathing, thinking human beings so much objection that their thumbs turned downwards in disgust.
Maybe I just don't understand how to comment on these apple articles yet.
iPad owner here...
It's an instant-on small computer which lives in the lounge. Great for:
- checking stuff on the internet
- games (lots, and many are very, very good)
- multiplayer games with the rest of the family (Marble Mixer is great fun for four)
- education (eg. helping kids with maths homework and need a graphplot: QuickGraph)
- music apps: some of the music apps use the multitouch interface in very imaginative ways
- excellent Apple TV remote app
(quick list off the top of my head)
Ok, most of this you can do with a laptop - but none of this requires a permanent, physical keyboard. And don't forget, this is about the size of a small magazine, is instant-on and has a battery life of over ten hours.
When I got ours there was an initial rush in using it, but it's settled down now to the point where it needs recharging every three / four days. It's just really, really useful.
