Introducing the iPad 2 – available from 25th March 2011

Apple revealed the new specs and release date of the iPad 2 at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts in San Francisco last night. Rosie Khdir tells all…

The new iPad 2, as expected, comes with two cameras, one front facing to enable FaceTime and the other outward facing to enable HD video capture. It now comes with a powerful dual-core A5 chip which makes it two times faster, so you get faster graphics and smoother surfing.

The iPad 2 is also 33% thinner and is 15% lighter that its predecessor. Apple has still managed to keep the long battery life, boasting up to 10 hours.

It comes with the latest operating system, iOS4 which claims to be the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. The iPad 2 is also now available in two colours – black and white!

With the iPad 2 you can also get some great new accessories such as the colourful Smart Cover. You can choose from 10 colours and either polyurethane or leather material.

The Smart Cover is possibly the best new addition to the iPad – it is designed as a slim line cover to protect the LED backlit screen. The iPad 2 has magnets built into its frame so that it aligns perfectly with the aluminium back of the Smart Cover. The cover folds back and acts as a stand to lean the iPad on – two birds with one stone there.

The Smart Cover (and I know I’m going on about it more that the iPad itself) also has an on/off mechanism built in. When you close the Smart Cover, the iPad goes to sleep, and when you open it again the iPad instantly wakes up – no need to push a single button!

Unfortunately the iPad 2 does fall down in the few areas. Still no USB port, and only up to 64 Gb storage – we expected at least 128 Gb. If you already have an iPad, an upgrade may not be worth the money.

Prices are estimated to start at around £439, a little higher that the first iPad. Actual prices will be revealed on release on 25^th March 2011.