Following on the heels of the updated MacBook Pro laptops last week, Apple today announced details on its new iPad 2 device. The original iPad saw heavy adoption by educational institutions and students due to the various apps available for learning. It’s also the perfect tool for carrying around campus and using as an online tool while on the go. The new iPad 2 will make that even more the case as it is both thinner and lighter than the original iPad. It is in fact 33% thinner than the original iPad and, believe it or not, thinner than the iPhone 4 as it is only 8.8mm thick. The iPad 2 weighs about 1.3lbs while the original iPad weighs 1.5lbs, so the weight has been shaved .2lbs making the device more enjoyable to use as a reading device.
The performance of the iPad 2 should be greatly improved over the original iPad as it has a new dual core processor that promises twice the speed as the original iPad. Graphics performance is also enhanced with Apple claiming performance being up to nine times better in some cases. The good news to go along with this improved performance is that the battery life still remains the same at 10-hours and a standby time of up to a month.
Other enhancements include a front and rear camera which will allow for Face Time video chat and taking movies or pictures when on the go. There will be an HDMI out adapter to easily output video to your HDTV. A new cover called a Smart Cover that acts to protect and clean the screen as well as waking the device once it’s opened is also available for $39 in plastic or $69 in leather.
With news of the iPad 2 and availability coming on March 11th, the cost of the original iPad has dropped to $399 for the 16GB version. Stores such as BestBuy are now selling the iPad for $399, so if you care more about price than having the latest features then this is definitely a deal to jump on before they’re all sold out.
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