Steve Jobs took the stage today at Apple’s special event. Though he has been on medical leave since January, the CEO came on stage today to announce Apple’s newest product: the iPad 2. “Good morning, we’ve been working on this product for a while, and I didn’t want to miss today,” said Jobs as he greeted the crowd looking a little thin, but as energetic as ever.
The iPad 2
The iPad 2 will ship on March 11. The new unit will come in white and black from day one and features the same $499 – $829 pricing as the original iPad.
Pictures
Video
Tech Specs
- Processor: 1GHz A5 dual-core processor that Jobs says offers as much as twice the CPU performance.
- Cameras: it will have front (VGA) and rear cameras and FaceTime video chat
- Graphics: performance will be “9x faster” while using the same power as the processor from the first iPad.
- Screen: 1024×768 (same as iPad) resolution and LED backlit display
- Battery: 10 hour battery life will remain
- Motion: It will have a gyroscope as well as accelerometer and digital compass
- Thinner than the iPhone 4: 8.8mm compared to iPhone’s 13.4mm thickness
- Lighter than iPad: 1.3 pounds, down from 1.5 pounds
- Buttons: On/Off, a silent button, and a volume toggle
- Connection: Wi-Fi and 3G models available for Verizon and AT&T (HSPA+ compatible)
- Storage: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models
Odds and ends
- Pricing is the same as the iPad: $499 for Wi-Fi only, $829 for decked out 3G model
- HDMI out accessory is available for $39
- Smart covers are magnetic bendable covers for iPad 2
- Available in more countries March 25
- iMovie and GarageBand will soon be available
As Jobs finished up his presentation, he made a comment about the competition, telling visitors that this is different from the PC era. “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough,” said Jobs. “It’s technology married with liberal arts, humanities that yields us the result that makes our heart sing. And nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices. And a lot of folks in this tablet market are rushing in and looking at this as the next PC,” but it is something new.
The original iPad
Before announcing the next generation iPad, Jobs went over a myriad of impressive stats about Apple products lately.
- 15 million iPads were sold from April – December 2010
- iPad has brought in $9.5 billion in revenue
- iPad has a 90 percent market share
- 65,000 apps work natively on the iPad (less than 100 for Google, Jobs points out)
- iPad has sold “more than every Tablet PC ever sold”
