Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance at the conference during a medical leave of absence from Apple to personally explain the unbelievable new features, including a 33% thinner frame and an A5 microprocessor that will make the new iPad twice as fast as its predecessor and have nine times faster graphics capabilities.
The iPad 2, like the first, will be priced at $499 for the Wi-Fi version and $629 for 3G, and will now be available on both the AT&T and Verizon networks. It will also be available in both white and black, and will feature the same 10 hour battery life as the first. One feature that users are extremely excited about is the addition of FaceTime video chatting. With the new iPad, users can FaceTime from iPad to iPad, or even from iPad to iPhone. Along with the iPad 2 discussion came the announcement that an iOS 4.3 update would also be available on March 11th to the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. With the new software updates, the iPhone 4 can also now be used as a personal mobile hotspot for the iPad and other devices, making it easier and more convenient to use the Wi-Fi only iPad if you are an iPhone owner.
Overall, Apple and Jobs have wowed the public and the competition yet again and there is no reason to think that they will stop anytime soon. After all, last year alone Apple sold about 15 million iPads, which totaled about 12.5% of Apple’s total 2010 sales, and this is even without all the new features. To see all these improvements in action, check out the Mashable video here.
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