A year ago, nobody had an iPad. Then Apple sold 15 million of them in just nine months, creating a whole new category of technology product. The original iPad wasn’t a game changer, it was a game creator.

Whilst other manufacturers have tried to jump on the bandwagon, Apple has now gone and moved the goalposts again. The iPad 2 is twice as fast, has 9x faster graphics than before, and includes front and rear. All this in a slimmer, lighter, sexier chassis that’s thinner than an iPhone 4. The new iPad 2 it arrives in the US on March 11 and 23rd March the rest of us.

What’s New

At the heart of the new iPad 2 is an Apple-Designed dual-core A5 processor and the improved graphics performance. The processor is twice as fast as the original iPad and the graphics are 9x faster. The display remains the same 9.7 inch size and the same resolution of 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi). Memory capacities remain the same with either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage.

The iPad 2 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Most notable is the fact that the back side tapers to a flat surface in a much shorter distance than the original iPad. The reduced thickness of just 0.34 inch (8.8 mm) of the iPad 2 means that the buttons and ports are on curved space between the front and rear.

The major outward difference in the iPad 2 is the addition of a pair of cameras; one on the front and one on the back. These cameras can shoot pictures, record video, and be used for FaceTime video conferencing. The front camera is VGA and records up to 30 frames per second, whilst the back camera is HD (720p) and records up to 30 frames per second and also has a 5x digital zoom.

Although the iPad 2 is smaller and faster than the original iPad is still retains is impressive 10 hours of battery life, due to the poer eficcient components inside. The iPad 2 is fitted with a gyroscope as well as an accelerometer. The accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, and compass all work togethe and sense which direction iPad is heading and how it’s moving.

The iPad 2 is also going to be available in 2 colours from the off, with Apple offering both black and white versions.