iPad 2 on sale March 25

Apple iPad 2, black and white models, front view

Apple iPad 2, black and white models, front view

The Apple iPad 2 has been revealed at an event in San Francisco, shown off by none other than Steve Jobs. It will carry the iOS 4.3 operating system, and the processor is a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5, will will say Apple make the iPad 2 twice as fast as the original iPad, at the same time providing more efficient power usage.

As expected, the iPad 2 is a little thinner and lighter than its predecessor, 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter (the Wi-Fi + 3G model is 12 grams heavier than the Wi-Fi only model).



Lovers of the colour white, there’ll not be the disappointment of the delay of the white iPhone 4, with both a black and a white model of the iPad 2 on the way.

Also new to the iPad 2 is a camera – two cameras in fact. That means Apple’s video calling app FaceTime can be used between two iPad 2s, or between the iPad 2 and an iPhone or iPod touch, or between an iPad 2 and a Mac using the FaceTime for Mac app. The addition of the camera also brings Apple’s popular Photo Booth app to the iPad 2.

Photo Booth for the iPad 2

Apple iPad 2 release date and price

There’s not too much of a delay with the Australian release date this time around. The Apple iPad 2 will go on sale in Australia on March 25, as it will Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Australian carriers for the iPad 2 will be Telstra, Optus, 3 and Vodafone.

No Australian pricing has been revealed yet, indeed all international pricing will be “revealed at a later date’. The US release date is March 11, with pricing is as follows:

  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi 16GB – $US499
  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi 32GB – $US599
  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi 64GB – $US699
  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G 16GB – $US629
  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G 32GB – $US729
  • iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G 64GB – $US829

Apple iPad 2 specifications

  • Operating system: iOS 4.3
  • Screen: 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
  • Network: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  • Processor: 1GHz dual-core Apple A5
  • Back camera: Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still camera with 5x digital zoom
  • Front camera: Video recording, VGA up to 30 frames per second with audio; VGA-quality still camera
  • Sensors: Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light sensor
  • Storage: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
  • Battery life: Up to 10 hours
  • Colours: Black or white
  • Dimensions: 185.7 x 8.8 x 241.2 mm (W x D x H)
  • Weight: Wi-Fi model – 601 grams; Wi-Fi + 3G model – 613 grams