Apple Launches iPad 2 With Dual Cameras

  • All new design
  • Thinner, lighter and faster
  • 10-hour battery

Apple had introduced the iPad 2, the next generation of slate for browsing the web, reading and sending email, looking at photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and more.

iPad 2 features a new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and good graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time.

Though it is thinner, lighter and faster the unit delivers up to 10 hours of battery life, claims Apple. iPad 2 is available in black or white and introduces the iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colours.

With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera. 

iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, with new features including faster Safari mobile browsing performance; iTunes Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay; the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 mobile data connection over Wi-Fi. Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adapter.

The iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen. Designed with a self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfibre lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane or rich leather in a range of colours, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie and GarageBand for iPad. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe gallery; watch them on their iPod, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV. GarageBand turns the iPad into a collection of touch instruments and eight-track recording studio, allowing users to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures.

iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from a range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalogue of over 14 million songs, and thousands of TV episodes and films including high definition video. The iBooks app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device.

RRP
TBC