Apple announces iPad 2 with new design, faster A5 processor

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple on Wednesday took the wraps off of its second-generation tablet, officially dubbed "iPad 2," with a completely new, thinner design, a faster dual-core A5 processor, and two video cameras, shipping on March 11.



The new iPad 2 is one-third thinner than the first-generation model, just 8.8mm thick, even thinner than the iPhone 4. At just 1.3 pounds, it is lighter than the previous 1.5 pound iPad. It will carry the same starting price of $499 for the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only model.



The device will begin shipping in just over a week, on Friday, March 11, in the U.S., while 26 more overseas countries will get the device on March 25.



It also has rear and front facing cameras for recording video, taking photos, and FaceTime video chat. The new iPad also has a new A5 dual-core processor which offers up to 9 times faster graphics processing. Apple said the faster speeds of the new processor will not have any greater power consumption than the previous A4 processor.







The new iPad 2 will be available in two colors -- black and white -- and will be available on both AT&T and Verizon 3G networks from day one. It also sports the same 10-hour battery life.







A new accessory cable will also offer mirrored HDMI video out to HDTVs for 1080p high-definition output. The $39 cable allows users to charge their iPad while using the video out feature.







Another accessory announced by Apple is a magnetic "smart cover," which covers the front of the device. Covering the front of the device automatically locks the device, while taking it off will unlock it. Microfibers on the screen cover are said to clean the iPad 2 display, while magnets will automatically align the cover on the screen.







A video demonstrating the abilities of the case, including using it as a stand to prop up the iPad, was shown to the audience. Apple will sell a polyurethane version of its case for $39, and a leather version for $69.







Technical Specifications



Models

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi + 3G

Size and Weight

Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm)

Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm)

Depth: 0.34 inch (8.8 mm)

Weight: 1.33 pounds (601 g) Wi-Fi, 1.34 pounds (607 g) 3G

Storage

16GB

32GB

64GB

Wireless and Cellular

Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Wi-Fi + 3G for Verizon model: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)

Display

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)

Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Chip

1GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip

Cameras, Photos, and Video Recording

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

Tap to control exposure for video or stills

Photo and video geotagging over Wi-Fi

Power and Battery

Wi-Fi:

Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery

Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

3G:

Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery

Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using 3G data network

Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Input/Output

30-pin dock connector port

3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack

Built-in speaker

Microphone

Micro-SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

Sensors

Three-axis gyro

Accelerometer

Ambient light sensor

Location

Wi-Fi

Digital compass

Assisted GPS (3G only)

Cellular (3G only)

Audio Playback

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

User-configurable maximum volume limit

Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through with Apple Digital AV Adapter (sold separately)

TV and Video

Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (cables sold separately)

Video out support at 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable

Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Mail Attachment Support

Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Languages

Language support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, and Vietnamese

Keyboard support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Traditional Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Zhuyin, Cangjie, Wubihua), Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Wubihua), Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji, Ten Key), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian (Cyrillic/Latin), Catalan, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Macedonian, and Cherokee

Dictionary support (enables predictive text and autocorrect) for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Vietnamese, and Cherokee

Accessibility

Support for playback of closed-captioned content

VoiceOver screen reader

Full-screen zoom magnification

White on black display

Mono audio

Environmental Requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)

Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing

Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Mac System Requirements

Mac computer with USB 2.0 port

Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later

iTunes 10.2 or later recommended (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

iTunes Store account

Internet access

Windows System Requirements

PC with USB 2.0 port

Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later

iTunes 10.2 or later recommended (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

iTunes Store account

Internet access

In the Box

iPad

Dock Connector to USB Cable

10W USB Power Adapter

Documentation

Environmental Status Report - iPad embodies Apple?s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

Arsenic-free display glass

BFR-free

Mercury-free LED-backlit display

PVC-free

Recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 417
    Some people were worried that the update would be minor changes. Nope. This is a completely new beast.



    Wow. This is no toy.



    A5 processor - dual core = up t 2x as fast



    9x better graphics



    Video cams.



    Thinner.



    Lighter.



    Same battery life (up to 10 hours).



    Available MARCH 11!!!
  • Reply 2 of 417
    jerseymacjerseymac Posts: 408member
    Available on Verizon! Yayyyy
  • Reply 3 of 417
    Dang. I have to wait all the way until March 25th.



    We're ordering two, and our friends will likely now buy one as it will do Skype.



    OMG



    OMG



    HDMI OUT!!!!!



    A TEACHER'S DREAM.
  • Reply 4 of 417
    Cool cover!
  • Reply 5 of 417
    No mention of the display yet... as of 1:32pm anyway.
  • Reply 6 of 417
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple on Wednesday took the wraps off of its second-generation tablet, officially dubbed "iPad 2," with a completely new, thinner design, a faster dual-core A5 processor, and two video cameras, shipping on March 11....



    Well, I was wrong about pretty much everything I thought this would be today. Thankfully it seems one of those things is Steve Jobs' health.
  • Reply 7 of 417
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bergermeister View Post


    Dang. I have to wait all the way until March 25th.







    A TEACHER'S DREAM.



    Yep! me too. But I as I say 14 more days pre excitement!
  • Reply 8 of 417
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    Price or storage come up yet?
  • Reply 9 of 417
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bageljoey View Post


    Price or storage come up yet?





    Same price points as iPad 1.

    16GB, 32 GB, 64GB



    499, 599, 699

    629, 729, 829
  • Reply 10 of 417
    iMovie for the iPad.



    Steve: "This is not a toy, you can really edit movie on this thing."



    Edit: Looks great. The extra screen space really makes a difference.



    ---



    Of course:

    Photobooth and FaceTime



    ---



    Apple really has been putting a lot into this launch. We're only 45 minutes in. What's still to come?
  • Reply 11 of 417
    Overall looks great, but still a few unanswered questions:



    512MB or 1GB Ram?

    Any improvement on the display?

    Resolution of front facing camera?
  • Reply 12 of 417
    How independent is it from a "mothership" computer? Can it properly run Keynote through a VGA adapter on an LCD projector? Can it handle Aperture or indeed any kind of raw photo file through an Aperture-compatible module? Can I compute on it adequately or will I need at least an 11 inch Macbook Air? All things I'd like to know. I'm in the process of ordering one of the new 15 inch MBPs (I have a budget to spend and a three year old MBP and can't wait for Ivy Bridge) but need a smaller and lighter mobile backup.
  • Reply 13 of 417
    sambansamban Posts: 171member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by drobforever View Post


    Overall looks great, but still a few unanswered questions:



    512MB or 1GB Ram?

    Any improvement on the display?

    Resolution of front facing camera?



    Is there a link for live feed with either photos or videos
  • Reply 14 of 417
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Pretty much what was expected" - An incremental 'Update'.



    It would have been nice to have:



    - A higher resolution display

    - A bump to 128gb at the high end

    - Higher resolution cameras

    - Built-in Stereo speakers

    - An SDHC/XC card slot for transferring pictures etc.

    - A dock port that allows the connector to sit flush writhe the device.

    - A design that didn't force one to buy all new cases/accessories.



    Overall, this really is what the device should have been at the beginning, and I'm sure it will sell very well.
  • Reply 15 of 417
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samban View Post


    Is there a link for live feed with either photos or videos



    http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/l...-ipad-2-event/
  • Reply 16 of 417
    tomsoptomsop Posts: 6member
    OK - so what is the verdict for people like me hoping for a better display - I like all the other stuff - just bummed about the display. When Jobs says graphics look much better I assume he does not mean the display but he is talking about motion graphics? Am I parsing or reading in too much about his comments?
  • Reply 17 of 417
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Pretty much what was expected" - An incremental 'Update'.



    It would have been nice to have:



    - A higher resolution display

    - A bump to 128gb at the high end

    - Higher resolution cameras

    - Built-in Stereo speakers

    - An SDHC/XC card slot for transferring pictures etc.

    - A dock port that allows the connector to sit flush writhe the device.

    - A design that didn't force one to buy all new cases/accessories.



    Overall, this really is what the device should have been at the beginning, and I'm sure it will sell very well.



    At the same price points? Get real.
  • Reply 18 of 417
    darendinodarendino Posts: 126member
    Uk store back up - old iPad only
  • Reply 19 of 417
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tomsop View Post


    OK - so what is the verdict for people like me hoping for a better display - I like all the other stuff - just bummed about the display. When Jobs says graphics look much better I assume he does not mean the display but he is talking about motion graphics? Am I parsing or reading in too much about his comments?



    It is too early to expect the display. Probably in the next release.

    I've got the original iPad. I expect I'll wait for the screen update to upgrade.

    Still, this is an impressive update. Added muscle (a lot of it) and elegance while retaining battery life, slimming the device, and cameras added. They're certainly blazing the trails.
  • Reply 20 of 417
    nkhmnkhm Posts: 928member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tomsop View Post


    OK - so what is the verdict for people like me hoping for a better display - I like all the other stuff - just bummed about the display. When Jobs says graphics look much better I assume he does not mean the display but he is talking about motion graphics? Am I parsing or reading in too much about his comments?



    The display is stunning, what needs to be changed about it?
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