The Members Forum

“The third post-PC blockbuster product” – this is the phrase that Steve Jobs used to describe the iPad at their recent media event for the iPad 2. Regardless of how you feel about the company or their products, there is no denying that Apple is one of the best when it comes to product design and marketing. Eager consumers flock to get the latest Apple hardware each year, often waiting in lines hundreds deep for hours on end.

The original iPad launched in April 2010 and managed to sell 15 million units in nine months. That equates to roughly $9.5 billion in revenue for Apple and perhaps one of the most successful tech launches in history. Granted, not even Apple could predict the iPad's rocketing success.

 Competitors soon realized the value in this new found tablet market and got to work at a feverish pace, although already at a disadvantage and having to play catch-up. There have only been a handful of notable launches from the competition so far such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the recently released Motorola Xoom, with many more to come, but according to Apple they still hold a >90% market share in this new segment and we tend to believe them.

This brings us to the highly anticipated iPad 2 which went on sale March 11. The iPad 2 improves on the original in many ways, including a significantly faster dual-core CPU, improved graphics and a thinner footprint. If the 300+ people that were in line ahead of me on launch day or the continued shortages across the US are any indication, both Apple and their loyal customers have a promising year ahead.

Externally, the most noticeable difference between the original iPad and the iPad 2 is how slim it is – a full 33% thinner (13.4mm compared to 8.8mm). It may not sound like much, but considering how thin the original iPad already was, the difference is significant. In fact, the iPad 2 is thinner than the iPhone 4 by a few millimeters.

The iPad 2 also manages to shave off 0.2 pounds for a total weight of 1.33 pounds on the Wi-Fi only model. The weight difference isn’t really noticeable in my opinion, nor is the 1/8th inch smaller bezel surrounding the screen. The 1024 x 768, 9.7 inch IPS display remains unchanged, although in a side-by-side comparison, the original iPad display shows a much more yellowish tint.

Techspot has the review HERE!