Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both front and rear! The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same.
Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p — which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle — but we’ve yet to hear any rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity. There’s an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, though resolution has not budged from the original iPad’s 1024 x 768.
iPad 2 press shots
FSM EXCLUSIVE DEAL 720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you’re into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.
It’ll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th. Apple Retail Stores will start sales at the unusual hour of 5PM, which will probably make online pre-orders the fastest way to get yours.
For more info ( in case you didnt follow the live blog ), read Engadget’s cover…