So the rumours have been put to rest. The iPad 2 has been revealed and promises to be spectacular, stupendous, fabulous… well, maybe not that great, but certainly better than the first iPad. Don’t get me wrong, it really does look good, but I can’t help but wonder with all these improvements, will the iPad 3 have no where to go, or will it have to go to the extreme? Well, let’s look at all the iPad 2 is promising, and then decide.

So as speculated, the iPad 2 is thinner than its predecessor; 33% thinner, in fact, as well as 15% lighter. Nice… who doesn’t like their latest technology to be more compact!? The iPad 2 offers up to 10 hours of battery power.  This feature is sure to appeal to all users from busy businessmen & women to young people on the move.

It also has the promised dual core; 2 cores in one A5 chip. This is good; it means you can do more at once without losing any speed. So you can surf the web, watch a video & chat with your mates all at once… (clearly a feature more enjoyed by those who can actually multitask). The graphics are also up to 9 times faster and although this in itself leaves room for a few more snarky remarks, I will hold myself back. The games will look more realistic, video editing will be clearer & scrolling through your photo library will be smoother.

The 2 cameras also look to add a bit more fun to the iPad 2. I have to admit that at first I thought this may be overkill, but their whole concept of connecting people together with as much detail as possible is pretty cool. So, while I chat with my friends, they can see me, but then while I am still looking at them, I can show them where I am. I do like this.

The new Smart Cover is both stylish & useful. You can choose your favourite colour to protect your screen while you are not using your iPad2, but when you need it open, it can fold into a little stand, raising it to a good working angle, or to a more upright position for movie viewing. The cover also puts the iPad 2 to sleep when you close it & wakes it up when you open it.

The screen is bigger at 9.7 inches, and offers a higher resolution… all for your viewing pleasure. Other features for your viewing pleasure, as well as for others, is the AirPlay and Video Mirroring. This allows you to send whatever is on your iPad 2’s screen (movies or menus, etc.) to the TV or projector. Sound is obviously included.

The AirPrint feature, which enables you to print wirelessly to your printer is also rather useful. This is apparently without any additional software or drivers loaded.

As you may have guessed, I am slowly allowing the iPad 2 to find a little room in my heart. I still, however, can’t help but wonder what will be left for the future iPads.

Ps. For all of our SA readers, the iPad 2 will only be available in SA stores in Jan 2012… come on Apple, sort yourselves out!

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