The iPad 2 is coming next week!

I woke up yesterday with the news the Apple has finally announced the new iPad.  No less than Steve Jobs who is on medical leave,  introduced the second generation of their wonder tablet.

photo from apple.com

So what's new with this baby?  Cameras! Two of them, one each in the front and back of the device.  This only means one thing: Face Time!  But aside from Face Time, the front camera can also be used for Photo Booth, the fun way to take a snapshot of yourself and be playful with it.

iPad 2 is also thinner and lighter and comes in two colors - black and white!  However, if you think that the changes are all cosmetic, Apple made sure that the inside of this tablet is also ground breaking.  It comes with Dual Core A5 chip that will make multi-tasking smoother and the apps load faster.

Apple also gave it a more powerful video chip to accomodate a new app for the iPad, iMovie (to be sold on the app store at US$4.95).  A separate accessory for this new device is a cable that connects to a TV or a projector.  They call it video mirroring because the image on the iPad screen will be magnified on an HDTV as seen on the tablet.  This will be great for presentations, watching videos created with the iMovie App and even playing games.

Apple also created a great looking cover for this iPad.  It's a magnetic cover for the front of the device.  When this cover is pulled off , the unit automatically wakes up from sleep and when it is reattached, it puts the iPad to sleep.  It can also be folded so that it becomes a stand when you're typing or surfing the Internet.

photo from apple.com

Faster, lighter and thinner.  The updates are so substantial that reportedly, some of Apple's competitors are rethinking their tablets.  Will I buy the new iPad?  Well my iPad will be one year old in May.  Admittedly, the updates on the iPad 2 will help me a lot especially at work, especially that video mirroring and airplay printing.  I love FaceTime but I already have an iPod Touch for that.  So may be I will pass on this one for now.  If the rumors were true that an iPad 3 is coming later this year, then I'll just wait for that.   My options are still open though.  Besides, the iPad 2 is coming out on March 11 in the U.S.  If past experience is a gauge, then I expect it will come to our shore after 3 to 4 months like its older sibling.  Still plenty of time to think about it.