Tech bytes for tea?

The iPad 2 was unveiled as anticipated on 2 Mar at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Specifications were in line with virulent speculations prior to the event. What was more uncertain was whether Steve Jobs would helm the launch.

He did, and Apple’s stock price rose $2.81 to $352.12 on the Nasdaq in a sign of investor confidence. The stock has risen 9.2% this year.

Steve Jobs has been on medical leave since 17 Jan but had stated that he would still “be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.” He is on his third period of medical leave in seven years and there has been rife rumours about how dire his health has become. For some, his attendance at the event was as important as the launch of the new tablet.

With 350,000 apps on the Apps Store, with 65,000 dedicated to the iPad 2, the tablet will hit US shelves on 11 March and ship internationally on 25 March. The $499 starting price is the same as the original iPad when it was first launched in Apr 2010.

Competitors already in the market include the Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Xoom – both Android-based tablets. Research In Motion plans to release four versions of its Playbook this year while HP will roll out the WebOS-based Touchpad.

Here are the more noteworthy features of the iPad 2:

• It’s available in white.
• Has 2 cameras for video conferencing: one front (VGA-quality), one back(720p).
• Faster: New A5 dual-core processor claimed to be twice as fast as the previous iPad.
• Faster: Graphics performance nine times faster than before.
• Thinner: by one-third to 8.8mm.
• Lighter: 1.3 pounds from 1.5 before.

Optional extras:

• Optional $39 HDMI adaptor that connects the iPad’s 30-pin port to an external display so that iPad’s display is mirrored on the external display.
• New magnetic protective case that puts the iPad to sleep when it is closed. Bendable and doubles up as an iPan stand. Comes in 10 colours (plastic ones: $39, leather: $69).
• iMovie and Garageband as Apps at $4.99 each on the Apps store

Pricing (original iPads are now $100 cheaper):

• 16GB: $499
• 32GB: $599
• 64GB: $699

2. Wi-Fi/3G devices:

• 16GB: $629
• 32GB: $729
• 64GB: $829