iPad 2 is Here!

We've been expecting it for some time now, but at last it's finally here!  The Apple iPad 2 is set to arrive on March 11 in the U.S.

Probably the biggest surprise was that the announcement of the new device was made by Steve Jobs.  Not many people expected him to be at the event... I know that I didn't expect that.

Here are the pertinent specs:

• 33% thinner than iPad 1.0 (8.8mm thick)
• 15% lighter than iPad 1.0 (1.3 pounds)
• Front & Rear facing cameras
• 1GHz Cortex A5 dual-core processor
• Available in Black or White
• 10 hours of battery life
• Models available with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of memory

The one thing missing, at least in all my research on the subject, is support for USB.  That was supposedly one of the big rumors of iPad 2 and it was also one of the reasons many people were holding out for the new version.  This is going to lead to some seriously disappointed customers, in my opinion.

My take?  While I like the idea of thinner & lighter, those aren't huge things for me.  I've been schlepping the iPad 1 around for a year with no real complaints.  Cameras?  That's cool and I guess it would be nice to have, but it's not a reason for me to covet the new model over the one here on my desk.  I think the new version of the iPad is definitely worth owning.  I mean I'm a huge believer in tablet computing, but I'm not going to be rushing out to get the next version... at least not yet.  However, if you don't have an iPad... what are you waiting for?