Apple launches the thinner and lighter iPad 2, available from March 11th

The worst-kept secret in technology is out - Apple has officially launched the iPad 2.

At first glance, aside from the new white colour option, not a lot has changed. But the devil is in the detail. It's a third thinner for a start, as well as being 15 per cent lighter. Not only that, it has a new 1GHz dual-core A5 chip, which means it's twice as fast as the original, with graphics said to be 9x better than the original.

In terms of features, we're looking at the addition of front and rear cameras, one capable of recording 720p HD video (throwing in 5x digital zoom), the other shooting you in VGA resolution for video (FaceTime) calling. It's also got HDMI output so you can watch your mini movies on your HD-ready TV and the option of a new magnetic sleeve that awakens your iPad once it is removed, sending it to sleep when covered. Clever.

The screen is much the same, but sound has been boosted via a larger speaker grille on the back and the battery life, despite those enhancements, is as good as the first model.

Excited? Well, theoretically, you can go buy one on March 11th, although that might be US-only. Nothing has been made clear about the UK as yet. However, you can sign up at the Apple site to be notified as soon as it goes up for order.

Apple website

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[Spod]

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.