Apple iPad 2 officially unveiled

Steve Jobs may have looked a bit under the weather at the event, but the iPad 2, in contrast, looked sexy as ever.  The new, shiny iPad was unveiled in two colors this time – white and black – and will be ready to ship from March 11.  Compared to its predecessor, the iPad 2 will feature a lot more improvements and will be available in 16/32/64GB variants.  Other major features include:

• WiFi and 3G (optional)
• Dual cameras with HD 720p video recording
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 9.7 inch LED multitouch display (no retina display, sorry guys)
• Newer iOS 4.3 operating system
• Digital compass, gyrometer, ambient light sensor and accelerometer
• HDMI output (connector cable sold separately at $39)

In addition to the above, the tablet will feature AirPlay (for wireless streaming) and AirPrint (for wireless printing).  FaceTime, which has been one of the hotly anticipated features this time, is also included and two preloaded apps, GarageBand and iMovie, enable playing different musical instruments and on-the-go video editing.

The iPad 2 will hit the streets on March 11 in the US, while some countries in Europe and Japan will get it a bit later on March 25th.  As for the prices, while the WiFi-only 16GB model goes for $499, the 32GB and 64GB variants will set you back $599 and $699 respectively.  The 16GB WiFi/3G version will cost around $629 but you can expect the 32GB and 64GB tablets to burn huge pocket holes at $729 and $829.