Apple iPad 2 prices confirmed; on sale this Friday
UPDATE:
Apple has confirmed the UK pricing ahead of the release of the iPad 2 this Friday.
The cheapest iPad 2 is £399 for the 16GB model, followed by £479 for the 32GB model and £559 for the 64GB unit.
If you want 3G and wifi then you're looking at £499 for the16GB, £579 for the 32GB and £659 for the flagship 64GB machine.
The iPad 2 goes on sale in the UK – and 24 other countries – this Friday following a record-breaking launch in the US two weeks earlier.
You can check out the iPad 2 in our dedicated blog.
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Published 02.03.2011:
7.15pm - Blog now online here with more pics and all the iPad2 details. We're off for a play, hopefully!
6.55pm - Apple is now running through key new iPad apps based on its existing Mac software - for example iMovie movie editing and Garage Band.
6.45pm Of course that video camera on the iPad2 means it gets Facetime, too.
6.35pm New version of iOS for iPad and iPhone. Version 4.3 will enable Apple AirPlay video sharing and enhanced iTunes sharing options. We're going to try and get more info on that later - sounds interesting.
Other iOS 4.3 enhancements include faster web browsing and being able to use an iPhone 4 as an internet hotspot for your laptop or iPad. So you could ditch your 3G dongle.... iOS 4.3 update due on March 11th.
6.30pm New HDMI output cable for iPad 2 - mirror your iPad output (up to 1080p) to a TV. $39 accessory
6.25pm iPad 2 launches in UK on March 25th. US gets it even earlier - from March 11th.
Same pricing and capacity options for iPad 2 as original iPad - 16/32/64GB versions, with wi-fi and 3G options.
New iPad2 is 33% thinner than original iPad - just 8.8mm thick, which is thinner than the iPhone 4. We'll get comparative pics soon.It weighs 1.3lb compared to 1.5 for first iPad. Comes in black or white.
As expected, there's a video camera. Also gyroscope as in iPhone 4.
iPad2 uses new Apple A5 dual-core processor - up to twice as fast CPU, but up to nine times faster graphics; all with same long battery life.
6.20pm Jobs says most of the new tablets are playing catch-up with the iPad... as Apple launches iPad 2.
6.15pm There are now 65,000 Apps tailored for the iPad (cue Jobs taking a dig at lack of Android tablet apps).
6.10pm 100 million iPhones now sold; 15m iPads sold in 2010 (from March) - that's $9.5 billion worth.
6.05pm Apple now has 200 million accounts across iTunes, App and eBooks Stores - all with a credit card attached. Steve Jobs reckons that makes Apple a bigger online retailer than Amazon. Impressive, if slightly scary fact there.
Well there's the first surprise - Steve Jobs himself hosting the launch.
6pm And we're off.... Well, we've got a live link up with San Francisco, which is a start!
5.30pm Welcome to BBC TV Centre, where we're in our seats ready to bring you all the news from the expected launch of the Apple iPad 2 from 6pm.
Early reports are already buzzing around about the predicted specification of the new multimedia portable.
Amazon Germany apparantly briefly showed a pre-order page for the new iPad, complete with a 9.7in screen (not supersizing to 10.1in), camera, Thunderbolt and 1.2Ghz chip. On sale 17th March, for €499.
We'll see if that's real - and get UK pricing - shortly.
10am
We'll be reporting live from today's Apple launch, at which the company is expected to announce the second incarnation of the iPad.
Doors open at 5pm at BBC TV Centre, with the event scheduled to start at 6pm UK time.
Keep an eye on the site for rolling news as it's announced, while you can also follow @whathifi on Twitter for more news and pictures from the event.
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Published 23.02.11
We've just had our official invite (see picture) to an Apple launch on March 2nd at BBC TV Centre in London, so it looks as if the rumours are true. We'll bring you all the news on the day.
Published 23.02.11
The web is awash with speculation this morning that Apple's iPad 2 will be unveiled on March 2nd, although the company itself has – in its customary style – refused to comment.
Yesterday there were rumours that the launch had been delayed until June due to production bottlenecks.
But now, according to the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital Blog, the launch event has been set for early March.
The iPad 2 is expected to be slimmer, lighter, have a better resolution than the first model, and have front- and rear-facing cameras for Facetime video chat support.
Some reports also suggest it will be powered by one of Qualcomm's multimode chips and will run on both GSM and CDMA-based networks around the world.
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Comments
Biased, Mr Puma? Why should it be biased?
I agree, the shortfalls that would normally cost a star in a review of another product are simply ignored due to the apple 'experience' i.e. hype. It would take a brave reviewer to be honest and knock them down a peg or two. To be fair, Apple do listen to their critics. Apparently the original iPad was slated for not having a camera. Now it has 2 low quality cameras that are as good as useless. Facetime? Really? Who would use the rear camera to take actual pictures? You would look like a numpty. Yes, the products are good, well built and slick to use but boy do apple want to charge you for it and control how you use it. I would deduct 3 stars for still having to use iTunes to sync it! That said, I might pick one up one day to use as a remote for my Squeezebox.
Edit - Just read the WHF review and it is as predictable as ever.
For ..... now with cameras (later described as average quality and unconvinced by the practicality)
Against ..... Enforced use of iTunes is a double edged sword (Xoom slated for not having iTunes equivalent) - What gives? Why would you need to tie your tablet to a PC and iTunes to sync it?
No mention about lack of flash support or the lack of connections on the iPad or the fact that the Xoom has both. No mention of back light bleed that appears to be prevalent on most launch devices.
Review stinks as usual. I have no doubt it is as biased as the one in the Apple magazine aka STUFF.
You know for sure WHIFI is going to give the Ipad2 5/5 in its review, despite the fact that a device designed purely to consume media does not support flash.
Extra dongles needed for usb/hdmi - only 720p res when playing movies, lack of codec support, terrible cameras, poor multitasking support, NO support for widgets, no tabs on the internet browser.
That should add up to a 1-2 star deduction.
I'm not saying its not a decent product - as tablets go - but 5/5 I dont think so.
What is it about we Brits that can't abide success? When Apple looked as if it was going the way of the Dodo, crushed beneath the might of Microsoft, all the forums were full of 'if only Apple had survived we would not have to put up with all that Windows foists upon us'. Now that Apple is back in the mainstream it is all "big bad Steve Jobs and his ubiquitous i-gadgets", people, like myself who have supported Apple all along are sneered at as 'fanboys' and magazines are criticised for bias.
Look, whatever the shortcomings of that company in Cupertino, the fact is the iPod range is more attractive, user-friendly and simply better than other digital players. The iPad is groundbreaking. It is not perfect, but for the moment, better than anything else out there.
I am waiting for more storage, better display (though the current one is a beaut) and a better camera. An SDXC slot would be nice too. So while I wait for iPad 3, or maybe 5, I see no reason why What HiFi and other magazines should not keep me informed. I will be ESPECIALLY interested if they inform me of a digital music player, or a tablet device which is better than something from Apple, as I am sure they will, if that EVER happens.
SkyExplorer - you may have noticed we gave Samsung's Galaxy S an Award (over the iPhone) in the 2010 Awards:
http://awards.whathifi.com/winners/digital-media-players-and-accessories/2010
It also wins the Group Test in our current, March issue.
There's no bias here, and Apple doesn't spend a penny in advertising with us.
The simple reason we didn't report live from the Samsung launch in Barcelona is that we weren't there!
Recently Samsung launched the Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy Tab 2 at the MWC. I looked for the "live at the press launch" news article for this but could not find it. Instead I only find an uninspiring titled article, "KOREA/SPAIN: Samsung expands its smartphone range, plans market dominance" in which the Tab 2 is mentioned in only the last paragraph.
Arguably these two products from Samsung are potentially as good if not better than the Apple products, but seem to have not got as much billing.
This is not a dig at Apple, just a general comment at what seems to be "Apple weighted advertising".
Because it's a product people are interested in, southdownswolf. To put that into perspective, nearly half the people who received our email newsletter yesterday (that's more than 50,000 subscribers) clicked on the link to the iPad2 news story.
really dont see why an ipad gets so much attention on a hifi website....
Well I'm impressed with the I pad 2 I'm going to get one for
Sure just watched the video on the apple store also love the new
Magnetic cover really cool
What about the rumours about iPad 5?
baa baa
Hmmm....what about the rumour of the iPad 3 later this year though?!?
I have 300 quids worth of Apple gift cards from Christmas burning a large hole in my pocket so it had better be worth the wait!
With the text "Come see what 2011 will be the year of" it's probably not just the launch of the iPlayer app...
Any mention of USB?
If it's just the official launch of the latest BBC iPlayer iPad App, there's going to be a lot of unhappy journos!
excellent i was going to get a i pad next monday on the 28th i will for sure wait for the new one now