March 11, 2011: How do you follow up your biggest product debut ever? That’s the question Apple needs to answer as it releases the iPad 2.
Apple’s second-generation tablet boasts a faster dual-core A5 processor inside a lighter build. It’s also the first iPad to feature VGA front-facing and 720p rear-facing cameras.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
iPad 2: A worthy upgrade
Although iPad sales today pale in comparison to the iPhone, the original iPad came out of the gate as one of Apple’s biggest successes. When introduced in January 2010, it immediately became the most exciting new gadget in the world.
When the original iPad went on sale, it took less than a month to sell 1 million units — half the time it took Apple to sell that many iPhones at the time.
In its first year, Apple sold around 25 million iPads, making the tablet the most successful new product category launch in Cupertino history. After six months, it already outsold the Mac.
Second Apple tablet brings advances in form and function
The iPad 2, therefore, had a lot to live up to. Did it succeed? In a word, “yes.”
Apple’s second-generation tablet maintained its predecessor’s display size, price and capacity, but packed more power into a one-third thinner body. Measuring just 0.34 inches thick, it even came in slimmer than the then-current iPhone 4.
The iPad 2 lineup also added a new color: It now came in black and white options. The speaker grille also wrapped around the back of the device, providing users with better sound quality.
Apple’s new magnetic Smart Cover arrived at the same time as the iPad 2, instantly making the bulky, rubber, third-party cases for the original iPad look terrible by comparison.
In the end, the iPad 2 hung around for an impressively long period. It outlasted both the iPad 3 and iPad 4. Apple sold the iPad 2 until 2014.
Sound off on iPad 2
Did you own an iPad 2? What was the first model of Apple’s tablet that you bought, and what were your initial impressions? Let us know in the comments below.