Reference Auto

Apple, in spite of ruling 85% of the tablet market, has launched the iPad2 in San Francisco with prices unchanged compared to the iPad and the new iPad also comes with more features.

With prices starting from $499 for the 16 GB model, the iPad2 runs on a new and faster A5 processor. It will not only help double the speed and but also make graphics display faster by almost nine fold. The premium 64 GB model with WiFi and 3G will come for $899.

Despite being on leave owing to ill health, a gaunt Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched the device to a packed conference hall, where he said, “We’ve been working on it for a while now and I just didn’t want to miss the launch.”

Jobs added that the iPad2 will have five models priced below $799.

Apple, while keeping the prices unchanged, heeded to consumer demand that price is the most important factor in determining whether to buy the product or not.

Pricing products according to customer needs has off late become Apple’s forte and this will definitely help the iPad2 scale popularity charts again. Apple is also offloading models of the current iPad for $100 till supplies last.

The iPad2 has two cameras at back and front for video conferencing, a HDMI port, a smart microfiber case-cum-stand and comes in both black and white colours.

The iPad2 is 33 per cent thinner than the first iPad and 15 per cent lighter. The new iPad comes with a 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD display and is powered by the iOS 4.3.

The iPad2 will start selling in 26 countries around April, and again, it is likely to take almost a year before being shipped to India. In the US, AT and T and Verizon will retail it.

Upbeat on the launch, Jobs averred, “With over 15 million iPads already sold, the tablet has defined a new category of mobile devices. While others have been scurrying to copy the first generation iPad, we’re two steps ahead, launching the second version. This moves the benchmark far ahead of competition and will likely force them (competitors) to go back to the drawing boards again.”

You don’t need to be a soothsayer to predict astronomical sales for the iPad2. In fact, Apple could touch three million unit sales in the first quarter and the figure could shore up to 12 million in the next three months.

The pricing strategy of iPad2 and its eclectic features have made it the favourite of buyers and this will not only help Apple’s earnings skyrocket but also dent the prospects of rivals, who are still grappling to match with the speed with which Apple is changing the technology of its products.