Here is what the Apple iPad 2 turned out to be (and also what it did not)

In an exciting keynote led by Steve Jobs himself, the Apple iPad 2 was announced at the special event in San Francisco minutes ago. Noticeably thinner than the first iPad, it packs some serious power under the hood. Here’s all there is to know about the iPad 2 in a heartbeat.

Photos courtesy of CNET.

So without further ado, here are the main features of the Apple iPad 2.

Key features

• Same 9.7” capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity
• Really slim 8.8mm thick body
• Two versions – GSM and CDMA available
• 1GHz Apple A5 low-power dual-core processor
• Up to 9X faster graphics chip
• Latest iOS 4.3
• Two cameras – front and rear, capable of FaceTime calls
• Back camera shoots 720p video camera@30fps
• 16/32/64 GB options of onboard storage
• Noticeably lighter, weighing just 590 grams
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR connectivity
• Same 10 hours battery life and 1 month of stand-by
• 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer and compass sensors
• Compatible with every iPhone app without any modifications
• Costs $499, the same as it’s predecessor
• Available on March 11 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK, and the United States, more countries to follow.
• Apple Digital AV Adapter (a.k.a. HD dongle, purchased separately, for $39), supports 1080p output, mirrored view, rotation, and charging.
• Video player can playback 720p video @ 30fps

Main disadvantages

• No Flash support for the web browser (didn’t expect anything else)
• No stereo speakers
• No standard USB port (you can get USB connectivity with an accessory but you need to pay extra)
• No standard display port (though you get AirPlay streaming to Apple TV and there’s an optional HDMI adapter)
• Only the Wi-Fi+3G version has a GPS receiver
• iTunes required for uploading content
• No kickstand – it cannot stand on a table without support
• No exchangeable battery
• micro-SIM, instead of regular SIM for the 3G models (nothing new here, though)
• No memory card slot (AGAIN?!)
• Still no tethering / personal hotspot support

And here’s the iPad 2 in all it’s glory.