iPad 2 - What's all the hype about?

Alright maybe I'm behind the times or something but I've been listening to the world shouting in ecstasy over the brilliance of the iPad 2, my wife especially - the woman is a fiend when it comes to electronics and gadgets, specifically sound and audio equipment, she's worked in that industry her entire life. I've come to realize that if my hunny bear thinks it's amazing, more often than not it will most assuredly be the greatest thing ever.

Apple iPad 2 (16GB, Wifi, Black)

I will, without regret and doubt buy one of these. But for me, I have to figure out exactly what I'm buying, for the sole purpose of validating my purchase to anyone that deems it uncouth. Let's do our defensive research shall we? So that we may liberate our souls with the validity of our purchase before all who would oppose us.

iPad 2 specs: will I get my workout for the week toting this thing around?
Doubtful. The iPad 2 surprisingly weighs in at only 1.3 lbs, which is nice because it's just heavy enough that you'll know when you have it and when you don't. I tend to lose my cellphone a lot because it's too light to feel it in my pocket, I simply just don't know if I have it or don't, and when I'm unaware of something I tend to forget about it, luckily at 601g I'll thankfully never have that problem with my iPad. FYI the weights will vary by a few grams depending on what specs you get, if you purchase a case and amenities with it, but nothing too significant. It's a difference of several grams.

The iPad 2 is 9.5 " tall, 7.31" wide, and just over a quarter of an inch thick. Which isn't bad at all - very reasonable considering the outstanding functionality and operating power contained withing the iPad 2.

16GB and 32GB and 64GB, oh my!
Three storage options available, but which to pick? You should evaluate your personal needs and buy the iPad 2 that has appropriate storage capacity. Personally I'll probably go for the 64GB. I have tons of stuff to put on there. Movies, music, budgets, excel files, short stories, random musings, idea's galore...there's an ongoing list.

Internet Accessibility
There are two different options when it comes to internet for your iPad 2. You can either get just Wi-Fi and Bluetooth or you can get the more expensive version with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth AND 3G by Verizon or ATT (your choice). Honestly I can't stand public wireless. Here in Minneapolis it tends to be slower than 3G networks and makes me want to dig my eyes out of their sockets with plastic spoons and feed them to my friends cat, Captain Marmalade. I will definitely pay the difference and get the 3G model as I value my sight.

Other Fun iPad 2 Stuff
My main concerns are size of the iPad 2, the weight, storage capacity and internet capability. All the other awesome stuff they come with is just a bonus in my eyes.

The iPad 2 boasts a sweet 1GHz dual-core Apple A5. Stuff like gyro stabilizers and accelerometer's I don't really care about. Are iPad 2's really miniature spaceships that congregate in the skies after we go to bed? I mean really. But besides its flight capability it comes with other cool options. Stuff like 5.1 surround sound pass-through if you buy the extra adapter, up to
1080p video out (again if you purchase the extra cable) and the ability to view almost any type of document out there [pdf files, power points, spreadsheets, rich text, html, .docx, and lots of different picture types]. You can also turn it into an e-reader just by downloading a simple app.

All-in-all, Apple iPad 2 is pretty fantastic. Another brilliant machine by Apple. :)

Cheers,
M.Hascall