[March 11, 2011] Apple's iPad 2 goes on sale Friday Tweet Mar 10, 2011 (The Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Eager to get your hands on the new iPad 2? Apple says the iPad 2 will go on sale Friday at 5 p.m. local time at all 236 Apple retail stores in the country (including the Apple store at the Promenade Shops at Briargate), as well as AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Wal-Mart and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple touts the benefits of buying the iPad 2 at its stores: Apple retail stores offer free Personal Setup service, helping buyers customize their iPad 2 by setting up e-mail, loading new apps from the App Store and other services. Here's what Apple says about the iPad 2: iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple's new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime (R) and Photo Booth (R), and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life-- that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T's and Verizon's 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors. And here's what you need to know about price: iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available for a suggested retail price of $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model, $699 for the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G compatible with the Verizon network will be available in the US only for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. Is it worth it? A review by an Associated Press technology writer says that the iPad 2 improvements "make an already excellent tablet even more enticing. It goes to show that when it comes to tablets, Apple refuses to be bested." To see more of The Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gazette.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]