Fifteen million iPads have sold since the device shipped less than a year ago, said Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the iPad 2 press conference on March 2. We can expect at least another 20 million iPads to be sold, representing 80% of all tablet sales in the U.S. in 2011, according to Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.
As expected, iPad 2 will be faster, lighter and thinner than its predecessor. It has front- and back-facing cameras, as well as the gyroscope movement sensor we've seen on iPhones.
While the iPhone has had a camera for some time, its unlikely apps on the less portable and bigger iPad will use cameras in the exact same ways.
"I don't see it being used heavily for barcode or QR scanning, which is one of the more common uses of the iPhone cameras, but there's some interesting potential for things like augmented reality," said Jeremy Lockhorn, VP-emerging media for Razorfish. Some marketers may also test "click to call" features from ads or apps to video chat, Mr. Lockhorn said.
Matthew Szymczyk, CEO of interactive agency Zugara, said the front-facing camera will mean more people video chatting, making yet another way for consumers to get used to that type of interaction. Users can now use FaceTime, Apple's brand of video chat. But for brands the camera could also mean live, one-on-one customer service via video chat.
With faster processing, the iPad 2 will likely open doors for bigger, badder browser-based apps. While browser-based apps are popular because they can be viewed on multiple devices, what's been possible on iPad has been limited because of built-in restrictions on its browser. But iPad 2's new horsepower will likely allow more speed on browsers, thus more powerful web apps.
The device's new HDMI output -- a way to pipe what's on iPad off to to a larger flat-screen -- will also mean app experiences can become bigger and more shareable, said Sapient's Mr. Singh. "The output changes how sharing around the device can really happen," he said. "Web surfing or apps can now be shared on a 59-inch monitor." With one cord, the iPad goes from personal device to fixture in the living room.
The iPad's new speed makes media multitasking possible, said Mr. Lockhorn. "Nearly 40% of time spent on the mobile internet happens at home, and a lot of that is driven by using mobile and tablets in front of the TV," he said, which means more apps such as Nielsen's Media Sync that syncs content on the iPad with what's on the tube.
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