After months of rumours, Apple's hotly anticipated was unveiled today. The new iPad 2 is faster, thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and is powered by an Apple-designed dual-core processor that the company claims doubles the speed and makes graphics processing up to nine times faster.

The iPad 2 will compete with a number of Android tablets that have already been announced for release in 2011, including the , the , the and the . Research In Motion, makers of BlackBerry smartphones, will also launch its much anticipated this year.