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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The newborn iPad goes on understanding at Apple stores crossways the United States on weekday as the gadget-maker seeks to meet a step aweigh of its rivals in the palmy mart for sleek touchscreen paper computers.

Apple module be attractive online orders for the iPad 2, which was unveiled by chief executive Steve Jobs terminal week, first at 4:00 am (0900 GMT) and the figure module be acquirable in the company's 236 US stores starting at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT).

The iPad 2, which is one-third thinner, nearly 15 proportionality lighter and faster than the help free terminal April, module go on understanding in added digit dozen countries on March 25.

Besides the size and weight, the added field transformation to the newborn iPad is the constituent of front- and rear-facing cameras that allow users to take ease pictures and recording and stop recording conversations.

Apple oversubscribed 15 meg iPads terminal year, transfer in $10 billion in newborn revenue and creating an all newborn category of consumer electronics devices.

Dozens of added companies hit been scrambling since then to bring their own touchscreen tablets to market, most of them relying on Google's Android software to noesis the machines.

But with the exception of the Galaxy Tab from South Korea's Samsung, competition tablet-makers hit enjoyed lowercase success.

Technology investigate concern Gartner is forecasting income of 55 meg paper computers worldwide this assemblage and added investigate firm, Forrester, said Apple has lowercase to worry most for now.

"Competing tablets to the iPad are poised to fail, which is why we're forecasting that Apple module hit at small 80 proportionality deal of the US consumer paper mart in 2011," Forrester said.

The iPad 2 arrives in US stores to mostly luminous reviews from the essential technology columnists of The Wall Street Journal and The New royalty Times.

"While it's evolutionary kinda than subverter same the first model, the changes Apple has made are generally pleasing and positive, and the figure worked very substantially for me," the Journal's Walter Mossberg said.

Mossberg said the iPad 2 "keeps Apple aweigh in the paper race, at small for now." But he was grave of the quality of the photos condemned by its ease cameras and its quality to endeavor Adobe Flash video.

"This is a deliberate selection by Apple, and puts its devices at a separate for whatever users when compared with Android tablets, which can endeavor Flash, or feature they module soon, albeit not ever well," Mossberg said.

While entertained with the iPad 2 overall, Mossberg said it was not a must buy for owners of the older model.

"Unless you are desperate for the cameras or see you are laboring low the greater magnitude of the example model, I don't advise that iPad owners vie to intend the newborn version," he said.

David Pogue of the Times said the transformation in thinness, weight and pace "transforms the experience" of using an iPad and the cameras are a "treat."

"The whole screen is your viewfinder," he said.

Pogue also noted the iPad 2's quality to endeavor Flash recording but said the figure "will ease dominate the market, because it dominates in all the most essential criteria: thinness, weight, integration, example -- and apps."

More than 65,000 applications hit been created for the iPad, patch there are currently only most 100 crafted for tablets running Google's Android operative system.

Pogue said added factor probable to keep Apple on crowning is the fact that the iPad 2 costs inferior than the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola's newborn Xoom.

Apple is commerce the iPad 2 at the same prices as the example iPad, ranging from $499 for the base 16-gigabyte edition to $829 for the top-of-the-line 64-GB model.

The iPad 2 module be acquirable on March 25 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Slavonic Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sverige and Switzerland.

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