Apple has unveiled the second generation of its Ipad 2. By releasing the new model, it hopes to stay ahead in the increasingly crowded tablet market.
The company's CEO, Steve Jobs, who's been on medical leave, quelled recent speculation over his health, as he took to the stage in San Francisco.
Steve Jobs was greeted by a standing ovation as he made his first public appearance since taking medical leave.
The new Apple Ipad is faster, thinner and lighter than its predecessor that went on sale in April last year.
The second generation model features a new A5 chip and, at a thickness of just 8.8 mm, it is even thinner than it's sister product, the iPhone 4.
It is scheduled to hit U.S. market next weekend, followed by a wider international release at the end of the month.
The iPad proved more of a hit with consumers than analysts predicted, with sales of 15 million in its first nine months of release.
Jobs announced in January that he would take a third leave of absence to focus on his health.
In the last decade, Jobs has survived a rare but curable form of pancreatic cancer and undergone a liver transplant.
Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook has been running the company on a day-to-day basis.
In 2009, Jobs said in advance that he would take a six-month medical leave; this time, the company did not specify when he would return.