--- title: Should You Buy the iPad 2? | TIME description: The iPad 2, with front- and rear-facing cameras and a 33% thinner profile, will be available on March 11 with pricing starting at $499. But if you already have an iPad, is the iPad 2 a must-have upgrade? canonical: https://time.com/video/UnJweb8b/ og:title: Should You Buy the iPad 2? og:description: The iPad 2, with front- and rear-facing cameras and a 33% thinner profile, will be available on March 11 with pricing starting at $499. But if you already have an iPad, is the iPad 2 a must-have upgrade? og:url: https://time.com/video/UnJweb8b/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UnJweb8b/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Should You Buy the iPad 2? twitter:description: The iPad 2, with front- and rear-facing cameras and a 33% thinner profile, will be available on March 11 with pricing starting at $499. But if you already have an iPad, is the iPad 2 a must-have upgrade? twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UnJweb8b/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Should You Buy the iPad 2? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Should You Buy the iPad 2? [Watch (HLS stream): Should You Buy the iPad 2?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UnJweb8b.m3u8) (2:01)  _Published 2011-03-03. The iPad 2, with front- and rear-facing cameras and a 33% thinner profile, will be available on March 11 with pricing starting at $499. But if you already have an iPad, is the iPad 2 a must-have upgrade?_ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:10 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Analysis: iPad Air 2 vs iPad Mini 3 vs the Rest](/video/xZIq9cUW/) ### Analysis: iPad Air 2 vs iPad Mini 3 vs the Rest [Apple introduces iPad air 2](/video/kEzV5koU/) ### Apple introduces iPad air 2 [Is the 3G iPad Worth the Upgrade?](/video/NGnbd4Dw/) ### Is the 3G iPad Worth the Upgrade? --- ## Transcript Apple just announced the iPad 2. Should you buy it? Sure. Or not. Maybe. Sure. Yeah, do it. All right. Nice job, everyone. Good video this week. No, I'm good. I don't want any raisins. Gross. Raisins? Oh, reasons? You know, I can do reasons. We can do reasons. So, reasons. iPad 2 versus the original iPad. Thinner, a little bit lighter. Dual Core processor, front- and rear- facing cameras, optional Verizon connection, and it's available in white. You already have an iPad, you don't really care about the cameras. There aren't really a whole lot of reasons to upgrade to the iPad 2 unless you have almost unlimited disposable income-- in which case, congratulations. If you've been wanting to buy an iPad but were waiting for this iPad 2 announcement, there's really no reason to go back and buy the iPad 1, except that Apple has discounted most of the phone about 100 bucks, $ 150 for the refurbished model. All in all, not a huge sweeping overhaul, the iPad line. You've got the two cameras now, which is nice if you've been waiting for those. Other than that, the reasons to upgrade are pretty incremental. If you want a white version now, you can get a white version. If you want a 3G version that works on the Verizon network, now, you can get a 3G version that works on the Verizon network. If you want a little bit snappier processor, this is gonna be a dual core compared to a single core. It's still a gigaHertz, same speed, just dual core. Great. Now, you can do that. I hate to plant this in anyone's psyche, but there are rumors already that Apple may be planning for another iPad or at least, closer to the holidays. And if you think about it, Apple's on a yearly product release cycle. Why keep releasing a tablet in March or April? I mean, the first one beat everything in the markets. That was good. But now, why not shift the release of the tablet to around the holidays? I can be wrong, the rumors could be nothing. But just something to keep in mind while you're cursing my name come the holidays-- which would be the first someone cursed at me during the holidays. 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