As most of the world has already heard, Apple held a keynote for iPad 2 this morning. First things first, a very unexpected event happened within the first minute. Steve Jobs, who has suffered from some pretty sever illnesses over the past few years and who was on a medical leave of absence over the last month, arrived on stage. He looked thin, he was low on energy compared to usual, but he looked good. He was excited. He was stable. He was there.

As for the iPad 2, even as an Apple lover, I went into today skeptical. After a year with the previous iPad I still love it but what could it do more of? What could be better that it’s worth buying the new one? You would think I would know better by now. Here is the rundown on why this device is amazing:

• It has been redesgiend to be 33% thinner and up to 15% lighter. 13.4mm to 8.8mm (Thinner than Phone 4).
• It has the Apple A5 chip - dual core processing puts this device 9x faster than its predecessor.
• Dual cameras - rear and front facing support Facetime.
• Will be available in 2 colors from day 1 (March 11, 2011).
• 3G versions will be built for both AT&T and Verizon.
• Pricing structure is the same. More device for same money.
• iOS 4.3 will allow tethering from an iPhone 4.
• Smart covers. Rather than a case that hides the design, the smart cover clips to the side and is held on the front by magnets. They are smart because when it’s close, the iPad goes to sleep. It wakes on removal of the cover.
• HDMI output up to 1080p. The cable allows HDMI out and charging simultaneously.

Those are the biggest new features. iOS 4.3 will be available on March 11 on the new iPad and for iPhone. There is no pre-ordering this time. You can order on March 11 and have it shipped to your door or pick it up from an Apple retail store at 5pm that day. There are no times yet on shipping or delivery. Other new features include iPad versions of iMovie and Garage Band.

Overall, this is a huge jump in quality and performance and feature set. Given the multitude of models over both carriers and the new features, it’s safe to say that these devices will be everywhere shortly after the release date. For the record, as of the keynote this morning, 15 million iPads have been shipped (version 1) and there are 65,000 iPad apps on the app store. Apple scores again. Thank you Mr. Jobs and it was good to see you.