Live Blog From The Apple iPad 2 Launch

11:14 Time to go play with the demo iPads. Thanks for joining us

11:13 Jobs: “This is worth repeating. It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology is not enough. It’s tech married with the liberal arts and the humanities. Nowhere is that more true than in the post-PC products. Our competitors are looking at this like it’s the next PC market. That is not the right approach to this. These are pos-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, more intuitive.”

11:10 Starting to wrap up proceedings

11:08 Video still running to hammer home the message that iPad is the only tablet that can be what you want it to be – setting a marker for the coming Android flood

11:07 Oh yes Jony is Apple’s UK-born designer – the man who reintroduced style into Apple’s hardware

11:06 Jony Ive video – but he’s here in the audience. Oh well.

11:04 This is no toy but only costs $4.99 (£3.00)

11:03 Steve returns. “I’m blown away with this stuff. You know, playing your own instruments. Or using the Smart Instruments. Anyone can make music now.”

11:01 Pretty much an intuitive interface for the music editing. Will probably cause a secondary market for iPad bands

10:59 Track views allow you to build up a song: instrument by instrument

10:58 Weird world of instruments for non-musicians. Auto chord select for guitar which you strum on screen to play a tune

10:56 Now the percussion section. Hitting rim of drum gives rim click sounds  and hitting different parts of the cymbals varies the ringing effect

10:55 Keyboard effects are pretty impressive through the auditorium speakers. Rock organ, speaker rotation for jazzy effects

10:53 Onscreen keyboard varies sound according to how hard you hit the virtual keys. How’s it done? With the accelerometer

10:50 Switching to Garage Band for iPad demo

10:48 Music auto-switches with themes. Neon Theme sounds a bit Alt Rock

10:47 Added to the audio with over 50 sound effects

10:45 Showing editing capabilities right on the iPad

10:44 Randy Ubillos ready to demo the features

10:42  New apps for video. First iMovie for iPad

10:41 Can FaceTime video from iPad 2 to iPhone 4 customers

10:40 Showing front and back cameras and how they can be used.

10:39 Personal hotspot for iPhone connection. New cameras built in with new Photo Booth software – DEMO

10:37 Tap AirPlay icon and it finds your Apple TV. If you’re sharing photos, you can use the built-in slideshow options.

10:36 Safari performance improved. AirPlay improved.

10:35 New release: iOS 4.3  intro by Scott Forstall

10:34 Poly cases are $39, Leather $69

10:32 Five polymer covers and five leather in a range of colours

10:30 Case is a new design – it’s not a case it’s a cover – and cobvers the front of the device to fold out as a stand or a ridge to give rake angle for typing and viewing

10:28 HDMI output on board. Mirrored video output. 1080p and works with all apps

10:28 In US and March 25 in 26 other countries (UK included)

10:27 Shipping March 11th

10:25 Adding stuff like cameras, faster CPU, gyroscope. Something’s gotta give. But, no, they’ve even found a way to maintain battery life: over a month on standby and 10 hours of usage – according to tests

10:24 Works with Verizon and AT&T

10:22 It’s thinner and comes in two colours (cheers from the crowd)

10:20 This is the first dual core tablet to ship  – “The first iPad was no slouch – this is a lot faster”

10:19 “We go all out on the graphics performance. Up to nine times faster.”

10:16 Video showing how iPads are being used in various industry sectors such as health care

10:11 Jobs taking a swipe at Honeycomb – only 100 apps available

10:09 We sold 15m iPads – more than any Tablet PC ever sold. Many have said that this is the most successful consumer product ever sold. Over 90percent market share

10:07  All Apple products have been blockbusters: iPod, then iPhone and now iPad. In a position where most of our revenue comes from these products

10:06 Apple claims to have the most credit card accopunts for iBooks – but admits Amazon does not publish their figures

10:04 Preamble: 100m book downloads  in less than a year. 2,500 publishers in the iBook store

10:03 Steve, oh Steve – Mr Jobs has entered the building

10:02 am Beatles playing on the sound system. Preparing to start