iPad 2 (2011)

iPad 2 (2011): 33% thinner, with cameras, FaceTime and the first Smart Cover; the iPad that cemented the category.

Specs

Launch

Announced on March 2, 2011 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, presented by Steve Jobs, who appeared despite being on medical leave. It went on sale March 11 in the US and March 25 in 25 more countries, starting at $499 (16 GB, Wi-Fi; $629 with 3G), and the original iPad was discontinued the same day. It sold 2.4 to 2.6 million units in its first month; the 16 GB model stayed on sale as the entry iPad until March 18, 2014, a three-year commercial run.

Marketing

The campaign: 'Thinner. Lighter. Faster.' with FaceTime, Smart Covers and a 10-hour battery. Jobs touted the 15 million iPads sold in the first year and said iPad 2 'moves the bar far ahead of the competition.' It was 33% thinner (8.8 mm) and up to 15% lighter than the original, introduced the dual-core A5 chip and the first cameras on an iPad, and the magnetic Smart Cover became a classic.

Flaws and fixes

Its support run was long, but with a cost: iOS 10 (2016) dropped it over hardware limitations and performance. The last version was iOS 9.3.5 (August 25, 2016), and the CDMA model got iOS 9.3.6 on July 22, 2019 to fix the GPS week-number rollover. On top of that, the 'Broadpwn' Wi-Fi vulnerability (2017) was only patched on iOS 10 and later, leaving the iPad 2 unpatched.

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Updated: October 25, 2026 · Compare this product