iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

By Anthony Myers | December 08 2011 5:35 PM

Photo: Reuters

#1 Apple App Store - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

Get all your favorite games and apps with over 140,000 apps made specifically for iPad. More developers support the App Store than any other ecosystem, so the best apps are always getting updated and improving.

Photo: Reuters

#2 10-inch Screen - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

It's 9.7-inches exactly, but it's large enough to watch movies on or read comfortably. Besides its size, it's got excellent resolution. At 1024x768p resolution it's nearly HD quality. The display is surrounded by a handsome frame that makes the screen really jump off the device.

Photo: Reuters

#3 Thin & Lightweght - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

At just 8.6mm, it's even thinner than the iPhone. It weighs only 600 grams, light enough to hold in one hand for long periods of reading or surfing time.

Photo: Reuters

#4 Solid Build - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

The only reason it doesn't weigh even less is because of the aluminum rear case. It won't creak like a plastic case, resits cracking and looks great.

Photo: Reuters

#5 Great Cameras - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

Both front and rear-facing cameras are high quality and the rear camera can record video in 720p definition.

Photo: Reuters

#6 Easy to Use - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

The iOS software system is meant to be intuitive and simple. It's very powerful, but not complicated or hard to configure.

Photo: Reuters

#7 Instant On - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

Press the home button and iPad wakes up right away. No booting or waiting for things to open.

Photo: Reuters

#8 Decent Battery Life - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

A large battery helps iPad get 10 hours out of one charge. That will depend on how you use the device, and especially if you use the 3G model. Wi-Fi doesn't use as much energy, and you get the most battery life with Wi-Fi turned off.

Photo: Reuters

#9 Video Mirroring - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

A cool feature that doesn't require the $100 Apple TV. It does require a special connector though, and it's $40 from Apple. It hooks to an HDMI cable for instant output to your HDTV, and there is another spot on the connector for your charger. Show whatever you are showing on your iPad right on your TV.

Photo: Reuters

#10 Fast Computing Speeds - iPad 2: Ten Reasons it's a Great Holiday Gift

With a dual-core processor, iPad 2 can tackle the fastest Web sites and most graphics intensive games. It's also built in such a way that it won't suck down the battery.

Tablets are the new black. At least if you count the numbers of iPad's and Kindle Fire's on people's holiday lists this year. The devices represent two ends of the tablet spectrum that more and more companies will be trying to wedge themselves into as the technology improves and the demand grows. For iPad, the Kindle Fire's $200 price tag signals the end of its dominance. Apple will still sell thousands of the devices because they are very functional and easy to use. But, for $500, many people just can't afford them. Many of the popular tablets are actually used by multiple family members for that reason. In fact, that is just one more reason iPad 2 makes a great gift. You'd be giving yourself a gift most likely (in a roundabout way).

If you're shopping around for tablets, you've no doubt seen the iPad, and maybe you've dismissed it as being too expensive. But, once you look around the tablet landscape, you might notice the slew of devices in the $400 range that come up short of iPad. So, maybe that extra $100 is worth it this year. Start the slide show to see 10 reasons iPad 2 makes a great holiday gift. Tell us in the comments what tablets you've been checking out.

MUST READ: Apple and Android: Top 10 Christmas Apps