A Foxconn manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China experienced an explosion today at 7:20pm local time, damaging what local press report to be an iPad 2 manufacturing site and killing at least 2 workers and injuring at least 16. Not much is currently known about the cause of the explosion, though MIC Gadget reports that it occurred when workers were switching shifts. TUAW says that there is "speculation that the fire/explosion was caused by airborne dust." Video below:

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Similar to what Johnny Chung Lee achieved on the Nintendo Wii, the people over at the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction Research Group used the iPad 2's front-facing camera coupled with some software to track the user's head in order to have Apple's device display in glasses-free 3D. Head-Coupled Perspective, as the team calls it, is a "fake" 3D where the screen moves at such angles--based on the tracking of the user's head--that simulate a 3D environment. The iPad 2 head-tracking is currently a tech demo, though it can be applied to the iPhone 4 as well, as the only necessary requirements for the fake 3D is a front-facing camera and an operating system on which the software is able to run. Check out the technique in the above video, as it comes through clearly and is fairly impressive, even if it has been done on other, Nintendo-related devices.

(via The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

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Holland-based company Miniot has developed a very pretty wooden iPad 2 cover, featured in the above video, which is just sleek and functional enough to give Apple's own Smart Cover a run for its money. Miniot's cover works similarly to the Smart Cover, as it snugly fits atop the iPad 2, cleanly rolls back to reveal the device's screen, and rolls back even further into a cylindrical shape to prop up and support the device. Preorders for the Miniot Cover will begin today, costing €50, making it roughly the same price as the Smart Cover's $69, and Miniot will provide free engraving along with the purchase.

(via The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

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This story has been making its way around the Apple blogs, and judging by the pure delight with which it has been received, it seems to be the ultimate Apple fan fantasy come true. According to "an individual close to Apple" by way of MacRumors, a man who had bought an iPad 2 shortly after launch returned it to the store. The Apple Store team charged with troubleshooting customer complaints found a Post-It note on the iPad that said "Wife said no." Eventually, the story made its way up to two VPs at Apple: They sent the man a free iPad 2 with a Post-It note on it that said "Apple said yes." Cue 500 Apple fans reading this story and attempting to try it on their iPad 2s/iPhones/17" MacBook Pros and being very sad when it doesn't work out. Good for that guy, though. (MacRumors via TiPb)

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The above iPad 2, made by Stuart Hughes in Liverpool UK, is so expensive and indulgent that only two are being made. Running a cool $8 million, the iPad 2 Gold History Edition is named as such because the front frame is made from Ammolite, one of the oldest rocks in the world, dating over 75 million years. On top of this, bits of a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex's thigh bone have been mashed up and shaved into the Ammolite frame. The Ammolite was then finished with a single cut 8.5 carat diamond, inlaid in platinum, and surrounded by 12 outer flawless diamonds. If that weren't enough, the iPad 2 is encrusted with 53 individually set sparkling gems, a solid gold 24 carat Apple logo, with the back of the gadget also being made of 24 carat gold. And you thought the regular iPad 2 was too expensive.

(Luxurylaunches via CrunchGear)

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A Mac Rumors reader shows us all how strong the iPad 2's Smart Cover actually is by hanging it from a refrigerator like an elementary school art project--very pretty, quite expensive elementary school art project that has nothing to do with rolling up bits of construction paper or pinching clay.

(Mac Rumors via 9 to 5 Mac)

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Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has gotten it wrong in his Apple analyses on more than one occasion, but if his numbers on the iPad 2 are even close to ballpark, they'll be notable for more than one reason. According to Munster, the iPad 2 sold out already, basically did so over the course of one day, and is on track to have sold 400,000 to 500,000 units in its opening weekend. Far more interesting, though, is what he has to say about the differences between the iPad 2's consumer base and that of the original iPad: Based on Piper Jaffray's on-the-ground survey of opening weekend customers this year and last year, Munster concludes that this year's buyers are significantly less likely to already own Apple gadgets. Which is, of course, great news for a company trying to convert yet more people to its faith. According to their survey figures: •70% of iPad 2 customers did not own an original iPad •The Mac-PC ownership percentage breakdown for iPad 2 customers is 51-49, versus 74-26 for original iPad buyers •Just 8% of original iPad buyers did not have iPods, versus 20% of iPad 2 buyers Full table of survey findings after the jump:

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Whether you worship Apple or think its products are woefully overrated, you've got to acknowledge the benefit it brings to consumers simply by forcing its rivals to compete. Following the launch of the iPad 2, Samsung has been brave enough to admit publicly that the iPad 2 is making it rethink its strategy with the Galaxy Tab 10.1: Not only is Samsung impressed with and challenged by the upticked thinness of Apple's latest, but it is considering making its own 10-inch tablet cheaper. Samsung exec Lee Don-Joo told Korea's Yonhap news agency that it had been planning to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 even more expensive than the already-pricey 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but that it would "have to think that over" following Wednesday's announcement from Apple. Don-Joo also said that "We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate"; it's not clear if something was lost in translation here, but he is likely referring to improving future Galaxy Tab models rather than scrapping the current line. (Engadget via Phandroid)

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If you aren't sure whether or not you want to run out and sell your iPad to collect some money for the slightly thinner iPad 2, the above handy tablet comparison chart over at TiPb will hopefully make the decision process a little easier. Of course, once you weigh your options, you still have to come to terms with iPad 2, man. iPad 2. Head on past the break to see a larger version of the chart.

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Online gadget-buyer Gazelle is reporting that over two thousand original iPads were sold in the hour after the lighter, thinner, faster iPad 2 was announced yesterday. Wired points out that before the iPad 2 announcement, the bare bones, 16GB iPad would net sellers $375. Now, just a day after the announcement, Gazelle's iPad stock has dramatically risen, dropping that cool $375 to a less cool $300.

Now, everyone knows there is a large group of people who abandon their old tech for the new, pretty stuff when it releases, but if one does a bit of estimation and generalization, the two thousand iPads abandoned within one hour of the iPad 2 announcement--which only happened at one particular outlet--seems like a pretty large number reached fairly quickly. One has to assume other people are selling their old, last generation, clearly outdated and don't-even-work-anymore iPads to outlets beside Gazelle, which would mean many, many iPads are being left out in the metaphorical dirt road like a red fox named Tod.

(via Wired)

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This afternoon, Steve Jobs popped in from his medical leave to officially announce the iPad 2. (The first revelation about the new device: "iPad 2" isn't a placeholder name, but is actually what it will be called.) Given all the leaks, speculation, and coy hints from Apple itself, we would have been shocked if we didn't get an iPad 2 today: However, some of the details came as a surprise. The biggest question going into today was just how big a refresh to the iPad we'd be getting: Since John Gruber hypothesized that Apple would surprise everyone with an iPad 3 in September or so, many have speculated that the iPad 2's relation to the iPad would be akin to the iPhone 3GS' relationship to the iPhone 3. But while a few hoped-for features are missing from the iPad 2 -- most notably Retina Display -- this is a substantial overhaul. Jobs, for his part, said that "we think 2011 is clearly the year of iPad 2." The key details below:

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It's March 2, just like the announcement says, and you know what that means: At 1pm EST (10am PST), Apple is going to announce something or the other that we think just might be the iPad 2. Gizmodo is liveblogging the presser, as are Engadget, Ars, PC Mag, and CNET. If you're more of an audiovisual person, Leo Laporte and the TWiT Live crew will be hosting a live show commenting on the announcement, as will the Guys from Queens. Apple hasn't yet announced a live video stream for the event -- which is odd because it has offered live video for its last two events -- but if it does at the last minute, it'll probably appear here. We're working on finding live, streaming video for the event. Update: Now with live video of the full event:

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The tech blogs have one less thing to speculate about now: Apple's iPad 2 event is officially happening on March 2nd, or one week from today. They've sent out the above invitation to members of the press. iPad 2-exclusive, or will there be more goodies in store? The event will take place at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10am PT. (via Loop Insight)

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As of yet, there is no hard evidence to support this theory whatsoever, but it's just sneaky and daring enough that we wouldn't rule it out of Apple's playbook: Blogger John Gruber speculates that in the fall of 2011, Apple could release an "iPad 3" or at least an "iPad 2.5" hot on the heels of its as-yet-not-even-announced iPad 2 this spring. Gruber, known for his connections within Apple and his habit of sometimes serving as a cipher for the company, stresses that this is purely his guess. One mystery this would appealingly resolve is the conflict between reports that the iPad 2 would have a so-called "retina display" and analyses debunking this:

How could Apple release a third-generation iPad just six months or so after the second one? Maybe it won’t be an actual next generation model. Maybe it’s more like an iPad 2.5, or iPad 2 Pro — a new higher-end model that sits atop the iPad product family, not a replacement for the iPad 2 models (which, of course, haven’t even been released yet). Or: an iPad 2 HD. What if that’s the source of the conflicting reports of a retina display next-gen iPad? I am nearly dead certain the iPad 2 is going to have the same display resolution and size as the current iPad. I am not so sure at all, though, that there won’t be a double-resolution 2048 × 1536 iPad in 2011. Is that a technically aggressive release schedule? Absolutely. But Apple has invested $4 billion on some sort of unspecified components for future products.

Either way, it's a step up from the mucus-secreting new MacBook Pro. (Daring Fireball via TechCrunch)

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Citing multiple sources, Reuters reports that the iPad 2 -- which hilarious-though-sometimes-accurate rumormongers DigiTimes reports will ship in February of 2011 for an April launch -- will have both front- and rear-facing cameras, sourced by Genius Electronic Optical Co Ltd and Largan Precision Co Ltd. You may recall that a teardown of this generation's iPad revealed that it has a slot in the frame that perfectly fits the camera from a unibody MacBook Pro, which Apple evilly didn't include in this generation for whatever reason. Cameras would allow videochat applications such as Apple's FaceTime and augmented reality apps for the iPad. Reuters' sources also say, in accordance with other iPad 2 rumors we've heard, that the "new model would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display." Man, if all of these iPad 2 reports are true -- they jibe with Apple's past product release strategy, but we'd still put them in the 'interesting rumor category' for now -- a bunch of people who got iPads for Christmas or Hanukkah this year are going to be annoyed. (Reuters via BGR)

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