Although it was praised for its hardware improvement, such as the new Apple A5 chip, the software restriction on the iPad 2 and iOS in general drew criticism from various technology commentators.

[11][12] A popular product, with a lower screen resolution and performance than the two Retina models that followed it but a lighter build and longer battery life, it remained in the Apple line-up as an entry-level iPad model for three years until March 2014, latterly with a silent upgrade to a die-shrunk version of the A5 processor.

Its basic design formed the core of the first iPad Mini, which had the same screen pixel count and similar features at a smaller size.

[13][14] On March 2, 2011, CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the device at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, despite being on medical leave.

[16] Apple began selling the iPad 2 on its website on March 11,[17] and in its U.S. retail stores at 5 pm local time on that date.

The countries included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

[21] The April 29, 2011 release date for Japan was postponed due to the earthquake and tsunami which struck the nation on March 11, 2011.

[23] The iPad 2 was later released in Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia and other countries including Japan on April 29, 2011.

[27] In late March 2011, the iPad 2 was released alongside iOS 4.3,[28][29] which primarily introduced Airplay Mirroring and Home Sharing among other features.

[30] On October 12, 2011, upon the release of the iPhone 4s, the iPad was upgradable to the iOS 5 firmware update which brought over 200 new user features to iOS compatible devices including Notification Center, iMessage, Reminders, and an updated notifications system, using a new "banner" style instead of the previously used pop-up "alert" style.

[36] The iPad 2 also adds the ability to run GarageBand, iMovie, and the iWork apps Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.

[38] Scott Rohde, a senior Sony executive described the iPad as "a game console disguised as a device that can be appropriated in the business workplace.

Users have also reported numerous problems after receiving the update including the accessibility features and battery-related issues.

As with previous releases, though, several features were unavailable on the iPad 2, including Siri, translucency effects, split-view, slide-over and picture-in-picture multitasking and the Health app.

[43][44] iOS 9 is said to feature performance improvements that may help the aging device function more smoothly, and initial tests suggest that it did not significantly impact available space.

[45] The iPad 2 is one of many computers, tablets, and mobile devices susceptible to the "Broadpwn" exploit, which was publicized in July 2017.

As a result, older Apple devices incompatible with iOS 10, including the iPad 2, were left vulnerable indefinitely.

This has raised concerns of potentially widespread attacks using the exploit, particularly in locations of concentrated iPad 2 deployment, such as certain primary and secondary schools.

[47] On July 22, 2019, Apple released iOS 9.3.6 for the CDMA model of the iPad 2 to fix issues caused by the GPS week number rollover.

[3][49] Other features include front and rear cameras, a three-axis gyroscope, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, microphone, magnetometer, accelerometer and a 9.7 inch multi-touch screen with a maximum resolution of 1024×768 hence resulting in 132 ppi.

The iPad Wi-Fi + 3G model includes an A-GPS receiver for tracking the user's location given permission.

The upgraded variant of the iPad 2 features a smaller version of the Apple A5 SoC, which is able to reduce battery consumption.

[64] The maximum temperature that the device heated up to was also less than original iPad 2, tests conducted by the same organisation revealed that the upgraded variant was able to operate at 1 degree lower when performing intensive tasks.

Joshua Topolsky of Engadget said that "for those of you who haven't yet made the leap, feel free to take a deep breath and dive in – the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now.

"[72] The closed and proprietary nature of iOS has garnered criticism, particularly by digital rights advocates such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, computer engineer and activist Brewster Kahle, Internet-law specialist Jonathan Zittrain, and the Free Software Foundation who protested the iPad's introductory event and have targeted the iPad with their "Defective by Design" campaign.

[77] At issue are restrictions imposed by the design of iOS, namely DRM intended to lock purchased media to Apple's platform, the development model (requiring a yearly subscription to distribute apps developed for the iOS), the centralized approval process for apps, as well as Apple's general control and lockdown of the platform itself.

[79] Soon after the first weekend, Ashok Kumar, a technology analyst for a financial firm predicted that Apple would sell 35 million iPad 2s in 2011.

The other personal computing system aboard ISS were various versions of the ThinkPad laptop (IBM, later Lenovo brand).