Four Reasons Why iPad 2 is Slimmer, Thinner

Apple has cut the thickness and weight of its iPad 2 by trimming the dimensions of several key components, most notably the battery, according to a new report by IHS iSuppli.

On March 2, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iPad's new avatar, the iPad 2, an evolution rather than a revolution -- slimmer, lighter and faster.

Apple has just set the specification bar even higher for iPad 2, sticking with the 10-inch display but made it thinner than an iPhone and faster.

Cupertino, California-based Apple also managed to reduce the weight of the tablet despite adding new hardware.

The trimmed version of the iPad could boost the competitive dynamics of the device in the tablet market and force competitors to slim their device to match iPad 2.

Apple reduced the weight of its new tablet iPad 2 by 15 percent to 600 grams and thickness by 34 percent to 8.8 millimeters. iPad 1 had a thickness of 13.4 millimeters and weighed 700 grams.

Leveraging its unparalleled design capabilities, Apple has upped the competitive ante on tablet form factors by substantially decreasing the thickness and weight of the iPad 2, Keller said.

Apple has particularly focused on thickness as a point of differentiation for the iPad 2. Other new tablets coming to market, all of which are about as thick as the iPad 1, now look fat in comparison to the iPad 2. This is likely to cause a scramble as competitors rush to slim down to match Apple, Kevin Keller, principal analyst for the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service said in a statement.

How the iPad 2 Lost Weight?

According to IHS, Apple has managed to make the iPad 2 thinner and slimmer by the following ways:

1. Apple thinned the iPad 2's battery subsystem by 59 percent to 2.5 millimeters from 6.1 millimeters for iPad 1, leading to a 10 to 15 percent boost in iPad 2's power density - a measure of battery life relative to the mass of battery.

The change allowed Apple to reduce the weight of iPad 2 by 5 grams, without compromising on the battery lifetime, IHS noted.

The iPad 2 battery design represents a major shift from the iPad 1, Keller said. Apple moved from two thicker cells to three thinner ones, flattening out the entire battery structure. The new design also allowed Apple to eliminate an injection-molded plastic support frame from the battery subsystem, further cutting down its thickness.

2. Apple removed a stamped sheet metal frame from the display that in turn cut down the size of the display subsystem by 17 percent to 2.5 millimeters.

3. Apple has adopted a new glass technology that allows it to reduce the thickness of the section while maintaining durability. The touch screen overlay on the iPad 2 is 0.6 millimeters thick, down 25 percent from 0.8 millimeters for the iPad 1.

Keller noted that the concurrent release of the iPad 2 and the new Dragontrail Glass technology from Asahi Glass Co. of Japan has led to speculation that Asahi may be the supplier of this durable new glass.

In addition, physical tests conducted by IHS reveal that the iPad 2 glass is more flexible than the glass used in the iPad 1, a characteristic of increased durability.

4. Apple also trimmed the space between the rear of the display and the top of the batteries by 19 percent to 1.3 millimeters.

Following table shows the comparison of thickness for the iPad 1 and iPad 2.