The second-generation of the iPad has been released. The device that kicked off the tablet computing boom. is 15 per cent lighter than the original iPad and sports front- and rear-facing cameras.

The iPad 2, will start at $US499 and ship in the US on March 11 and expand to 26 more countries on March 25.

It has the same 10-hour battery life, though it has a more powerful dual-core processor.

The new iPad 2 is a third thinner than the  iPhone 4.     

Since the tablet debuted in April last year  Apple shares have risen 48 per cent, 37 percentage points more than the Standard & Poor’s 500, according to FactSet.

15 million iPads were sold in 2010 generated around $US10 billion in revenue for Apple.