iPad 2 hits US stores

Apple's new tablet goes on sale in US

The iPad 2 will be available in the US today from retail giant Best Buy.

The US retailer will be stocking the tablet in stores and select Best Buy Mobile standalone locations from 5pm local time.

Apple said that orders will be served on a first come, first served basis.

The company unveiled the device earlier this month and the key features of the tablet were much as anticipated by the technology press.

It has two cameras built in for taking photos, recording video and video chatting. It has a 1GHz dual-core processor, which makes it faster than the original, and will mean that it is better for multi-tasking and creating music, video and other content, rather than just consuming it.

As with the original iPad line-up, iPad 2 comes in Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and 3G versions, each available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage. The prices for these remain the same as for the original iPad.

The #iPad2 hashtag was a top twitter trend on the day the product was unveiled by Steve Jobs but received a mixed reception from punters and pundits.