Finally, the long-awaited iPad 2 has arrived, and consumers are wondering if the tablet era has really begun at last. The answer we’ve all been waiting for boils down to this: we’re closer than ever. Consumers are going to love this tablet and Apple shares are going up.

What’s so good about the iPad 2? Now that the original iPad has a lot of competition, it has to be great. First, compared to its previous iteration, this new iPad is thinner, lighter, and faster. It’s now so thin, in fact, 0.034 inches to be exact, that it not only outperforms every other tablet on the market, but now feels much more comfortable in the hand. According to Apple, this skinny Minnie still has 10 hours of battery life. More importantly, the slimmed-down design makes it seem entirely possible that one day soon, the tablet will replace both the laptop and the smartphone in one fell swoop, and may, in fact, become the only technology device we carry around. . .

Also, like other newer tablets, the iPad 2 now has two cameras, a low-resolution one on the front for video chatting and a rear-facing camera for high-definition video. The camera on the back might be better for competing, say, the Motorola Xoom, but having both is an improvement. Thus, this new mobile device also replaces the digital camera. Also, it has an HDMI slot so you can connect it to an HDTV. Like the iPhone, it also has a gyroscope, which makes gaming more engaging. Little by little, tablets are becoming the all-in-one device.

As for the price, the iPad 2 costs about the same as the original and considerably less than its competitors. The 16 GB version costs $499 while the 64 GB 3G version costs around $829. The 32GB iPad 2 3G is priced at $729. That’s very competitive, but another absolutely necessary item is the new magnetic polyurethane cover that, when clicked open, also activates the computer. Very cool. $40 more.

In short, if you’ve been drooling over an Apple iPad, be glad you waited. That’s all. Think of all those apps: 65,000 and counting. No other brand of tablet comes close to the number of apps, although Android-based tablets are emerging quickly. The iPad 2 is a great tablet.