• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, March 2, 2011

The biggest surprise at the iPad 2 launch today may have been Apple CEO Steve Jobs taking the stage after going on his second medical leave in January. The master showman couldn't resist taking the wraps off the upgraded Apple tablet himself, exalting the device (again) as "magical" and taking jabs at the competition in characteristic fashion.

The broader message: Apple is still going strong and ready to take on the wave of new competitors in the tablet category the company all but created with the original iPad last year. To that end, the latest version is slimmer, lighter and faster through the addition of a dual-core processor. It also added a front-facing camera to enable video chat and even the option of getting the iPad in white as well as black.

The new-look iPad may have offered few surprises after the weeks of endless speculation (including the one just last week about the iPad being delayed until summer), but the upgrades help keep Apple current, if not ahead, of the new crop of tablets from Motorola, HTC, Samsung, HP and others.

While Apple has left tablet competitors an opening around 4G, and didn't drop the iPad entry price to further pressure rivals, analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis noted the company still has three critical advantages over would-be challengers. For one, he says that when people are thinking about buying tablets, they say they're getting an "iPad" rather than a "tablet." In short, the Apple brand is synonymous with the product category.

Greengart actually argues the more than 100 new tablets launching could actually benefit Apple. "If there were only one or two strong competitors, consumers would be able to weigh the pros and cons of each offering, but with dozens and dozens of options hitting the market over the next few months, decision paralysis sets in and consumers throw up their hands and buy the 'safe' choice - the iPad," he said.

Good point. Although a big price cut by a well-regarded competing tablet could help it, at least temporarily, stand out from the pack.

Second, by virtue of the iTunes ecosystem, the iPad is the only tablet with an expansive marketplace for movies, TV shows and music. Third, the App Store gives the iPad a big advantage over rivals as it has for the iPhone. Jobs pointed out Wednesday that there are now 65,000 apps that take "full advantage' of the iPad's larger screen.

"The Android ecosystem is strong and app availability should improve significantly over time, but the iPad 2 is considerably more versatile than any of its competitors right now, and appears unlikely to lose its lead any time in the near future," added Greengart. The report today of Google pulling more than 50 apps infected with malware from its Android Market didn't do much to dispel the view that Apple runs a tighter ship when it comes to apps. 

But Android has proven a formidable competitor to Apple's iOS platform in the smartphone market, so it's way too early to count out Google in the emerging tablet arena.