Apple CEO Steve Jobs gets standing ovation

SAN FRANCISCO, March 2 (UPI) -- Apple guru Steve Jobs, off the job to deal with health problems, received a standing ovation Wednesday when he showed up in San Francisco to tout the new iPad2.

"We've been working on this project for a while, and I just didn't want to miss this," TechCrunch.com quoted Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January, as saying.

Apple's co-founder and chief executive officer has a history of pancreatic cancer and has had a liver transplant, though his current medical issues are unclear, the tech Web site said.

The iPad2 will be available in the United States March 11 and in more than two dozen other countries March 26, The New York Times reported.

Jobs told those gathered for the unveiling the handheld computer is not only thinner than its predecessor, it is "dramatically faster."

"It has a new chip called A5," he said. "It's dual-core, so we get twice as fast performance on the CPU and nine times better graphic performance," the Times quoted Jobs as saying.

The new tablet is 33 percent thinner than the original iPad and weighs 1.3 pounds, down from 1.5 pounds, Jobs said.

At $499, the entry-level cost is unchanged from the first iPad, and it will be compatible with AT&T or Verizon for data service plans. It boasts the same 10-hour battery life as the first iPad, the Times said. The updated device also includes front- and rear-facing cameras, HDMI video out for connecting the iPad to displays and Face Time video chat software.

Jobs took a few shots at rival companies during his presentation. The company showed a video titled "2010: The Year of the iPad."

"What about 2011?" Jobs asked when the film was finished. "Is it going to be the year of the copycats?"