The best feature of the iPad 2 is the most obvious - price

Apple today reviled the upcoming iPad 2, and it manages to improve in all the areas the average consumer cares about while ignoring the areas they don't. Front and rear cameras are both in, along with a dual-core processor all packed into a device 33% thinner than its predecessor. But the most impressive feature is that they managed all of these while keeping the $499 price point on the low end. Sure, you can drop $800 on a fully tricked out iPad 2 with 3G and tons of memory. but most people are just fine with the 16GB WiFi model. 

While thought by many at the original iPad's launch to be too high, $499 is a price point no competitor has been able to match in the 10-inch tablet space. And the fact that the device will be shipping to stores around the world on March 11th (just over a week away!) again shows that Apple is the best in the business with regards to their supply chain. So, what are their competitors left to do?

The iPad 2 shows just how far ahead Apple is from nearly everyone else in the market in terms of hardware and pricing. Just look at the Motorola Xoom launch:

• Announced at CES without a price or launch date
• WiFi-only was rumored and only recently confirmed
• Only on sale in US, and that is the $800 Verizon 3G/3G version
• WiFi only version still does not have a launch date

The same could be said for every other "major" Android tablet at CES along with HP's TouchPad and RIM's PlayBook. No one knows when they are coming and for how much. Meanwhile, Apple is able to announce a product a week before it comes out that matches the specs of its competitors, beats them on price, beats them on time to market, beats them on (hardware) customization, and beats them on global availability.

One thing is for sure, there is no way the average consumer is going to spend and extra $100 on a WiFi Motorola Xoom (or PlayBook or Galaxy Tab or TouchPad) over a WiFi iPad 2. If you can't get something in at the $499 price point, you might as well not even show up to the party. And that should have companies like Motorola, HP, RIM, Samsung, and HTC shaking in their boots.