iPad 2 - thinner, lighter, more flammable than ever

REPORTS from Asia say cheap iPad 2 knock-offs have propensity to burst into flame ... but it's all for an excellent cause.

APPLE'S new uberpad is hot property in China - literally.

It's Qingming Festival time in the world's most populous country and its neighbours. Spring is in the air, which makes for a great family outing to hang out with your dead relatives and perform a little maintenance on their grave sites.

Part of the ritual includes burning paper gifts and necessities that loved ones might still need in the afterlife.

Along with more traditional grilled gifts such as flashy cars and bungalows, burnt iPad 2s are all the rage this year.

Yes, even in the afterlife, it seems Steve Jobs's magical device is the ultimate answer to entertainment on the go.

Despite the fact it hasn't even been released in most of the country, dead tech fans are already clamouring for an upgrade that's thinner, faster and lighter than last year's burnt iPad.

Apple should enjoy its post-mortem popularity while it lasts.

The industry is bracing itself for a flood of new burnt Android tablets based on Google's Charcoal Biscuit OS, with early reviewers claiming the new Samsung and Motorola machines are at least as flammable as the iPad 2.