Thinner, lighter, more powerful than ever. Then there's the iPad 2...

APPLE today unveiled a thinner, lighter, more powerful version of 2010's runaway success, the iPad, but all the focus was on its ailing chief executive.

New Apple iPad

FOR a man on his deathbed, Apple CEO Steve Jobs looked anything but frail as he launched the iPad 2.

Dressed in his trademark long-sleeve black turtleneck and blue jeans, Jobs' appearance in San Francisco came as a surprise.

His gaunt appearance in recent weeks has led many media outlets to describe him as having "climbed out of his sickbed".

"We've been working on this product quite awhile and I just didn't want to miss a great day," he told the crowd, which greeted him with thunderous applause.

"Thank you for having me."

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The internet had been buzzing for days ahead of Wednesday's event with speculation over whether Jobs, the technology visionary behind the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Macintosh computer, would make an appearance.

Yet he appeared energetic, bounding on stage to the Beatles song Here Comes The Sun.

He showed plenty of spirit when comparing the iPad 2 to its rivals.

"We think 2011 is clearly going to be the Year of iPad 2," he said.

Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads between April and December generating nearly $10 billion in revenue.

"We've never had a product that got off to that fast a start," Jobs said. "We have 90 per cent of the market.

"Our competitors were just flummoxed," he said. "They went back to their drawing boards, tore up their designs."

Jobs, 56, went on indefinite medical leave on January 17, turning over day-to-day operations at Apple to chief operating officer Tim Cook.

He underwent an operation for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and received a liver transplant in early 2009.

Last week, Apple shareholders turned down a motion to demand Apple present a succession plan in the event that Jobs would no longer be able to run the company.

The Central Laborers' Pension Fund, which owns 11,484 shares of Apple stock, called for a succession plan to ensure "a smooth transition" in case Jobs leaves as CEO.

The proposal didn't ask Apple to name whom it planned to appoint, but it wanted the company to come up with a three-year plan for changing leadership and an emergency plan.

The plan would be reviewed annually by Apple, and a report on it would be shared with stockholders.

Jobs stayed on stage today for an hour but did not attend the hands-on session with the iPad 2.

He did not say when or if he was planning to return to the company.

Following his appearance this morning, Apple shares surged and were 0.85 per cent higher at $352.29 in afternoon trading on Wall Street.