Details about the real iPad 2 and all the rumors, mockups, and premature criticism that got us here, along with the reappearance of the visionary force behind Apple Inc.

Try racking your brain for a device more crowed about, lusted over, or prematurely criticized than Apple's (AAPL) iPad 2. (We know. Pretty hard.) That's probably because, over the last six months, media outlets everywhere gave voice to even the most outré rumors, design mockups, and wish lists.

Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance to unveil the iPad 2. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

And why not? The first-generation of Apple's tablet moved 15 million units in 2010, the most of any tablet device ever, and both versions are expected to sell as many as 25 million this year. Though detractors continue to throw haterade its way, many more simply swear by it, and roughly two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies currently use it in day-to-day dealings or soon plan to. Like it or not, the iPad, with its 1.5 pound lightweight status, svelte aluminum chassis, easy multi-touch user interface, and booming app ecosystem, singlehandedly reinvigorated an area of computing that until recently, even Apple had failed to successfully penetrate with its Newton tablet platform back in 1993.

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