In 2011, the entire consumer-electronics industry tried to take on the iPad and failed, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Apple, meanwhile, released a second-generation tablet that made most of the competition that much less, well, competitive. The thinner, lighter iPad 2 is more effortlessly portable than its predecessor, sports two cameras and runs 140,000 iPad-specific apps. Even Apple’s new case–the folding, magnetic Smart Cover–helps the iPad 2 keep ahead of the pack.
Price: $499 to $829 at Apple