I think when folks are saying the most exciting feature is the 'smart covers' they are using hyperbole. They haven't gotten a chance to touch and use the iPad 2 to determine speed improvements or OS improvements. If they already have an iPhone 4, they've already experienced the excited with the cameras, FaceTime, and even how thin it is.

For everyone who is comparing this against the previous iPad and not the iPhone 4, the most exciting features are probably 1) cameras 2) A5 chip or 2) HDMI out.

Apple isn't forcing anyone to upgrade, original iPads aren't going to become useless on March 11.

But they sure are trying their hardest to encourage people to ... ;)

EDIT: Sorry for the spelling mistake, downvoter - it's now corrected :)

Device hardware doesn't matter if the device is hard to use. Smart Covers could solve the iPad's ergonomic problems, and that's far more important to users than two cameras or HDMI out.

What do you do if you have an original iPad? How do you solve the iPad's ergonomic problems then .. ?

Non-sequitur. We're talking about features about the iPad 2 and suddenly you're asking about iPad 1 users? Improving a device every generation is common in tech. Everyone knows this.

I guess iPad 1 users will have to buy an iPad 2 if they want the ergonomic problem fixing then ...

Sure, just like any other user needs to upgrade if they want new features. That's the entire tech industry--not just Apple.

But personally, I think promotion of a new version - because it's compatible with an accessory which fixes ergonomic issues - is a bit a wrong. The iPad 2 is faster and slimmer .. and has some web-cams built in - but this constant pursuit of 'progress' is a bit worrying. Especially when an iteration provides such (arguably) small gains.