Lighter, faster and actually usable compared to the original iPad, where you couldn't even have a few windows opened in the browser without reloading the entire page every time you moved between windows. So yes, the iPad 2 was a big step forward at the time.

Right now I'd wait for the iPad 5 to come out before buying again. They will supposedly get that weight down by quite a bit, not to mention the dimensions will be smaller as you won't have such a large "frame" around the entire screen.