Apple sets the stage for iPad 2 announcement on March 2nd

The original iPad changed the mobilecomputing scene in a year. Recently, we have seen tablets announced by prettymuch every major consumer electronics company you can think of andnow when all the cards are on the table, it is time for Apple toplace their big iPad 2 bet. And March 2nd seems a very plausible date for that as the company has startedhanging banners outside San Francisco's Yerba BuenaCenter for the Arts, a usual venue for Apple's new announcements. Notice how the iPad 2 coincides with the March 2nd date as well.

Just yesterday Cupertino sent outinvitations for a Media Event on March 2nd with thetagline “Come see what 2011 will be the year of.” We have toadmit that with all the rumors about 2011 being the year of thetablet, Apple's marketing department came up with a clever tagline.Based on all the rumored specs, our guess for the next-geniPad specs would include:

- the same screen size and similar resolution. Which is not that bad as the current resolution of 1024 x 768 is slightly less than the latest market offerings.

- dual-core CPU and GPU. Rumor has it that a Samsung-made chip will run at the great 1.2GHz. Memory is also likely to get a boost to 512MB of RAM. Keep your fingers crossed for this one.

- front and rear-facing cameras. With our priority being the front-facing camera this time - perfect for FaceTime chats.

- more memory.

- NFC support.

This rounds up our expectations, but what do you expect to see in theiPad 2? Sound off in the comments!

source: RedmondPie