New iPad looms as Apple sends out media invites

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc. is expected to unveil the second-generation iPad next week.

The Cupertino, California, company has sent invitations to a media event in San Francisco next Wednesday. The invitation shows a calendar page with the upper right hand corner peeling away to reveal an iPad underneath. The large ``2'' on the calendar page denotes the event's March 2 date and could be another hint that Apple is about to unveil the follow-up to the original iPad.

Various reports have speculated that the new iPad will have a front-facing camera, which would allow people to hold video chats using services such as Skype.

If that were the case, its design would more closely match the iPhone 4, which went on sale last June with a front-facing camera as well as Apple's own video chatting software, called FaceTime.

Other reports have speculated that the new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the original, which weighs 1.5 pounds (680 grams).

The event will take place nearly a year to the day after the first iPad went on sale. Apple updates most of its products once a year.

As per its policy, Apple's not saying a word more than what it said in its official invite. And that read:

"Please join us for an invitation-only event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on March 2 at 10:00 a.m. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Please arrive early. RSVP to [e-mail]."