News Analysis: The timing of the March 2 event to launch of the Apple iPad 2 is too close to the first shipment of the Motorola Xoom to be coincidence.
The announcement by Verizon Wireless that the Xoom would ship on Feb. 24 was followed almost immediately by an invitation by Apple to a press announcement in San Francisco on March 2. Considering the splash that the Xoom is making in the tablet markets before it has even been launched, this is no surprise.
The Xoom, with its collection of new features that the iPad doesn’t have and with capabilities that haven’t even been touched on in discussions about the iPad, makes the iPad look decidedly dated.
While there’s little question that the March 2 announcement will be for the iPad 2, there are still plenty of questions as to what that announcement will entail. Will there be a Secure Digital slot in the iPad 2? Will there be dual cameras? Will there be a better and bigger display? The press invitation only says: “Come see what 2011 will be the year of.”
Apple iPad 2 Event Confirmed for March 2
Reports circulated Tuesday that Apple would be holding an event on March 2, 2011, to unveil the iPad 2; now it’s official. Apple has issued an invitation to members of the press today for its upcoming event.
Any doubts about the nature of the event should be assuaged by the graphic accompanying the invitation.
The text accompanying the image reads:
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 [email protected].
You’ve got to love the double-meaning of the number “2.” The actual details concerning the iPad 2 are still under wraps, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from cranking into overdrive. You can read some of the latest rumors in our iPad 2 rumor guide.
Now that we know the date of the big event, we can all settle in and enjoy “stage 5″ in the Apple rumor cycle, “the silence before the storm.”
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