iPad 2 - What to Expect Today

What to expect from version 2.0

** Lighter weight and sleeker

** Front and rear facing camera; for taking pics and video chatting (FaceTime)

** Larger speaker

** More RAM and processing power

** It will also likely feature a dual-mode wireless chip for both CDMA and GSM network compatibility

** We will definitely see a price drop in the original iPad as well just like they dropped the price of the older iPhone models

The announcement is today and initially I guessed we’d be about two weeks out for production but I'm going to put my over under on Monday for retail availability.

Note - While iPad2 buzz still continues so does talks of an iPad3 due out this fall. I don't think this announcement would happen today (as it would hurt stocks) but there are rumors that an Apple staffer claims the iPad 2 is just a bump up but the iPad 3 will have all the bells and whistles. Again, this is speculation and any time there is an Apple announcement it turns in to the telephone game we played when we were little. Who really knows whats true!

Will Steve Jobs be present?

Health is most important and as we know Steve Jobs is on his third leave of absence in seven years.

There is speculation that his attendance today is a possibility.

Though he has given much of his responsibilities to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook – it is said he remains close to major strategic decisions. And with that said Apple sold $9.6 billion worth of iPads in 2010, which represented 12.5% of Apple's revenue. The iPad is very much a key component in the Apple landscape.

Either way investors and shareholders will of course be keeping a close eye on how the event pans out and this is a big event today for Apple.

For more on tablet influx as discussed on CNN please see previous post.