Apple Confirms iPad 2 Event For March 2, But Will Jobs Attend?

The company sent out invitations to press and analysts Wednesday for a March 2 media event with a large image of a calendar with a 2 on it, peeling back to reveal the top corner of an iPad. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, a location that Apple has used frequently for product launches and announcements in the past such as the original iPad.

The next iteration of iPad has been the subject of many rumors and speculation in recent months. While the iPad 2 is expected to be thinner and lighter than the original tablet and also feature front and rear-facing cameras. The new version will reportedly add an SD card slot but will not have a USB port. It's unknown, however, what the iPad 2's pricing and availability will be.

The iPad 2 media event is consistent with Apple's recent track record of introducing semi-annual product updates for its flagship products, such as the iPhone. Apple introduced the first iPad in January of 2010, and after launching with much fanfare in April, the iPad became an instant hit, selling more than 3 million units by July.

One of the biggest questions surrounding next week's event has nothing to do with the iPad itself and everything to do with Apple: will CEO Steve Jobs, currently on medical leave from the company, appear at the event?

Last week, The National Enquirer published a report that Jobs was receiving cancer treatment again and was in failing health; the tabloid cited a medical expert -- who had never treated or even met Jobs -- that speculated, based on photos of Jobs, that Apple's CEO may have only six weeks to live.

However, Jobs attended a special dinner with U.S. President Barack Obama and several other top technology leaders the same day the National Enquirer report was published. The White House even released a photo that showed Jobs from behind sitting next to the President.