3/2/11 is iPad2 Day

Apple is expected to unveil a second-generation iPad on Wednesday in San Francisco.

The Internet is abuzz with industry insiders and Apple lovers expressing desires and speculation regarding what the maker of iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Macintosh computers has in store at an invitation-only event in San Francisco.

Cryptic invites provided the date, time and location of the event and displayed an image of a March 2 calendar page peeling back to reveal a corner of an iPad.

The message on the page reads "Come see what 2011 will be the year of."

I guess you can say "Year of the Tablet."

Apple sold 14.8 million iPads through the end of 2010, according to the company's earnings statements.

The second-generation iPad is expected to be slimmer with increased memory, a more powerful computer chip, and front and rear-facing cameras giving it the "FaceTime" video-conferencing ability featured on iPhone 4 smartphones.

The festivities begin at 1pm Eastern time on Wednesday.