Report: Apple to debut iPad 2 on March 2

Apple is reportedly planning to debut the second iteration of its flagship iPad tablet on March 2 in San Francisco. Although Cupertino has yet to send invites, AllThingsD speculates that the venue is likely to be the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

The iPad 2 is expected to be thinner than the original, with an improved display and front-facing camera.

As Peter King, director of tablets and touch screens at Strategy Analytics notes, a “timely” iPad 2 launch is important for Apple, which is facing competition from a number of companies touting sleek, next-gen Android tablets running Honeycomb.

“Though this part of the year is not the critical buying period for devices, an iPad 2 delay would offer glimmer of hope for Motorola, RIM, Dell, and HP – all the guys that are coming to market behind Apple,” King told the International Business Times.

Meanwhile, AppleInsider notes that “speculation has already begun” over reports that Cupertino could unveil a third-gen iPad with additional features by September 2011.