Sneak peek: Apple is expected to unveil the second-generation iPad next week. The Cupertino, Calif., company has sent invitations to a media event in San Francisco Wednesday. The invitation shows a calendar page with the upper right-hand corner peeling away to reveal an iPad underneath. The large “2” on the calendar page denotes the event’s March 2 date and could be another hint that Apple is about to unveil the follow-up to the original iPad. Various reports have speculated that the new iPad will have a front-facing camera, which would allow people to hold video chats using services such as Skype. If that were the case, its design would more closely match the iPhone 4, which went on sale last June with a front-facing camera as well as Apple’s own video chatting software, called FaceTime. Other reports have speculated that the new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the original, which weighs 1.5 pounds. The event will take place nearly a year to the day after the first iPad went on sale. Apple updates most of its products once a year.
3-D adds to business: Movie ticket revenue from theaters around the world rose 8% to $31.8 billion in 2010, helped by international growth. In the U.S. and Canada, the popularity of more-expensive 3-D movies made up for declining attendance overall. The statistics released by the Motion Picture Association of America today show the growing importance of markets outside North America. They now make up just over two-thirds of all theater revenue. Asian ticket revenue grew the most in dollar terms, rising 21% to $8.7 billion. Theater revenue in the U.S. and Canada was flat at $10.6 billion, while in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, revenue grew 5% to $10.4 billion. Latin American revenue grew 25% to $2.1 billion.
