5 things to expect from March 7 iPad event

All eyes are on Apple, as the company prepares for its iPad event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco Wednesday. It is widely expected to debut the next-generation model of the market leading tablet, but like always the Cupertino, Calif. company is bound to have some surprises in store.

What can we expect to see? I've compiled some of the most likely things the next iPad will have, as well as anything else Apple will show off at the event. Let's hear from you. What do you think Apple's going to do Wednesday? Let us know in the comments.

Moving on to the predictions:

1. LTE. At long last, Apple will embrace LTE in the new iPad. At this point, LTE deployments are mature enough and chipsets efficient enough that releasing devices are worthwhile. Apple has shown a tendency to be on the late side of things with iOS devices, and now seems a good time to charge ahead. Just about every rumor about the new device says it has LTE, so this is all but a certainty.

2. Retina Display. Rumors indicate that the next iPad will drop the numerical nomenclature and go with "HD". This is due to the Retina Display that first debuted in the iPhone 4 coming to the iPad. Resolution is expected to be four times that of the iPad 2. I need to stress that the "iPad HD" is not really high definition in the true sense of the word: the tablet still keeps the 4:3 aspect ratio versus the 16:9 ratio of true high-definition displays.

3. No major design changes. I've seen nothing that indicates the iPad HD will have any major design change. There has been talk of the home button disappearing: a Chinese site who claims to have pieces of the iPad's casing show the button intact. About the only thing different here is a bit more tapering, and a slightly thicker design. Apple likely had to sacrifice a bit of its svelteness in order to fit in that fancy new display.

4. The changes are on the inside. Apple has been taken to task by its critics for failing to keep up with the arms race that has become mobile device specifications. I'm a little bit skeptical of the necessity of it -- many mobile apps don't need much processing power -- expect Apple to pay some lip service to these folks. The iPad HD should have a slightly faster processor, and quite possibly some additional memory. Will it make a huge difference? I doubt it.

5. Apple TV gets a refresh. There's always "one more thing". Rumors indicate that Apple is prepping an update to its Apple TV product for Wednesday. Unlike the iPad HD, what's exactly in store here is much less clear; 1080p support may be one thing as Apple moves towards "HD" across its other iOS lines. Like the iPad, it also could gain a faster processor. What I'd really like to see is some blockbuster content deals, and a more Roku-like platform, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I'll circle back after the event and see how the rumors did. Until then, what do you think Apple will debut on Wednesday?