Apple has sent out invitations for its much-anticipated iPad 3 (or whatever the next gen iPad ends up being called) unveiling event. The event will be held in San Francisco next Wednesday, March 7th.

The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple has confirmed that he received his invite this morning, and shared the very interest invitation image shown above.

The invite itself is already being analyzed, dissected and interpreted of course – and the feeling seems to be that the wording and the image both indicate that the heavily expected major display upgrade for the iPad 3 is all but confirmed. Just in case you can’t see the image well, the wording is:

We have something you really have to see. And touch.

I’ve been excited for weeks now about the iPad 3. Finally seeing the official Apple event invite just heightens that excitement. As usual, there are rumors floating around that the next-gen iPad could be available as soon as immediately after the announcement event. I wouldn’t bet on that, but I do expect the iPad 3 will be released within 7-10 days after the event, or sooner.

So if you’re planning to get the iPad 3, it’s close enough now to be getting your monies together and selling your current iPads if needed to finance purchasing the new one. In my case, I’ll also be crossing my fingers for mild weather the night before launch day – as I’ll definitely be outside an Apple store circa 4:00 AM eagerly waiting to get my hands on one.

Roll on March 7 and the next generation of the iPad.