MEET THE NEW IPAD 3 | APPLE UNVEIL A NEW IPAD 3

Apple launched its latest version of the iPad on Wednesday, armed with a Full HD display with 3.1 million pixels and a supercharged new processor.

The device will be available on March 16 and priced from $499-$829 - the same range as the iPad 2, which the technology giant launched a year ago.

The tablet will be powered by a super fast quad-core A5x chip, putting Apple's tablet ahead of competitors such as Samsung.

It will also offer a high speed 4G LTE network connection on both the AT&T and Verizon wireless networks

LATEST iPAD VERSION SPECIFICATION

Screen size: 9.7 inches

Weight: 653g

Depth: 9.4mm

Screen resolution: 2048x1536

Processor: 1Ghz Apple A5X

Storage: 16GB-64GB

Camera: 1080p, 30 frames per second

Connections: 4G LTE Wi-Fi (Verizon and AT&T), Bluetooth 4.0, Apple 30-pin connector

Despite this, Apple claims the battery lasts 10 hours and the device is just 9.4mm thick.

'Who will come out with a product that's more amazing than the iPad 2?' Apple CEO Tim Cook asked the audience at the San Francisco launch event. 'Stop wondering - we are'.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF NEW iPAD

Up close, the new HD screen is very impressive indeed - particularly with apps built to take advantage of it - such as the new version of sky watching app Star Walk which can show 300,000 stars on screen at once.

Even on the home screen, though, icons are stunningly crisp - and printed words in iBooks are so sharp it almost hurts to look at them.

With Full HD video, there's a cinematic feel like watching a big flatscreen TV set - except the screen is in your lap.

Photos really pop out of the screen - and even ones taken on the device's 5-megapixel camera are crisp enough to zoom right in.

Overall, the device doesn't feel a huge amount faster, though - the new processor clearly has its work cut out just keeping the screen going.

And despite Apple's boasts, the games still don't look a patch on titles on Xbox 360 or PC - but as developers get to grips with the new hardware, that will change.

The screen, a larger version of the screen in iPhone 4s, is sharper than most 40-inch HD televisions.

Apple claims that the screen resolution is so sharp words on screen are sharper than words in print.

Mr Cook said: 'We are taking it to a whole new level and are redefining the category that Apple created with the original iPad'.

The new iPad also offers a 5 megapixel iSight camera which can record video in full HD. 

Apple showed off new apps, including new versions of it's iWork apps such as iPhoto.

Many apps showed off the power of the new tablet - for instance editing 14 megapixel digital photos in full size on screen.

The processor is fast enough to handle a 3D game, Sky Gamblers, with 50 fighter planes battling on screen at once. 

A new version of the hit iPhone title Infinity Blade showed off graphics similar to Xbox 360 and PS3.

A fresh edition of the GarageBand music software lets four iPads 'jam' together via Wi-Fi. Also, a newer version of iMovie allows users to record and edit full HD movies right on the screen. 

The iPhoto app allows photo editing direct on screen, cropping pictures, editing lighting and adding effects such as red-eye reduction and black and White filters via the touchscreen.

The new iPad will be 9.4 millimeters thick, or 0.37 inches.