iPad 3: A resolutionary round-up of the news

Apple has made a raft of announcements, with the new iPad 3 taking centre stage.

If you weren’t watching live, along with half of the technology world, here’s a round-up of what we’ve found out so far.

• * There is a new iPad – woohoo! 
• * It will be available from March 16th. Yes, including the UK.
• * It has what Apple calls a ‘Breakthrough Retina display’. The device will have a hi-res secreen, with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels. Four times the pixels of the iPad 2, apparently.
• * It will have a 5-megapixel iSight camera with face detection that can record 1080p video.
• * It’s got a better processor under its skin – the quad-core A5X.
• * Voice dictation is a new feature.
• * There’s a new iPhoto app – a picture editor.
• * There have been updates to iMovie and GarageBand too – Apple is keen for users to film, edit and publish without having to leave the iPad.
• * Can act as a wi-fi hotspot for other devices.
• * Will be able to run on 4G networks where available.
• * Same battery life as on previous model whilst using 3G (slightly less on 4G).
• * Alongside shiny new features, the iPad 3 is also thicker and heavier than its predecessor.
• * It’s called… drumroll please… the ‘New iPad’. 
• * The new iPad will start at £399 (for the 16GB, wi-fi version), up to £659 (for the 64GB, 4G/wi-fi version).
• * iPad 2 will continue to be sold at a reduced price.

In other news:

• * Apple TV is being updated so it can deal with 1080p video.
• * Films and TV on iTunes will be available in hi-def format.

Chief executive Tim Cook said the firm was "redefining the category that Apple created". Or just polishing up what was already there? Time will tell. 

If you’re feeling blue because you’d rather another company was in the spotlight for a change, and you work in retail, you can at least console yourself with the fact that a new iPad will no doubt mean a whole new round of iPad accessories to sell…