And now, an iPad Air and a new Mini

AT its second major product announcement event this year on Tuesday, Apple trotted out the old razzmatazz patented by the late Steve Jobs.

A new Mac Pro and an updated MacBook Pro were among the devices announced, but the clear stars of the show were the new iPad and its smaller sibling, the iPad Mini.

The new iPad, the 9.7-inch Retina Display-enabled signature Apple tablet, is 20 per cent thinner and 28 per cent lighter - weighing in at less than half a kilogramme - than the fourth generation iPad it replaces.