Super light iPad Air steals the show but applause elsewhere is 'subdued'
The iPad Air - at 1lb, four ounces less than its predecessor stole the show at the big Apple launch in San Francisco yesterday, upstaging a raft of software and hardware upgrades .
Journalists get their hands on the new iPad Air
"This is the lightest full-size tablet in the world," Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller told the crowd of media and analysts.
"It's amazingly thin and holding it is a dramatically different experience."
The US price will be $499, £399 in the UK with 16 GB and WiFi, on sale in both countries on Nov 1. It has an Apple A7 chip inside and CPU performance double the previous generation.
"It is thinner, lighter, more powerful, and it deserves a new name: iPad Air," Schiller added.
"The iPad Air offers our new vision for mobile computing."
Also out there: A second-generation and much more powerful iPad Mini featuring the crystal-clear Retina display that comes on the larger iPad. Also much free software running on its new iOS7 operating system.
But it was the Air that stole the show, and later in a hands-on demo room, won the hearts of the crowd.
"Thinner, lighter, faster and free software," said analyst Avi Greengart with Current Analysis. "Losing those four ounces changes the way you relate to the iPad and it's instantly noticeable."
Apple shares stayed flat as Wall Street took in the news, and the crowd was less forthcoming with applause than usual, said the Mercury News.
But the paper quoting analysts added, "While not earthshaking, Apple's latest software and hardware achievements were impressive . . .offering a host of new features to enrich the user experience, including updated and free tools like iWorks, iLife and GarageBand."