At their San Franciso press conference, Apple have officially unveiled the next generation iPad. Currently, it’s only known as the “new iPad”. We’re yet to learn if it will be the iPad 3, iPad 2S or iPad HD. Officially specifications have been announced though as well as availability and pricing. For selected countries, pre-orders start today.

New iPad specifications:
9.7″ Retina Display
2048×1536 resolution
265ppi
iSight: 5 megapixel camera with illuminated sensor, 5-element lens, IR filter, ISP, autofocus, 1080p video recording
A5X processor and quad core graphics chip
9.4mm thin
1.4lbs
4G LTE with Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T
21Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, with LTE taking the cake at 73Mbps compared to 3.1Mbps and 7.2Mbps respectfully on the iPad 2
3G world ready which ever 4G model you choose, as it has the “most bands ever”
Hotspot for carriers who support it
10 hour battery life, 9 hours on 4G
Microphone button on the keyboard for voice dictation

Pricing is $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB Wifi models, $629, $729 and $829 respectfully for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB 4G models, so no price change there. The new iPad will be available from March 16th in US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia and you’ll be able to place a pre-order today, while the rest of the world will see a March 23rd release.

Apple have once again updated their iPod range. The iPod Touch has been updated, along with the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano and all will be available from September 10 onwards. This will be the fourth gen edition of the iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle, where as the iPad Nano is now in it’s sixth generation.

The iPod Touch now has a front facing and rear camera. The FaceTime app has also been added, which has received much publicity from being on the iPhone, as well as being featured in many TV commercials. While the iPod Touch doesn’t have cell phone capabilities, you will be able to make video calls with the MP3 Player over WiFi. This is made possible with the built in microphone Apple have added.

HD video recording has also been made possible with the use of the rear camera on the device. You will not only be able to record your videos but, edit and share them without having to transfer them to your computer.

The 4th gen iPod Touch also features the A4 processor, as used in the iPhone 4, which will make gaming even more enjoyable. To top it off, Apple have also added a retina display onto the device, making the gap between the iPhone and iPod Touch even less, as the only features that the iPod Touch isn’t capable of doing, is making phone calls, sending texts and other features requiring a cellular connection, it also lacks inbuilt GPS. Despite having more features based on build features, it is thinner and lighter than the current iPod Touch. Pricing in the UK is £189 for the 8GB, £249 for the 32GB and £329 for the 64GB model. Interestingly a 16GB model has been omitted for the line up, forcing users who need more than 8GB to pay the extra for the 32GB, even if all that space isn’t needed.