Apple unveils iPad Air, lightest full-sized tablet

Apple's latest tablet offering called the iPad Air is 20 per cent slimmer than its previous version. The 9.7-inch computer is 7.5 mm thick and weighs 469g, which according to the firm is the lightest full-sized tablet on the market.

The device is powered by the same A7 chip found in the company's iPhone 5S. The launch comes at a time when some analysts had suggested that Google's Android was about to overtake Apple's iOS as the bestselling tablet platform.

The iPhone maker also announced a new version of its iPad Mini. The device's 7.9in (20cm) screen had been upgraded to feature 2048 by 1536 pixels - the same as the larger model and it had been branded as "retina" to highlight the increased resolution.

Meanwhile, Amazon and Google had already announced small tablets - the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7 featuring high definition displays.

Apple also unveiled faster Mac computers and offered free upgrades for life on its operating system and business software, as it goes into a competitive holiday shopping season.

According to commentators, the debut of the one-pound iPad Air and MacBook Pro with sharper 'retina' display repeated a pattern of recent launches with improvements in existing lines rather than totally new products.

According to Apple, upgrades to its Mac operating system and iWork software suite, which competed with Microsoft Corp's Excel, Word and other applications, would now be offered for all MacBooks and Mac computers.

That brought Apple's model of free system software upgrades on phones and tablets to the computer market, where Apple continued to play second fiddle to Microsoft's Windows.

Analysts said, Apple Inc might be trying to safeguard its grip on mobile software with Microsoft pushing its Windows-powered Surface Pro, which runs applications, such as Word or Excel, that are the standard for business customers.

With numerous tablets in the market running Google Inc's Android software, Apple seems to be more focused on the premium sector the market where it has competition from Microsoft say analysts.

According to Gartner analyst, Carolina Milanesi, in the tablet PC market Apple saw Microsoft as a greater threat than Android.

She added the iPad Air would compete with Surface Pro, and not some ''rinky-dink Android tablet.''

According to its projections Apple's share of the global tablet market would decline to 47.2 per cent in 2014, with Android-based tablets just overtaking Apple this year.

Gartner expects Microsoft to double the market for its tablets to 1.7-per cent projected for 2013 to 3.4 per cent in 2014.