Apple iPad Air, iPad Mini Retina Launch Event [LIVE]

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is holding an event today at 1 PM EST. Reports seem almost certain that the company is planning on launching its latest tablet computer, the iPad 5, at today’s event. Apple might be going to surprise us today. More outlandish rumors of the company’s plans include the release of an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smart watch and the release of a full Apple television.

Can’t wait to get underway. Having fun backstage.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 22, 2013

Tim Cook has already tweeted about being backstage at the event. Nobody is sure exactly what Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has in store today, but it’s likely we’ll see something about the company’s tablets, something about the firm’s MacBook range, and possibly the firm’s long-awaited Mac Pro update.

iPad 5 rumor roundup

There has been a dearth of rumors about what Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is going to do with the iPad 5. The company is likely to release a thinner and lighter iPad with a thinner bezel. The device will probably come with the same color options as the iPhone 5s. That means gold, silver and space-grey.

In terms of features, the iPad 5 is bound to be faster, and there’s a good chance it will come with a longer battery life than the iPad 4. The new tablet might come with a Touch ID sensor like the iPhone 5s.

If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) does decide to release a new iPad Mini today, it might come with a Retina display, but there are supply questions. We’ll get to know the new iPad family just as soon as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) puts them on stage.

iPad 5 event live

14:24 EST: the event is over. to wrap up. New iPad Air released, and an iPad Mini with Retina Display. New iWorks and iLife available today and free on new Macs and iPads. New Macbook Pros with Retina Display available to ship today with Haswell. That’s about it.

14:22 EST: iPad Mini with Retina begins at $399. iPad Mini is still around for $299. New smart covers as well, but no keyboards.

14:17 EST: iPad Mini with Retina Display has ten hours of batter and the A7 chip inside.

14:16 EST: IPad Mini has a Retina Display!

14:16 EST: iLife and iWorks will all come free with the iPad Air. iPad Mini is up now

14:11 EST: Colors are black white, space gray and silver. Starts at $499 with 16GB memory. Available on November 1.

14:10 EST: 8 times faster performance, 72 times faster graphics on the iPad Air. 10 hour battery life. This is a big move from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

14:07 EST: 20% thinner, 7.5 mm thin, weighs one pound, lightest full size tablet out there. A7 chip. 64 bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor.

14:05 EST: Next generation of iPad is up. 9.7 inch display. Small Bezel like the iPad mini. thinner and lighter. A new name. It’s called the iPad Air. This means a bigger one might be on the way!

14:02 EST: iPad updates have to be coming up, we can’t be looking at sales numbers and consumer satisfaction forever.

14:00 EST: iPad sales, 170 million apps sold. iPad usage is 81% of tablet usage according to Apple. People love the iPad according to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook.

13:58 EST: Finally Cook is talking about the iPad.

13:56 EST: iWork is entirely going for the cloud. It’s free with any new Mac or iOS device and it’s available today for download. It’s not the product that enterprise customers are going to go for, but it’s a step in the right direction.

13:50 EST: On to iWork now, completely redesigned for Mac apparently.

13:49 EST: iLife does a lot with the cloud, the Garageband demo looks great, and the updates are all available today. The suite is available free on all new Macs.

13:42 EST: iLife has been updated new iMovie, iPhoto and Garageband apps.

13:41 EST Mac Time is over. Three new releases. MacBook with Retina 13 inch and 15 inch and the slow and slower launch of the Mac Pro.

13:37 EST: Mac Pro starts at $2199 for the base model, and it will be out before the end of the year.

13:34 EST: Thuderbolt 2 on the Mac Pro powers up to three 4K displays. One with HDMI two on Thunderbolt.

13:31 EST: Mac Pro is finally here. Intel Xeon E5 inside, up to 12 GB RAM. Dual GPUs. Up to 7 teraflops processing.

13:29 EST: 15 inch will have Crystalwell chip, Iris Pro graphics, 8 hours battery, price is at $1999 for the lowest specs, $200 down from last year. Shipping starts today on both MacBook Pro with Retina Display models.

13:28 EST: Thunderbolt 2, Wi-Fi ac, starting at $1299, a $200 price drop. 15 inch is up now.

13:26 EST: MacBook Pro is up now. updates to 13 inch and 15 inch models. 13 inch is now 3.46 pounds, .71 inches, has Hswell inside. 9 hours battery. Iris Graphics on the Haswell chip.

13:25 EST: Phil Shiler on about the MacBook, the new Air is up first.

13:24 EST: Mavericks demo is over at last. It’s going to be free. It’s available today. That’s a big move.

13:16 EST: Federighi is talking about the features of Mavericks, not much new. A new Maps app, new iBooks, new Pages design, new improved notifications.

13:15 EST: Mavericks concentrates on integrated graphics. Memory is used more efficiently, and integrate graphics will be more powerful with the upgrade.

13:14 EST: Mavericks compresses RAM allows 6 GB of data to exist on 4GB RAM.

13:13 EST: OSX Mavericks updates hardware through software according to Federighi. Macs have an hour longer of battery life with the updates.

13:11 EST: Craig Federighi is talking about OSX Mavericks.

13:11 EST: Cook says that PC makers are confused. They’re trying to turn tablets into computers and the opposite.

13:10 EST: Finally Cook is getting onto the Macs.

13:09 EST: Cook is talking about iOS 7 and the app store now. 60 billion app downloads in total by now.

13:05 EST: Cook is talking about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) retail. Here’s a picture of Cook from cnet.

13:04 EST: Tim Cook is talking about the update and the sales of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. This is old news, but they have to pump older products.

12:55 EST: Here’s a pic from Mashable of theater before the show starts.