22 October 2013 Last updated at 14:27 ET
Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller said the new iPad Air offered 10 hours of battery life
Apple has unveiled a new top-of-the-range tablet called the iPad Air that is thinner than the previous version.
The 9.7in (24.6cm) computer is 7.5mm (0.3in) thick and weighs 1lb (0.45kg), which the firm claims is the lightest full-sized tablet on the market.
It is powered by the same A7 chip found in the company's iPhone 5S.
The launch comes at a time when some analysts have suggested that Google's Android is about to overtake Apple's iOS as the bestselling tablet platform.
Apple also announced a new version of its iPad Mini. Its 7.9in (20cm) screen has been upgraded to feature 2048 by 1536 pixels, and is being branded as "retina" to highlight the increased resolution.
In addition the firm said the latest update to its latest Mac operating system would be offered free of charge to customers.
By contrast the full version of Windows 8.1 is sold for about £100. Linux-based Ubuntu is also offered for free.
New laptops, productivity and leisure apps were also unveiled. However, Apple did not show off a new TV set-top box as some had speculated.
Tablet competitionThe firm's most recent financial release said that its iPad range accounted for $25.8bn (£17.6bn) worth of sales in the nine months leading up to July.
That represented 19% of its revenue for the period.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the firm had sold more than 170 million iPads
However, Apple acknowledged that the amount of money it was making from the product line was growing three times slower than the growth in unit sales since many customers were opting for its cheaper iPad Mini and iPad 2 models rather than its top-of-the -range "retina display" versions.
It also faces the fact it is losing market share to rivals.
Apple's iOS operating system accounted for 53.9% of all tablets shipped in 2012, according to tech research firm Gartner.
But it forecasts that Android will become the market leader with a 49.6% share, versus Apple's 48.6% this year, adding that it expects that gap to widen further in 2014.
However, consultants at IHS iSuppli said those figures needed to be put in context thanks to Apple's success at making money by taking a cut of app sales.
"It is in terms of revenue per active device where Apple's lead is strongest," said the firm's mobile media analyst Jack Kent.
"An iOS device generates around three to four times as much app revenue through Apple's App Store as an Android device through Google Play.
Apple's software chief Craig Federighi said the new Mac OS X Mavericks system would extend laptops' battery life
"Apple has so far offered a more compelling range of tablet-specific content, but Google is clearly looking to address this."
He added that many Android tablets, including Amazon's Kindle and many of the products sold in China, did not have Google's store pre-installed.
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook noted there were now 475,000 apps available which were designed to run on iPads.
Apple has unveiled a new top-of-the-range tablet called the iPad Air that is thinner than the previous version.
The 9.7in (24.6cm) computer is 7.5mm (0.3in) thick and weighs 1lb (0.45kg), which the firm claims is the lightest full-sized tablet on the market.
It is powered by the same A7 chip found in the company's iPhone 5S.
The launch comes at a time when some analysts have suggested that Google's Android is about to overtake Apple's iOS as the bestselling tablet platform.
Apple also announced a new version of its iPad Mini. Its 7.9in (20cm) screen has been upgraded to feature 2048 by 1536 pixels, and is being branded as "retina" to highlight the increased resolution.
In addition the firm said the latest update to its latest Mac operating system would be offered free of charge to customers.
By contrast the full version of Windows 8.1 is sold for about £100. Linux-based Ubuntu is also offered for free.
New laptops, productivity and leisure apps were also unveiled. However, Apple did not show off a new TV set-top box as some had speculated.
Tablet competitionThe firm's most recent financial release said that its iPad range accounted for $25.8bn (£17.6bn) worth of sales in the nine months leading up to July.
That represented 19% of its revenue for the period.
However, Apple acknowledged that the amount of money it was making from the product line was growing three times slower than the growth in unit sales since many customers were opting for its cheaper iPad Mini and iPad 2 models rather than its top-of-the -range "retina display" versions.
It also faces the fact it is losing market share to rivals.
Apple's iOS operating system accounted for 53.9% of all tablets shipped in 2012, according to tech research firm Gartner.
But it forecasts that Android will become the market leader with a 49.6% share, versus Apple's 48.6% this year, adding that it expects that gap to widen further in 2014.
However, consultants at IHS iSuppli said those figures needed to be put in context thanks to Apple's success at making money by taking a cut of app sales.
"It is in terms of revenue per active device where Apple's lead is strongest," said the firm's mobile media analyst Jack Kent.
"An iOS device generates around three to four times as much app revenue through Apple's App Store as an Android device through Google Play.
"Apple has so far offered a more compelling range of tablet-specific content, but Google is clearly looking to address this."
He added that many Android tablets, including Amazon's Kindle and many of the products sold in China, did not have Google's store pre-installed.
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook noted there were now 475,000 apps available which were designed to run on iPads.