Whether it would come out as iPad 3 or iPad HD, people didn’t mind as long as Apple finally unveiled its latest tablet. Speculation over the new iPad ran rampant; from edge to edge screen, to magnetic-linking iPads, to the “tixel-field” screen.

Apple's teaser image for the iPad 3 unveiling on March 7 (Image: Apple)

Here are the official specifications from today’s press conference at Cupertino:

Ultra high definition “retina” display, 2048 x 1536 , 3.1m pixels
A5X quad-core graphics
iSight camera, 5MP sensor, backside illumination, 5-element lens. Apple software for image signal processing
HD video recording with image stabilisation
Voice dictation, supports English, French, German, and Japanese
Next-generation wireless, 4G/LTE
10 hours of battery life on WiFi; on 4G, nine hours
iPad WiFi version: US$499 (16GB), $599 (32GB) and $699 (64GB)
iPad 4G version:  US$629 (16GB),  $729 (32GB) and $829 (64GB)
Available on March 16, pre-orders start now.

Apple hasn’t announced the official name yet, because the boffins are demonstrating image and video editing as I write this.

Alas, there will be no “tixel” touch screen. Tixel is a minute electrical current that passes from the screen to your finger, giving you the sensation or texture of the surface for whatever image you are rubbing onscreen. This haptics technology comes from Finland’s futuristic company, Senseg. All the rest of the rabid rumors like edge to edge screen and magnetic linking iPads are for the succeeding generations, I guess. I will update with more details and images later today.