Apple fans braced for iPad in high definition

THE rumour mill has gone into overdrive ahead of what is widely expected to be the launch of a new iPad today.

Technology giant Apple has invited journalists to “a special event” in York Place, north London, which will run parallel to an announcement in California where Apple bosses are expected to unveil their latest product.

The e-mail includes a close-up photograph of what appears to be a touch-screen device, but the firm has refused to comment further.

The invitation tells reporters: “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”

One rumour gaining ground is the product’s name, which is predicted to be iPadHD rather then iPad3 – a reference to the much higher resolution screen it is thought to have.

By January this year, Apple had sold more than 55 million iPads globally.

Industry experts are even predicting the end of personal computers as touch-screen tablet-style computers grow in popularity.

Apple announced yesterday that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by its customers.

Nate Lanxon, editor of technology site Wired.co.uk, said he expected the latest iPad model to “look a lot like the current model” but with a much higher resolution screen.

But he said that might not be enough to send shoppers out spending their money straight away, adding: “On day one there is less reason to invest in one than three or four months down the line when the developers have got to grips with it and you can see what apps they have built for it.”

Long queues formed outside Apple’s flagship store in central London two years ago as hundreds vied to buy the original iPad when it was launched. The company sold more than one million iPads in the US in the first 100 days making it a faster seller than the iPhone.