Apple unveils iPad Air as Nokia launches phablets

Apple has unveiled a new, thinner tablet called the iPad Air along with a number of new Macs ahead of the Christmas season as it faces growing competition from rival gadget makers.

The company also said that its latest computer operating system, Mavericks, is available free of charge.

The iPad Air weighs just 0.45kg, compared with 0.64kg for the previous version. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller called the tablet a “screaming fast iPad”. He said it is eight times faster than the first iPad, which came out in 2010.