Welcome to Shopexplorer’s coverage of the big event………….it’s been a long time coming. Here we go……..don’t forget to F5 for refresh

6pm……and so the lights dim

6.04pm ………Steve Jobs: “We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical products today”. Well, that’s what we’re hoping

6.05pm………For an incredibly rich guy, Steve Jobs is wearing a really unfunky jeans jeans & trainer combo. But hey, this isn’t Vogue.

6.07pm………Steve Jobs just telling folk how good Apple are……..

6.08pm………Was expecting a long wait for the tablet, but here we go!!!!!

6.09pm………I stand corrected. A little history lesson instead….

6.10pm……..Back to the tablet…..”This device needs to be BETTER than a laptop or a smartphone at these types of devices. “Or it has no reason for being.”

6.11pm……..It has a name! I can see it! ………….. It’s the Apple iPad! And it’s lovely!

6.13pm……..The accelerometer means you can turn it to change views……….almost a full-sized keyboard…………you can watch TV and movies…………..

6.17………….Just running through a demo. Steve is perusing through web content and now wants to buy some tickets! Presumably not to a Microsoft press do

6.20pm……..First impressions: like a big iPhone.

6.21………….Going through photos now………..

6.22………….Cool feature – you can attach locations to your snaps and see where they’ve been taken on a map. One for the well travelled, clearly

6.23………….Now Steve’s looking at music…..looks like iTunes

6.25………….There’s a GPS installed…..which means 3G connectivity (update – only in some models)

6.27………….Second impressions: everything looks smooo-ooth – nice graphical styling

6.28………….Movies up next…..the new Star Trek film. Looks……ok. Lot’s of space to fill, though

6.29………….Now the hardware specs, for all you geeks……..

6.29…………“It’s half an inch thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds.”

6.29………….Full capacative multi-touch. No hover?

6.29…………9.7″ IPS display screen

6.30………..”it’s powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, and has 16GB to 64GB of flash storage”.

6.30…………802.11n, Bluetooth, speaker, compass

6.31………….30-pin connector, 10 hour battery life. All green credentials ticked – no toxic chemicals. Good job

6.32…………Scott Forstall of iPhone Software takes the stage for applications. Apps can be displayed in 2 screen sizes small and large – same pixel res, just bigger

6.37…………Ok, Forstall has just been talking about inter-transferability between all Apple products

6.39…………Now, games…..

6.40…………Touchscreen gestures will play a big part in controlling movement…….This is the biggest “game changer” so far, if you ask me

6.42………..Games on the iPad……me likey!

6.44………..Now, some guy from the New York Times………….I think we could be talking e-reader here

6.46………..yep, it’s an e-reader. Now, something called “brushes”………with Steve Sprang – a “one person shop”?

6.48……….Brushes looks a cool app…………..you can basically paint the screen……visually very, very pleasant. Customizing is obviously the way forward!

6.50………..Somebody from EA takes to the stage……we’re looking at “Need for Speed” – graphics look ok, but touchscreen gesture’s the winner here…….

6.55…………We’ve just seen action from a baseball game – MLB – the in-game features look proper funky

6.55…………Steve Jobs is back………the developers have only worked on these apps for a couple of weeks. Bodes well for the future…….

6.55………..Enter Apple’s iBooks application…………..

6.56……….Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette all on board. Displays a cool-looking bookcase to keep our titles in.

6.56………This is basically iTunes for books…………..very, very simple to buy. Ah, the good ol’ Apple ethos!

6.58………..Lots of flipping, pinching and poking. No, Bill Gates hasn’t just turned up………we’re still talking e-readers

7.05……….Sorry, just fell asleep there……..Phil Schiller is on with a demo of iWork, for business folks. I’m feeling hungry………..

7.15………..The guv’nor is back! Mr Jobs is talking data charges. All in dollars, of course…..

7.15……….250MB data a month for $15

7.15………..unlimited data for $30 a month……..seems reasonable, but I bet we’ll be talking the same numbers in the UK, regardless of exchange rate. Cynical, ain’t I?

7.18…………No international deals as yet……….rumours of iPad deliveries tonight, quashed in an instant

7.19………….Prices start at $499 – presumably for the 16gb with no 3G

7.20………….3G models are an extra $130

7.20…………32gb is $599, 64gb is $699

7.21………..“We will be shipping iPads in 60 days, worldwide availability of Wi-Fi models.” – 3G will be another month after that

7.22…………Accessorize! A dock and a normal keyboard

7.24………….Phil Schiller says of the iPad, ““It’s going to change the way we do the things we do.”

7.30………..Some more specs have been mentioned – but all this talk of “chips” is just making my belly rumble

7.31…………..“This defines our vision, our sense of what’s next.” says Jon Ives

7.34…………..We’ve been hearing why the iPad will be a success – more on that later. Steve Jobs on the iPad: “advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.”

7.35…………..Things are being wrapped up…………..

7.35…………..It’s all over. There you have it kids, the new Apple iPad. How was it for you? Pleased? Excited? Underwhelmed? We’ll be back with a full round up of all the details as soon as I’ve got rid of the cramps in my hands and stuffed my face.

See you shortly!