Update: Yep, “the new iPad” it is. Tim Cook just left the stage. Looks like the event is over. Thanks for following our live coverage! Check out our iPad page for more on the new iPad.

Update: Is it really just going to be “The New iPad?” Really?

Update: iPad 2 getting an $100 price drop across the board. Now $399 for the 16GB wi-fi model.

Update: Phil Schiller: this is “The ultimate iPad, and we think it’s going to change how you see and do just about everything.”

Update: A promotional video being shown at the event apparently just referred to the “third-generation iPad.” Still no other name.

Update: New iPad apparently keeps the same dock connector as the old iPad, contrary to rumors that it would be getting a smaller one. The smaller one may still be coming in the next iPhone, though.

Update: That makes the full iWork and iLife suites available on the iPad now.

Update: iPhoto available today from the App Store for $4.99.

Update: iPhoto editing features look pretty amazing. Lots of tools to tweak your photos.

Update: iPhoto for iPad supports photos up to 19 megapixels. Also includes automatic comparison features and sharing to email, Flickr, Twitter, and more.

Update: iPhoto for iPad introduced. Includes gesture support, multi-touch editing and retouching, and photos can be transferred directly between devices.

Update: iMovie getting a major upgrade, too. Includes storyboards and a bunch of new editing features. Available today in the App Store for $4.99 (free to upgrade).

Update: Garage Band for iPad also getting a makeover. Includes Smart Strings, a Note editor, and iCloud integration.

Update: Updates to iWork apps available today in the App Store. They run $9.99 apiece new, free to update.

Update: Still no “iPad 3” or “iPad HD.” Just “new iPad.”

Update: Mike Capps of Epic Games showing off Infinity Blade: Dungeons.

Update: Chris Cheung of Autodesk showing off Sketchbook for iPad, a drawing app.

Update: Sky Gamblers:

Update: James Shelton of Namco showing off Sky Gamblers, a flight simulator designed for the iPad’s retina display.

Update: Pre-orders start today, iPad available on March 16th. Launching simultaneously in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan.

Update: Price grid stays the same as iPad 2: 16 GB for $499, 32GB for $599, and 64GB for $699. 4G models are each $130 more expensive than their wifi only counterparts.

Update: iPad will still have the same 10 hour battery life as the iPad 2. Will be 9.4 mm thick and weigh 1.4 lbs.

Update: Separate bands mean separate devices for 4G on Verizon and AT&T, but all devices will be 3G world-ready, meaning you can take it anywhere in the world and use it. It also supports mobile hotspot, provided your carrier supports it to.

Update: 4G LTE will be available on Verizon, AT&T, Bell, Telus, and Rogers.

Update: Confirmed: the iPad will have 4G LTE (which means that the next iPhone will to).

Update: No Siri (at least not yet), but the new iPad does have voice dictation. English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

Update: Camera has 1080p video recording, and includes software-based image stabilization.

Update: The iSight camera:

Update: Retina display is “the first new feature.” Next up, an iSight camera.

Update: iPad will run on an A5X quad-core chip.

Update: Contrary to some earlier rumors, the new iPad does in fact have a home button.

Update: iPad’s 3.1 million pixels are “the most ever in a mobile device.” 264 pixels per inch.

Update: New iPad announced, now with retina display! Phil Schiller takes the stage.

Update: “Everybody’s been wondering who will come out with a tablet that is better than the iPad 2? Well, stop wondering. We are.”

Update: Cook comparing the user experience of the iPad to that of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Twitter on the Galaxy Tab “kind of looks like a blown-up smartphone app.”

Update: iPad alone has over 200,000 of the app store’s 585,000 apps.

Update: iPad is the favorite device of notebook and smartphone owners for emailing, surfing, e-reading

Update: Apple sold more iPads in Q4 2011 than any PC manufacturer sold PCs.

Update: iPad is the “poster child of the post-PC world.”

Update: Apple TV available March 16th, preorders starting today.

Update: The new Apple TV interface:

Update: New Apple TV launched with iCloud support, Photo Stream, third party apps, and a redesigned user interface.

Update: iTunes in the cloud will now support movies in 1080p.

Update: iOS 5.1 will be available today.

Update: Siri is getting Japanese language functionality as part of iOS 5.1

Update: iOS is “the world’s most advanced operating system.” 352 million iOS devices sold, 62 million last quarter.

Update: Cook is taking some time to show off the latest Apple store. Apple has 362 stores that took in a total of 110 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Update: Cook says Apple sold 172 million “post-PC” devices (i.e., iOS devices) in 2011, totally over three quarters of Apple’s revenue.

Update: Tim Cook has taken the stage and is talking about the post-PC revolution led Apple’s iPad.

Update: 9to5Mac is reporting that international 4G iPads are showing up in Apple’s inventory. The online Apple Store is still down, and the iPad page at Apple’s website is still showing the iPad 2.

Update: Looks like a great turnout for the event. Check out this crowd picture, courtesy of CNet:

The launch event for Apple’s next iPad is set to start in a matter of minutes. We’ll be live-blogging the event here. Updates will appear at the top of the page. Just hit refresh every couple of minutes to see the latest.