Ionic 3.0 has been released, marking a significant update compatible with Angular 4.0.0, incorporating new features and performance improvements such as faster and smaller applications, alongside support for TypeScript 2.1 and 2.2, which enhances build time and type checking. This major version update follows Semver versioning guidelines due to incompatible API changes introduced by the Angular upgrade. New features include the @IonicPage decorator for easier deep link configuration and the introduction of lazy loading, which, although not yet default due to minor issues, aims to speed up application performance. The release also acknowledges some known navigation issues and emphasizes a continued focus on improving application start-up speed, performance, and desktop support, while incorporating user feedback and addressing existing bugs.