The new iPad has been the cynosure of all eyes in the tech world for about a month now in the US and beyond.
In fact, it’s probably rivaled only by the launch of its predecessor, the iPad 2, in terms of the sheer buzz generated by everything related to it.
There have been occasional complaints and issues (such as faulty battery indicators, choppy WiFi performance, and the likes) alright, but in its totality, there’s no disputing that the new iPad is a phenomenal device with practically everything going for it.
But the fact remains that even a month since its launch in the US, the new iPad isn’t available in several countries yet.
Apple chose to follow its staggered product launch strategy yet again with the new iPad. This means that this coming Friday and the one following it (April 20th and 27th), are bringing the wait for the new iPad to an end for Apple enthusiasts in 21 countries.
According to the Apple press release, on the 20th of April, Apple will be launching their new slate in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. A week later, the launch will be extended to Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.
“The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The iPad Wi-Fi + 4G models will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model.”
The Cupertino company mentions a ‘suggested price’ for the new iPad, which means that the actual prices may vary from country to country.
For instance, a country like India, which has significant import duties and taxes and the like, will have a launch price of INR 30500 (roughly $591) for the 16GB WiFi model, which is almost a $100 more than the US price. The 16GB WiFi+4G model is said to be priced at INR 38500 ($750), which exceeds the US price by $120.
There’s no word about whether the 4G models of the new iPad will support any LTE networks other than AT&T and Verizon in the US, which is reasonable considering the low penetration of 4G globally. However, features like the Retina display and quad core graphics should make the new iPad an object of desire, just like its predecessors.
[via Apple.com]
