14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has made it official that its cellular (4G LTE) iPads are making their way into China this Friday, January 18. The tablets will be made available through Apple retail stores, the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com) and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
In a statement issued yesterday Apple confirms that Chinese customers will be able to pick up a cellular iPad this Friday, a few weeks after the debut of the Wi-Fi-only models in the country.
“Apple today announced the Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display will be available in China on Friday, January 18,” reads the company’s announcement.
Apple also reveals that its new tablet models are available in over a hundred territories at the moment.
iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be available in black & slate and white & silver for ¥2,852 ($459) for the 16GB model, with higher pricing for higher-capacity models.
The full-fledged iPad 4 with Retina display will set customers back ¥3,909 ($629).
Apple touts the diminutive iPad mini as “a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad, and features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and an incredible 10 hours of battery life.”
As for the full-size iPad 4, Apple touts “a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.”
Both tablets ship with iOS 6, the latest major iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system powering not only iPads, but the iPhone and the iPod touch range of media players.
Apple will not host any special events for the launch of the cellular iPad models in China.