14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has just announced that the iPad will be available in nine additional countries later this month. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will be getting both versions of the device (WiFi and WiFi + 3G) on Friday, May 28. Pre-orders begin on May 10, according to the Cupertino, California-based company.
Additional territories such as Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore will be receiving iPad shipments in July, Apple says.
Relevant excerpts from today’s official announcement can be found below:
"CUPERTINO, California—May 7, 2010—Apple today announced that iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple’s online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10. In the US, Apple has already sold over one million iPads and customers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore. […] Apple plans to release iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July. Apple will announce availability, local pricing and pre-order plans for these nine additional countries at a later date."
Apple’s report goes on about how iPad allows users to connect with their content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way, and mentions the App Store, which now features an exclusive section dedicated to iPad applications, and is touted by Apple as the world’s largest applications store. The venue is there for customers to browse download apps from a pool of over 200,000 titles. Admittedly, most have been developed for iPhone and iPod touch, but they’re compatible with the iPad as well. For the tablet, developers worldwide have been able to produce some 5,000 pieces of software, and the list grows every day.
In a non-typical manner, no official statement from any Apple exec is included in today's official announcement.