14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s third announcement for the day concerns iPad 2 shipments headed for Japan on Thursday, and Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and eight additional countries on Friday.
The Cupertino, California-based company has confirmed via an official report iPad 2 will be available at Apple retail stores at 9 a.m. local time, select Apple Authorized Resellers, and online through the Apple Store beginning at 1 a.m.
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in China beginning Friday, May 6, Apple said.
Japan will also be getting only iPad 2 with Wi-Fi for now. The same goes for Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE on April 29.
Apple will announce further international availability will be announced at a later date, the company said.
Pricing remains at $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model.
When it’s released, the iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G model will be available for $629 for 16GB, $729 (US) for 32GB, and $829 (US) for 64GB.
The iPad 2 builds on the success of its predecessor with a new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter while maintaining the 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD display.
Apple also touts the tablet’s new dual-core A5 processor with up to 9 times the graphics performance of its predecessor.
iPad 2 includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video.
The tablet is FaceTime-compatible, allowing users to place and receive video calls. iPad 2 delivers up to 10 hours of battery life, the same as the original tablet.
In related news, Apple also announced availability of its white iPhone 4 worldwide. Shipping begins tomorrow.