Apple sets local iPad launch date and prices

Apple has announced that the iPad will go on sale in Australia on May 28 with the base model priced at $629.

The launch, which was delayed for almost two months, comes after Apple's announced earlier in the week that it had sold over one million of the tablet computers since they went on sale in the US on April 3.

In addition, iPad users in the US have downloaded over 12 million apps and over 1.5 million e-books.

The same six iPad models will be available in Australia, three Wi-Fi only and three that will also be able to access to high-speed 3G mobile phone network.

Apple has announced the following prices for Wi-Fi only models in Australia:

16GB - $629
32GB - $759
64GB - $879


For the Wi-Fi plus 3G models, Apple has set these prices:

16GB- $799
32GB - $928
64GB - $1049
The Wi-Fi plus 3G models will require users to purchase data plans from mobile providers if they intend to use their iPads outside the range of Wi-Fi services.

Apple says it will begin taking pre-orders on its online store from Monday.

Apple's late night announcement also says that the iBookstore electronic book service will be operational at launch indicating that a range of e-books will be available for download from day one.


Local publishers have not yet announced e-book prices in the iBookstore, but in the US average prices of new releases range from $US9.99 to $US12.99. There are also many free book downloads available in the form of public-domain books and give-away books by authors hoping to be discovered.

May 28 is also iPad launch day in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on the same day.

And Apple also announced plans to begin the third stage of the global iPad roll-out in July when the device will go on sale in an additional nine countries including New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

"Apple has laid out a paradigm of the next 20 years of personal computing," respected analyst and Apple watcher Michael Gartenberg wrote in a blog post earlier this week.

"The rest of the market is not going to cede that to them without a fight. Expect to see weak challenges for the next 30-60 days but some very strong competition as we get into the second part of this year."

My comment
Finally ipad is officially launched in these countries at the same time...It is too expensive for me to have it...But i like it...haha....When it will be sold in Malaysia?