Apple to launch iPad in 21 additional countries this month

Apple announced on Monday that it will launch its wildly popular third-generation iPad tablet in 21 additional countries this month. Beginning on April 20th, the new iPad will be available in South Korea, Malaysia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and eight more countries. Then on April 27th, the device will launch in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel and five additional countries. Apple confirmed in March that it sold more than 3 million iPad tablets during the device’s first four days of availability. 

Noticeably absent from Apple’s list of international target countries for the new iPad is the biggest of all, China. The delay may simply be a case of Apple needing to line up the resources and inventory to supply the huge market in China (though ironically, that should be less of an issue since that’s where iPads are made). 

Another possible reason for the delay is the lingering trademark dispute brought by China-based Proview Electronics which claims it owns the iPad name. Apple said it bought the rights to the name in China from a Proview subsidiary. Apple did not return a request for comment. 

The new iPad release in Australia has also been bumpy where authorities there have objected to Apple’s branding the device ”iPad Wi-Fi + 4G.” The issue is that the iPad’s 4G technology doesn’t work with carriers in Australia so iPad users there will actually be limited to 3G connectivity. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has secured an agreement from Apple that it would put a notice up wherever the new iPad is sold to warn customers that, while it does work at fast speeds, it is not compatible with any Australian 4G networks. But mediation on the branding issue has failed and the case is headed for the courts, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. 

The company’s full press release follows below.

New iPad Arrives in South Korea & 11 Additional Countries This Week

CUPERTINO, California―April 16, 2012―Apple® today announced the new iPad®, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, will arrive in South Korea and 11 additional countries on Friday, April 20. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. The new iPad still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light.

In addition to South Korea, the new iPad also will be available beginning on Friday, April 20 in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. Beginning on Friday, April 27, the new iPad will be available in 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 new iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com) and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at a more affordable price starting at just $399.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

**4G LTE is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the U.S. and on Bell, Rogers and Telus networks in Canada. Data plans sold separately.

 Via BGR