Apple announced Monday that it will launch the iPad with Wi-fi in China starting from 10:00 am Friday September 17, but has not yet announced a launch date for the 3G version of the tablet PC in China.
Apple's new iPad and its keyboard dock are on display after its launch event in San Francisco, California, the United States, Jan. 27, 2010. [File Photo: Xinhua]
Apple announced Monday that it will launch the iPad with Wi-fi in China starting from 10:00 am Friday September 17, but has not yet announced a launch date for the 3G version of the tablet PC in China, Caing.com reports.
It is good news for iPad fans who have been waiting for its arrival to China for five months following its official release on April 1.
An email sent on Monday evening invited registered users in the Chinese mainland to visit Apple retail stores to experience what the iPad has to offer.
According to the email, aside from the two Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai, the iPad is available in more than 100 retailers across the nation including Guomei, Suning and Best Buy, as well as some other authorized distributors in Shanghai and China's east Jiangsu Province.
The suggested retail price of the first batch of Wi-Fi enabled iPads is 3,988 yuan for 16G of memory, 4,788 yuan for 32G, and 5,588 yuan for 64G.
It is still unknown when Apple will launch its 3G iPad in China.
China Unicom terminated sales of the 3G iPad just one day after launching the USIM card on September 1.
China Unicom insiders disclosed that there have been some internal policy changes which have affected its relationship with Apple.
In July, Apple opened the doors of its Apple store in Shanghai this year as part of a plan to open 25 new stores throughout the Chinese mainland.
The company says that the iPad, including the 3G version, will be available throughout the world later this year, and that availability and pricing will be announced at a later date, according to Sohu.com.
People enter the Apple Inc. store in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, July 10, 2010. Apple Inc. opened its second China store today as the maker of iPhones and iMacs seeks to catch rivals including Nokia Oyj and Lenovo Group Ltd. in the fastest-growing major economy. [Photo: gettyima/Getty Images/CFP]
