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iPad 2 heads to HK but not mainland

Shanghai Daily, March 24, 2011

Apple's latest generation iPad 2 will be sold in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea in April but no date has been announced for its debut on the Chinese mainland.

There is still "no information" about the domestic debut for iPad 2, Apple China said yesterday.

The device, which features camera and video call functions, will also be available in 25 countries tomorrow, including Australia, Germany, France, UK and New Zealand, Apple said yesterday. The company has delayed the iPad 2's release in Japan which has been hit by the earthquake and tsunami, the company said.

"We are experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it," Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement.

Apple started to sell iPad 2 in the United States on March 11 to a huge market response. About 500,000 units of the device were sold in the US on the weekend after the launch, with prices starting at US$499 for the 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi model. It's expected to sell more than 1 million units in the US within one month, industry insiders said.

The iPad 2 may continue Apple's dominance in the global tablet computer market, said analysts.

The iPad 2 and the original version will help the firm snatch 70 to 80 percent of the global tablet PC market in 2011, according to International Data Corp.