Latest news on iPad availability

CUPERTINO, US: Apple has announced the new iPad, the third generation mobile device, will arrive at Apple's retail stores and the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com) on Friday, 16 March in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK; along with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

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The new iPad features a new Retina display, Apple's new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing photos and 1080p HD video and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultra fast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast 3G networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.** Additionally, iPad 2 is available at a more affordable price starting at just $399 (US).

Every customer who buys a new iPad at an Apple retail store will be offered free personal setup service, helping them customise their iPad by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store and more, so they'll be up and running with their new iPad before they leave the store.

Pricing and availability

The new iPad Wi-Fi will be available in black or white in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models***. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for ultra fast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada and fast 3G networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models***. Additionally, the iPad 2 is now offered at a more affordable price of US$399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just US$529 for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model. iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are currently available as free software updates. iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are now available for US$4.99 each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available for US$9.99 each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

Starting March 23 the new iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

*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 US and on Bell, Rogers and Telus networks in Canada. Data plans sold separately.

***Local pricing will be available closer to introduction.