Apple brings iPad 2 to India
Over a month after it launched iPad 2 in the US,
Apple on Wednesday announced availability of its next-generation tablet in India.
According to the company, Indian consumers will be able to buy iPad 2 from April
29.
The cheapest model with 16GB storage and without 3G has been priced at Rs. 29,500.
The top model with 64GB storage and 3G will be available for Rs. 46,900. Apple tends
to roll out iPad and iPhone across the world gradually. On Wednesday the company
said apart from India, iPad 2 will be available in 11 countries.
According to sources, iPhone 4 is expected to be launched in India by service providers
like Airtel and Aircel by the end of this month.
The company took flak earlier this year when it launched original iPad in India
nearly nine months after the US launch. The iPad 2 launch shows Apple has learnt
its lesson. It now considers India a strategically important market. "With so many
other vendors launching their devices, Apple doesn't want to miss out on new users
looking to buy their first tablet in India, "said Vishal Tripathi, an analyst with
Gartner Research. The pricing is very competitive.
It is expected that Samsung will launch its next generation tablets by the end of
May. Research in Motion, the company that makes Black-Berry,
is also expected to bring its tablet Playbook to India around the same
time.
iPad 2 is a revamped version of original iPad. The new tablet features a dual-core
processor called A5 and is slimmer and lighter than the earlier version. Apple said
it would also start selling Smart Cover for iPad 2 from Friday. The cheapest version
of the cover, which contains magnet and can also be used as a stand for the 9.7-Inch
tablet, will cost Rs. 2,100.
Courtesy: Times of India
