Singapore gets iPad 2 in April
CAN'T wait to get Apple's thinner, lighter, faster iPad 2? Rejoice, for it will be available in Singapore next month, Apple said last night.
That means the hotly anticipated gadget will hit stores here about a month after its March 11 launch in the United States. Apple did not reveal pricing details, nor did it confirm if both the Wi-Fi-only and the Wi-Fi- and 3G-capable versions of the iPad 2 would be on sale.
One retailer told my paper that the device could be in stores in the third or fourth week of next month.
Last year, it took about four months from the US launch in March before the original iPad officially hit Singapore stores.
Some retailers had thought the iPad 2's launch here would be delayed because of the Japan earthquake. Research firm IHS iSuppli said last Friday that some iPad 2 parts are sourced from Japan.
The iPad 2 is already unofficially in stores here - at a steep mark-up of as much as twice the retail price.
| First Look: iPad 2 Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: AFP) |
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Enterprising Singaporeans have been parallel-importing the second-generation iPad from the US since its launch there.
In the US, the iPad 2 goes for between US$499 (S$630) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, and US$829 (S$1,050) for the 64GB 3G version. But here in Singapore, retailers and online auctioneers are selling the corresponding models for between $900 and $2,400.
A check by my paper at Sim Lim Square yesterday afternoon found at least eight shops selling the iPad 2, while eBay had about 20 live auctions of the slate with sellers located in Singapore.
Demand for the tablet here has been high, according to retailers.
One shop assistant said his store brought in about 40 sets of the 64GB 3G iPad 2 over the last 11/2 weeks and they have been all snapped up.
The customers are a mix of Singaporeans and foreigners, including those from the US and Indonesia who work here or were in Singapore for business trips.
"It's all sold out in the US. That's why the prices are so high," the shop assistant said.
Another store assistant said his shop sold eight sets of the iPad 2 on Monday and had four sets left yesterday.
Mr Andy Wong, director of home-grown gadget accessories distributor Mobile+Labs, believes the marked-up iPad 2 prices will "definitely fall" once more people know of the slate's official launch here next month.
CNet cited reports last Tuesday that said between 500,000 and one million of the devices have been sold over its US weekend launch. In contrast, the first-generation iPad launched last year sold about one million units 28 days after its launch, Reuters reported.
The new tablet, now in black and white, features front- and rear-facing cameras for video conferencing and taking photos, respectively.
Accessories catered for the iPad 2's new design are scarce here but that could change.
This week, Mobile+Labs expects shipments of iPad 2 screen protectors from the SGP brand it distributes exclusively, while iPad 2 cases from the Uniq brand could arrive in the first week of next month.
Retailer Orient Electronics also plans to retail iPad 2 accessories at the end of the month.
For more my paper stories click here.
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