Hello Apple iPad 2, Welcome to India

The iPad 2 had launched globally on the 3rd of March and for the tablet to make it this early in India is some real good news, considering we waited for almost a year for the first gen model. Today is the day Apple promised to launch the device but some of our sources here in Mumbai, have just informed us, that although it was supposed to hit shleves today, it hasn’t yet arrived at all locations.

Namaste India!

According to Croma, the iPad 2 will be in-store tomorrow but there was also a mention of a 20 day wait period before customers could actually take one home (????). Vijay Sales made a mention of the iPad 2 arriving sometime in the first week of May, but have yet to confirm this, so you might wnat to stay tuned to this space for an update. A brief conversation with ‘Imagine’ an authorised retailer for Apple in India, give us news that the iPad 2 is no longer available at any of their stores citywide. It’ll take another week before new stock arrives. 

The tablet will be running on the latest iOS 4.3 and with storage options of 16, 32 and 64 GB each, the two versions of the tablet are priced as follows:

Wi-Fi Only :

• 16 GB – Rs. 29,500

• 32 GB – Rs. 34,500

• 64 GB – Rs. 39,500

Wi-Fi + 3G :

• 16 GB – Rs. 36,900
• 32 GB – Rs. 41,900
• 64 GB – Rs. 46,900

With features like AirPlay and AirPrint, users can stream media and wirelessly print documents. Another major inclusion has to be the introduction of FaceTime to the tablet. Earlier, it was the iPod Touch and iPhone 4 that gave users the ability to make video calls, but now iPad 2 users can do the same as well. Given below are the iPad 2’s specifications:

• 9.7-inch LED-Backlit Multitouch Display screen
• 3G (optional), Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
• Dual cameras with video recording capability for HD (720p) videos
• Internal storage options of 16/32/64 GB
• 3.5 mm audio jack

The iPad is here, no need to panic, but the big question is, when can you take delivery of the same?!