Apple’s iPad to go on sale on April 3
The Apple iPad is set to go on sale on April 3 in the US but no date has been announced for its international release.
US customers will be able to pre-order the WiFi version of the tablet device from March 12, while users wanting a 3G version will be made to wait until “late April”, according to Apple.
Both the Wi-Fi wireless connectivity version and the 3G mobile connectivity version will be released in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.
However, the company failed to confirm a date for the iPad’s overseas release, as well as a price for the iPhone/iBook gadget. Apple also kept quiet about which mobile carriers it plans to work with.
In the US, the basic Wi-Fi model, which has 16 gigabytes of storage, is expected to cost $499. Apple said it “lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more”.
Reports suggest that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce its price in the UK, in a bid to minimise any losses on the exchange rate. However, it is forecast to go on sale for a minimum of £400.
Apple’s announcement comes just days after Condé Nast unveiled a content venture with the new iPad.
The publishing group will launch digital versions of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour for the device.
GQ is likely to be the first magazine to be made available on Apple’s latest gadget, following on from the success of the single-edition GQ iPhone app, which saw December and January’s editions downloaded more than 20,000 times in the US.
An iPad version of the popular men’s magazine is expected to be ready next month, shortly after Apple begins shipping the iPad.
Reports suggest that Wired and Vanity Fair will be made available in May, followed by The New Yorker and Glamour.
Thomas Wallace, editorial director of Condé Nast, confirmed that the iPad experiment will last for several months, with different pricing and advertising models tested alongside content and formats.
If the trial proves a success, other magazine titles could also be made available on the tablet-style device, including Vogue and Condé Nast Traveller.
Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired, said: “For us it is an opportunity to reset the economics. For the first time people might value the experience [enough to] pay for it.”
The iPad versions of the titles will be sold via Apple’s iTunes store.