Apple New iPad Third Generation To Be Launched In 12 Countries This Friday

A month after Apple started selling its 4G-ready third generation iPad in 10 countries, including the US, 12 new countries have been added to the list, with 9 more to follow next week.

Starting April 20, people in South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela would be able to purchase Apple's new Retina-shining, LTE-compliant iPad from retail outlets, the company announced Monday.

The latest iPad model will also be available in nine more countries starting April 27. The countries include Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white for a retail price of $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model. The iPad Wi-Fi + 4G models will be available for a retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model.

Boasting key features such as higher-resolution Retina display, new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics, the new iPad has been another success for the Cupertino tech giant, helping it continue its dominance in the tablet arena. And the device's expansion into 21 new markets over the next couple of weeks will only strengthen Apple's lead over rival manufacturers like Samsung Electronics and Research in Motion.

Among the newly added markets, South Korea would be the key one for Apple as it is the home country of rival Samsung. Both the companies have been combating in the courtroom over a myriad of patents, as well as in the market against Samsung's line of Galaxy tablets, CNET reported.

While one of the main key features and selling points of the new iPad is the 4G LTE support, whether or not new consumers get any 4G connectivity on the new iPad will largely depend on the location. As announced by Apple, the suggested retail price for the device reflect those of the US Apple Stores, but, as most living outside North America could vouch, the price will likely be hiked versus the amount those residing Stateside are paying, Redmond Pie reported.

According to a Reuters report, the new iPad is priced between Rs 30,500 and Rs 50,900 in the Indian market depending on the variant, which is costlier than the price listed in the US Apple Stores.

India's first 4G network was launched by Bharti Airtel in Kolkata this month. It would cover other cities like Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh in the next few months. However, the new iPad is not compatible with the 4G LTE network currently available in India and that's why customers will have to make do with the 3G networks, the report added.

Although the new iPad is considered as Apple's best weapon in the tablet battlefield and has turned out to be a success for the company, the device did hit some bumps in the road recently.

In March, the Australian consumer watchdog took legal action to ensure Apple makes consumers aware that the new iPad cannot connect to 4G networks in Australia. The move prompted Apple to offer refunds to all affected buyers in Australia. There were also complaints in Britain about misleading claims about access to 4G, which is not available in the country, according to Reuters.