Staying true to its word, Apple has confirmed that the iPad 2 will go on sale in 25 more countries this Friday, March 25, with Apple retail stores and authorized resellers kicking things off at 5 p.m. local time. Outside the U.S., that means New Zealand will probably be the first market to officially get a crack at the iPad 2, followed by Australia, a swath of European countries, then the rest of North America.
Apple made it clear that the company believes the iPad is head and shoulders above the competition in the tablet market.
“While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a statement. “We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on it.”
iPad 2’s are still tough to get in the United States, with wait times for four to five weeks through Apple’s online store, and while most retailers have managed to keep stock on hand, getting an iPad 2 at a store is still a bit of a contact sport.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone,” Jobs wrote.
The 25 countries getting the iPad 2 on March 25 are:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Mexico
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore are due to get the iPad 2 in April, and Apple plans to make the iPad 2 available in additional international markets in the coming months.
