Apple announced the India launch of its new iPad on April 27. The new iPad is priced at Rs 30,500 for the 16GB model in India, which is about $100 more than the US market price of $499.
Apple said in a press release on Monday that the new iPad Wi-Fi and iPad Wi-Fi + 4G will be available in black or white in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. The price for the Wi-Fi models for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB will be at Rs 30,500, Rs 36,500 and Rs 42,500, respectively. The Wi-Fi+4G models are priced at Rs 38,900 (16GB), Rs 44,900 (32GB) and Rs 50,900 (64GB), all inclusive of VAT. The iPad will be sold through select Apple Authorized Resellers.
The new iPad features Retina display, Apple's new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video with a 10-hour battery life. However, the results may vary depending on device settings, usage and other factors.
Although one of the 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," the website, Redmond Pie reported.
Bharti Airtel has already launched India's first 4G network in Kolkata and is expanding to other cities like Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh in the next few months, says a report by Reuters. However, the 4G LTE network in the new iPad is not compatible with the network in India as of now and hence customers will have to do with the 3G networks.
The new iPad is priced slightly higher in India than the US market, so the success can be determined only after its launch. Meanwhile, Apple has slashed the price of the iPad 2 in India starting at Rs 24,500 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version and Rs 32,900 for the 3G version.
