iPad makes second launch in Asia

SINGAPORE: In its second round of launch, Apple Inc today began selling its much-hyped device iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.

The gadget, which was launched in Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Britain and Canada apart from the US two months back, is one of Apple's most successful products. The device, which has a 9.7-inch (24.6 cm) color touchscreen can be used for surfing the Web, watching movies, playing games and reading e-books.

According to an AFP report, eager iPad fans in Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand braved long queues and discomfort to get their hands on the coveted Apple device in its second wave of Asia-Pacific launch.

Though iPad is yet to hit China markets, there were reports that bootleg versions of the tablet PC have begun showing up on the shelves of online and real-world shops there.

Prices of iPad ranged from 728 Singapore dollars (USD 530) for the cheapest model with 16 gigabytes of memory and Wi Fi only, to 1,228 dollars (USD 894) each for the Kwang family's new toys, said AFP.

In Singapore, buyers formed snaking queues of 50 to 100 in front of three retailers selling the device along Orchard Road.

For some New Zealand customers, the launch was marred by the extreme secrecy surrounding the tablet's release.