Now that iPad 2 supplies are finally easing up and the tablet is continuing its dominance around the world, the floodgates are finally set to open on Friday, May 27, with Apple’s slab of glass and silicon landing in a record number of new countries.
9to5Mac is reporting that the iPad 2 will start popping up on store shelves in many countries where there is no Apple retail store to be found on Friday, May 27. The international blitz this weekend includes India, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Chile and Argentina -- although residents in those countries will mostly be paying extra for the privilege.
First up is India, who’s not only getting the iPad 2 but also the iPhone 4 on Friday, with carrier Aircel launching the 16GB iPhone 4 for 34,500 rupees ($760 USD) or the 32GB model for 40,900 rupees ($900 USD). Considering that 41.6 percent of the Indian population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day, we’re not sure you’ll see long lines around the block for the handset there just yet.
Continuing on our worldwide tour, the iPad 2 will make its official presence known in both Russia and Ukraine on Friday as well. Since the rumored Moscow Apple Store has yet to open its doors, Russian buyers will have to visit major electronics retailers there including MediaMarkt, Beliy Veter Cifrovoi, M.Video, ION, Technosila, Eldorado, z-Store and Re:Store, where you can part with 18,990 rubles ($670 USD) and walk away with a 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad 2.
In neighboring Ukraine, the arrival of the iPad 2 is even bigger news, since the former Soviet country has never officially been able to buy the iPad or the iPhone there, despite a huge gray market for both devices. Third-party retailers including iStore, Moyo, Comfy and Foxtrot will kick off sales of the iPad 2 on Friday at 1pm local time, with pricing in line with the Russian stores.
Last but not least, a flurry of 9to5Mac tipsters have also revealed that South America isn’t being left out of the May 27 party, with Brazil, Chile and Argentina all getting the iPad 2 on the same day -- not to mention Taiwan, where a lot of the Android tablet competitors have come from.
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