First new iPad finds Australia buyer
The buyer of the very first new iPad is David Tarasenko, who bought a 64GB iPad Wi-Fi + 4G model at a midnight launch in Sydney.
Apple's latest iPad is now out in the world--Australia, to be specific.
The buyer of the very first new iPad is one David Tarasenko, who snagged the white 64GB iPad Wi-Fi + 4G model at a midnight launch at the flagship Telstra store on George Street in Sydney.
Along with Australia, the new iPad will initially be sold in--this is the worldwide chronological order, more or less--Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore (see photos at end of post), Germany, Switzerland, France, the U.K., and the U.S., along with Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sales are set to begin at 8 a.m. local time in each of those locations, though obviously Sydney got a headstart.
The device, unveiled just last week, sports a higher-resolution Retina Display similar to that of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S and an updated processor (Apple's A5X chip) as well as a 4G connection.
CNET's Donald Bell offers advice to prospective buyers:
"If you've never owned a tablet and you're considering the new iPad for your first fling, think twice. You may be buying more tablet than you need," Bell writes. "The new iPad will be best appreciated by those who are upgrading from a previous model. It's for us poor strung-out tech junkies who've built up a tolerance for iPad 'magic' and need something stronger."
Here's the price range for the new iPad in the U.S.: $499 for the base 16GB model, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The iPad Wi-Fi + 4G is priced at $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model, and $829 for the 64GB model.
CNET Australia's Seamus Byrne contributed to this report. The story was updated at 8:08 a.m. PT with background details and again at 2:30 p.m. PT with photos from Singapore.