The new iPad will hit retail store shelves starting at 8:00 AM local time across Canada this Friday, and may be the only chance to buy the new tablet for weeks.
Apple announced today the third generation of its popular tablet will be available at Apple retail stores and elsewhere on March 16 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.K.
In Canada, the Wi-Fi iPad models will sell starting at $519 for a 16 GB model, $619 for 32 GB, and $719 for 64 GB. The 4G models cost $130 more than the same storage size with Wi-Fi only. The tablet is available in black and white colours. Other retailers selling the iPad include Best Buy, Future Shop, and Radio Shack.
Hands on with the new iPad.
First-day shipments to retail locations could be the only opportunity to snap up the new iPad for several weeks to come. Apple product launches are known for attracting long lineups at stores hours before opening, and selling out on the first day. Apple has already sold out of iPads in its online pre-sales and is now promising to send out orders made in the U.S. and Canada on May 19, three days after the initial launch.
Upgraded features from the iPad 2 include a higher-resolution Retina display, the multi-core A5X processor, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera capable of shooting 1080p video, and 4G speeds with LTE network connectivity.
Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, and Telus Mobility will all offer 4G data plans for the new iPad in Canada.
The next wave of shipments comes March 23. The new iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.