Apple confirms Australia iPad 2 pricing, will launch on Friday at 5pm

Apple has confirmed its Australian pricing for the iPad 2, confirming local users will enjoy a modest discount from last year’s launch when the gadget hits shelves this Friday, March 25 at 5pm.

But it seems retailers are still in the dark about the launch, with resellers including Next Byte and Myer saying they don’t have any new information from Apple about how much stock they will receive.

“All we know is that it’s out on Friday,” one NextByte assistant manager said. “There was some talk of pre-orders awhile ago, but currently we’re not taking any pre-orders because our system here doesn’t have a confirmed price.”

“At the moment we’re just taking emails from anyone who’s contacted us about the iPad, and we’ll provide them with greater detail about the launch when we have it.”

Some resellers were not even aware Apple had confirmed both the prices for the Australian launch or that a launch time of 5pm had been set.

Myer was contacted about the launch, but a spokesperson said the company did not have any more information. A Melbourne JB Hi-Fi store pointed SmartCompany to the company’s head office, but no one is available for comment.

In a statement released last night, Apple confirmed both the pricing for the iPad 2 – which was leaked yesterday onto the Whirlpool forum – and that a launch would take place at 5pm for both Apple stores and approved Apple resellers.

The pricing will be as follows:

• 16GB Wi-Fi – $579
• 32GB Wi-Fi – $689
• 64GB Wi-Fi – $799
• 16GB 3G – $729
• 32GB 3G – $839
• 64GB 3G – $949

These prices are discounted up to $100 from last year’s prices, possibly due to the rise of the Australian dollar above parity in the last 12 months. SmartCovers will be available for $45 or $79 dollars depending on the model.

Apple was contacted this morning with regard to shipping times, but SmartCompany did not receive a reply before publication.

However, despite the relief this announcement has provided eager tech fans, the availability of the iPad 2 this Friday is likely to be reduced given the huge demand in the United States.

Chief executive Steve Jobs said in last night’s release that “we appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone”.

While the gadget will go on sale in 25 more countries this Friday including Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Britain, it has been announced Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore and “additional countries” will have to wait until April.

Apple has already announced the launch will be delayed for Japanese customers due to the earthquake devastation.

The lines outside of Australia’s 10 Apple stores are likely to be huge – last year customers were lining up even days before the gadget was released.

The launch also comes as Apple rival Research In Motion announced overnight it will start taking orders for its PlayBook tablet, priced at $US499, at Best Buy stores and other resellers. The actual gadget will launch on April 19.

A 16GB model will be available for $US499, a 32GB model for $US599 and a 64GB model for $US699. RIM hopes to combat Apple’s dominance through its WebOS platform, along with a number of other hardware features including support for Flash. It can also be tied to a BlackBerry smartphone.

RIM is yet to announce a launch data for the PlayBook tablet in Australia.