iPad 2 arrives in India on April 29

Apple’s iPad 2, its second-generation tablet PC, will be launched in India along with Hong Kong, Israel, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE on April 29. The tablet will be available for a suggested maximum retail price of Rs 29,500 (including VAT) for the 16-GB model at select Apple authorised resellers, from 9 am on the day of the launch.

The PC has been witnessing a drop in grey market sales. An electronics dealer in delhi’s Palika Bazaar told Business Standard, “The buzz about iPad 2’s launch had led to a sharp drop in pre-orders and bookings. While we were selling 6-8 units per week till last month, the sales dropped to 2-3 units per week as rumours of the launch gained momentum.” Dealers in Mumbai and Hyderabad confirmed the drop in sales in the last two weeks. “Indian websites were abuzz with the launch news of iPad 2 and so buyers refrained from buying it from the grey market and preferred to wait for the launch price,” said another grey market dealer in Mumbai.

In grey markets and also online, the iPad 2 16-GB model was available for Rs 32,000 prior to the launch. With Apple pricing the iPad 2 at competitive rates, the grey market expects the prices to go down. “We still expect the iPad 2 to sell in our channels as we can deliver it at a price less than the said retail price of Rs 29,000,” said a delhi-based dealer. The first generation iPad is now available for about Rs 24,500.

The iPad 2 is 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter than the original iPad. It, however, comes with the same 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. The tablet also features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor and comes with two cameras.