Australian iPad Pricing and Availability Confirmed

Apple has finally confirmed pricing and availability of the iPad in Australia, and it's not going to be as affordable as I'd originally hoped it would be.

The iPad will be available in Australia on Friday 28 May, and you can pre-order your new iPad online at the Apple Store from Monday 10 May. Pricing starts at $629 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, which is a tad more expensive than my original estimate of $599, from a previous article I wrote about the Australian iPad release. It's understandable I suppose, when you compare the economies of scale between the USA and Australia, but I can't help feeling a little bit disappointed. The iPad is priced from $499 in the US, and a currency conversion to AUD in Google today would be $562.

The RRP of $699 is for the cheapest Wi-Fi iPad in the lineup, followed by the 32GB version for $759, and $879 for the 64GB model. Wi-Fi + 3G models have a recommended retail price of $799 for 16GB, $928 for 32GB and $1,049 for 64GB.

On a brighter note it looks my other prediction has come true, as Apple has confirmed that the iBooks app for iPad including the iBookstore, will be available as a free download from the App Store on 28 May too. This is great news, as we'll now have access to tens of thousands of eBooks when the iPad is released!

On 28 May the iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Apple plans to release the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.

Verified Store Page: Apple Store

Verified Store Page: iTunes Store