The iPad is already selling well in Asia even though it won’t officially be launched there until the end of May. Specialty stores are obtaining the devices and reselling ’em at premium prices, reports the IDG News Service (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9175913/Apple_s_iPad_sells_well_in_Asia_ahead_of_official_launch?source=rss_news).
The article says that the tablet device is on sale at two stores near the main electronics bazaar in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. Taiwanese consumers are paying a premium to get their hands on an iPad early. The two Taipei stores maintain identical prices, $800 for the 16GB model, $925 for the 32GB version and $1,020 for the 64GB iPad. Apple lists the U.S. retail prices at $499, $599 and $699, respectively.
Estimates of how many iPads have been shipped or carried outside the U.S. range into the tens of thousands, and one analyst speculated the figure could be much higher, Allen Nogee, wireless technology analyst at market researcher In-Stat tells IDG.