The unicorn is real! And Japan gets the love from Apple. In two separate press releases this morning Apple announced the availability of the white iPhone 4 in select countries worldwide, and the roll out of the iPad 2 in Japan and 11 other countries, beginning on Thursday, April 28th.
The iPad 2 expanded roll-out is staggered, with Japan getting the device on Thursday, a day ahead of the other 11 countries on the list.
Japan was originally set to get the iPad 2 along with the first group of international countries, but since the earthquake and tsunami struck right on the US launch day, Apple decided to wait so as not to distract from the recovery efforts and to allow things to settle down somewhat. Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and the other countries on the list will receive the iPad 2 on Friday. China will be getting the iPad 2 on May 6, and availability in other countries will be announced at a later date.
I think Apple did the right thing here, showing sensitivity to the situation in Japan by delaying the iPad 2 launch. Logistical difficulties aside, the move acknowledged that things were not ‘business as usual’ and showed respect to those impacted by the devastating natural disaster.
