iPad

Apple is spreading into axillary markets with the iPad: Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore users will soon be able to acquire the iPad domestcally – here is a quote from Apple’s press release.

All iPad models will be available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore this Friday, July 23.

iPad is currently available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for 16GB, $599 (US) for 32GB, and $699 (US) for 64GB for iPad Wi-Fi models and $629 (US) for 16GB, $729 (US) for 32GB and $829 (US) for 64GB for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models. iPad will roll out to many more countries later this year and Apple will announce availability and local pricing for these additional countries at a later date.

While rumors about the Apple tablet are probably as old as the ancient Newton platform – last couple of days have reignited imagination of Apple fans.

Anyhow, on 8/15 the French gizmo site www.Nowhereelse.fr published an image of a device supposedly called MacTablet – the images are located here: iPAD Photo – I am also posting a link to the translated page outlining the upcoming device.

The news was quickly picked up by Gizmodo and Engadget which unleashed a flashflood of comments from (mostly) excited Apple fanatics. While Engadget immediately called the item fake – the story was still slightly ambiguous and some of the posters actually believed that the device may be a legit one.

Anyhow, Nowhereelse not-so-quickly withdrew and started publicly to call the device by its real name: a fake (it took them 5 days to accomplish that feat). Read more about it at the NE’s site.