It’s been a little quiet at the Sanlitun Apple Store lately, hasn’t it? Too quiet. When can we expect the next overhyped product release that will surely cause long lines, broken glass and maybe even some spilt blood? Very soon now, actually.
Just yesterday, Apple finally settled the iPad copyright dispute with Chinese company Proview, which means the iPad 3 – sorry, I mean “the new iPad” – will likely be hitting China’s shelves before the end of the month.
The tech giant is reportedly paying out USD 60 million to Proview for the rights to the iPad’s name in China. It’s a pretty hefty sum of money (especially for Proview, who allegedly owes up to USD 400 million to creditors), but it’s also probably a mere fraction of what they’ll make on the product in China. Read more about the story at AppleInsider. (Full disclosure: The writer of said article also happens to be our Dining Contributor, Josh Ong.)
What all this means for us is that a release of the new iPad at Apple stores in Beijing is imminent. We’re talking as early as mid-July, but more likely just before the end of the month. Some of you might care because you want to buy one, but most of us just want to know when to stay away. You’ve probably read our coverage of what happened the last time an iPad was released at the Sanlitun Apple Store.
That brings us to a completely anecdotal observation that the Apple store in Sanlitun now seems crawling with employees. Anyone else notice this? Is the company getting smarter about crowd control in preparation for the upcoming release?
This fall, Apple plans to include a Mandarin-ready Siri as part of the iOS 6 update. This upgrade will be compatible with the new iPad, so if you do plan to purchase the tablet here (or sell your kidney for it), you won’t get Siri as a language partner just yet – but you will in a few more months.
We’ll let you know as soon as an official release date is set for the iPad. Heck, we’ll even tell you when it gets cancelled, too.
Photo: Josh Ong
According to The Next Web (who got their info from Chinese blog PC Pop), the iPad is set for release on July 27:
http://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/07/06/apple-is-reportedly-set-to-finally-launch-the-new-ipad-in-china-on-july-27/?utm_medium=Twitter%20Publisher&utm_content=Apple%20is%20reportedly%20set%20to%20%28finally%29%20launch%20the%20new%20iPad%20in%20China%20on%20July%2027&utm_campaign=social%20media&awesm=tnw.to_j1Qn&utm_source=Twitter
Calling all scalpers!
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