1. Product availability
According to Apple, the non-3G version of the iPad will be available internationally in 60 days. The 3G version (which we think most people will be interested in) ships to the US in 90 days. When announcing the AT&T deals for the US, Jobs mentioned that international deals will come in the June/July time frame. So, how soon you can get your hands on the HSDPA-enabled iPad will depend on negotiations between Apple and your local mobile operators. This brings us to the next point, the SIM card.
2. The Micro SIM standard is not prevalent here
The iPad uses a smaller version of the GSM SIM card called the Micro SIM. Aside from the iPad, there aren’t any other consumer products that utilize the format. We called a Singapore operator to find out what its plans are for the Micro SIM. According to the spokesperson, there are no plans to introduce this smaller SIM card, but if the telco wants to, providing a Micro SIM to customers for use on the iPad shouldn’t be difficult.
3. Price
Apple’s spokesperson was not able to comment on local pricing of the iPad in Asia. But given that this is not an operator-subsidized product, its price shouldn’t be too different from what it costs in the US. Let’s take the base US$499 version as an example. That’s S$700 or 16,547 Thai baht at the current exchange rate. Factor in taxes and a slight premium (Apple products generally cost less in their home country), and we reckon the iPad will go for about S$799 in Singapore and 18,900 baht in Thailand,.
4. iBooks not available in Asia
One of the biggest features of the iPad is its iBooks app which will let you buy e-books. This makes the Apple slate potentially capable of replacing a dedicated e-book reader such as the Amazon Kindle. The bad news for us here in Asia is that, currently, the iBookstore is available only in the US (see footnote on Apple iPad features page). This is not too surprising as even Amazon has not tied down deals with publishers to sell e-books everywhere–for instance, its e-book store isn’t accessible to those in Singapore and Malaysia.
Whether this impasse will be a long-term one (like the iTunes music store) or something that will get sorted out soon is a mystery for now. Just don’t get your hopes up too high if you live in Asia.
5. Language options
If you look at the specifications of the iPad, carefully, you will notice it doesn’t support as many languages as the iPhone. Some notable omissions that would affect users in our region are Thai, Indonesian and Malay. This may get sorted out as the iPhone OS for the iPad gets updated. But if you need one of those languages, check the specs page carefully before buying an iPad when it becomes available.
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