iPad 2 available in 25 more countries this Friday

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds

Apple said Tuesday that it is "experiencing amazing demand" for the iPad 2 in the U.S., and will move forward with plans to release the tablet in 25 additional countries on Friday, March 25.

Similar to the U.S. launch, the iPad 2 will go on sale abroad at 5pm local time, and will be available online at 1am.

"While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we've changed the game again with iPad 2," Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, said in a statement. "We're experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the U.S., and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone's patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

In total, the iPad 2 will be available in 25 additional countries on Friday, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Pricing will be the same as those in the U.S., from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version to $829 for the 64GB Wi-Fi+3G tablet.

Japan was supposed to be on that list, but in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis, Apple announced last week that it would delay the launch in the country. "We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster," Apple said at the time.

Apple said Tuesday that the iPad 2 will also be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and other countries in April.

In the U.S., the current wait time listed on the Apple Web site is four to five weeks. You can order an iPad from Apple online.

This article, written by Chloe Albanesius, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.