Apple Inc. on Tuesday announced that iPad 2, the second-generation of its popular tablet computer, will be available in China's Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries and regions in April.


HTML clipboard Customers try the iPad 2 at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the United States, March 11, 2011. The latest iPad 2 was on sale in the United States on Friday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
The company also confirmed that iPad 2 will go on sale in 25 countries on March 25 in addition to the United States, where the device first hit market on March 11 and has seen strong demand.


"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 chief executive officer, 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," he noted.


Apple had planned to released iPad 2 in Japan on March 25, but delayed the launch in the aftermath of the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami in the country.


The 25 countries where iPad 2 will go on sale on March 25 include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet