Apple delays Japan launch of iPad 2 in wake of earthquake, tsunami
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Apple is holding off on launching the iPad 2 in Japan, as the country is still recovering from last week’s earthquake and tsunami and facing ongoing concerns over nuclear plant explosions and fires.
The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant had scheduled its iPad 2 release in Japan for March 25 and did not offer a new release date when it confirmed the delay, according to a report from Reuters.
‘We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster,’ Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, told Reuters.
Kerris said Apple’s move to delay the iPad 2 launch in Japan had nothing to do with any component supply shortages, according to Reuters.
The iPad 2 went on sale in the U.S. on Friday, selling out in many Apple stores, as well as at Best Buy, Target, AT&T, Verizon and Wal-Mart locations.
The iPad 2 is set to release in two dozen other countries next week, Reuters said.
Japan accounted for about 5%, or $1.4 billion, of Apple’s revenue in the final quarter of 2010, the report said.
[Updated 5:26 p.m.: Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris confirmed the delay to the Technology blog.
‘As of now, we have no new release date set for the iPad 2 in Japan,’ Kerris said, reiterating that the move is taking place out of respect for Japan’s efforts to recover from the recent earthquake and tsunami.]
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Top photo: Pedestrians walk past the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 18, 2011. Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg