After the tragedy of the recent 9.0 earthquake and the resulting tsunami, Apple has decided not to launch the iPad 2 in Japan on March 25th.
“We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster,” said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris.
There is no rescheduled launch date planned, and the length of delay will depend upon how long it takes for Japan to recover from recent tragedies, which have culminated with the threat of meltdown at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Apple has been doing much to assist Japan in this time of crisis. Delaying the iPad 2 launch is another conscientious decision on Cupertino’s part, allowing them to focus their efforts on looking after the safety and well-being of their staff and contributing to local relief causes.
Frankly, it’s a logistically sound move as well. Given the trouble Apple is seemingly having producing enough iPad 2s for just the American market, the delay in launching in Japan gives Apple time to make sure that when they do so, they do it right and in volume.
