Apple’s longtime partner in China may get an iPad 3G, according to a Friday report. Apple in late December 2010 received government certification for a device identified only as “model A1337.” Although the parties refused to comment on the report, the news may point to the iPad.
“Specifications are consistent with the tablet device and because all existing commercial versions of the iPhone — Apple’s only other device that uses cellular networks — are already being sold in China,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
In September, Apple began selling the Wi-Fi iPad in China, causing long lines at Apple retail locations and authorized resellers. Apple reportedly sold 125,000 iPads in China by the end of that month. One analyst estimated there are 800,000 iPads in China, the majority bought through the gray market.
“The timing is good for Apple to get in given the growing demand for tablets in [the] China market,” Zhang Yi, CEO of IIMEDIA, told the WSJ.
Although China Unicom, the No. 2 wireless carrier behind China Mobile, refused to comment on the report, the company has expressed interest in selling the 3G iPad. An Apple spokesperson said the Cupertino, Calif. company plans to sell the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad in China, however did not provide a date when sales might begin.
Because a 3G iPad would likely need to undergo further tests and pass more certifications, the actual date when Apple will announce the device’s availability in China is unknown, insiders told the newspaper.
[WSJ]
