Japan, Australia, New Zealand first to get iPad 2 in Asia

iPad 2 is here. But most Asian countries will have to wait. Apple has only announced launch dates for U.S and another 26 countries, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In Asia, iPad 2 will be available to Japan, Australia and New Zealand on March 25, two weeks after it is made available in the U.S.

The rest of the countries with launch date on March 25 are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. If you are an Apple fan, note the date on your calendar and be prepared to queue for your new Apple gadget.

As expected, the iPad 2 has new front and rear cameras. iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac users to family and friends as long as there is Wi-Fi connection. The new iPad also comes with Photo Booth which let users apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera.

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO said in a statement.

“While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”

Apple has also introduced two new apps: iMovie and GarageBand for the iPad. The apps provide great convenience for users as photos and videos taken can be edited and sent through the iPad 2

So, it will be a pretty long wait for countries in Asia, especially in India where the first generation of iPad had just launched in late January this year.