There is no doubt that iPad 2s are already floating around China’s infamous black market but according to a report from The Global Times, the Asian country may soon witness an official release.
It is reported that Apple’s iPad 2 was recently awarded the China Compulsory Certification (3C), a compulsory license for products being sold on the Chinese mainland. The product obtained the license after passing a series of tests, and has a validity of five years, expiring on April 8, 2016.
This move signals that the iPad 2 is set to make its official entry in the Chinese mainland market soon. Industry experts expect the iPad 2 to go on sale in Shanghai and Beijing in one month’s time.
Bryan Ma, analyst at research firm IDC, told WSJ :
“Apple’s been doing tremendously well in China, not just with the iPad but as a whole. There has been high demand for the iPad and we expect to see high demand for the iPad 2 as well, as tablet sales in general boom.”
To Apple’s favor, it certainly took much shorter than the iPad 3G models, which didn’t get an approval until late January this year, more than 8 months after its US release, after a delay in getting a go signal from the Ministry of Radio Authority for the adoption of the Apple WCDMA/WLAN data terminals on the 3G models.
Apple shows no signs of slowing down in the Chinese market, which is projected to account for 10 percent of Apple’s revenue within 5 years.
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