Starting at $499 in the US and 479 € in European territories

Mar 17, 2012 09:52 GMT  ·  By

Apple has announced that the new iPad — “the third generation of the category-defining mobile device” — arrived at the company’s retail stores and online store on Friday, March 16 at 8:00 a.m. local time in 12 territories around the world.

Customers in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have been able to walk into stores and buy the third-generation tablet computer starting at $499 in the US and 479 € in European territories. Several retailers in the US, such as Best Buy, RadioShack and Walmart, are also carrying the tablet.

The new iPad features Apple’s new Retina display with 2048x1536 resolution, an enhanced A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics. The Cupertino giant is also reminding customers that its previous-generation iPad is now available at a lower price - $399 in the US and 399 € in Europe.