Thankfully Apple, though being the Capitalist force it is quite known for in the media, it is has shown some compassion in the face of the tragic events which have unfolded in Japan.
As nuclear reactors threaten to meltdown and the death count rises Apple have decided now wouldn't be the greatest of times to release their iPad 2 in Japan come March 25th obviously it is very unclear when the country well return to some sort of normality but until then Apple will hold back their shiny new toys and will announce a new release date later down the line.
The official statement from Apple is; “We are delaying the launch of the IPad 2 in Japan while the country and our team focuses on recovering from the recent disaster. Our hearts go out to the people of Japan, including our employees and their families who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy."
Thankfully Apple has confirmed that all of its Japanese workers have been tracked and are safe.
I don't mean to be cynical but it's perhaps more a business move than anything. The Japanese economy has taken a bashing after the natural disaster duo, and let's be honest regardless of the hysterical and unconditional love shown by Apple fans, there won't be many people in Japan right now who will be happy to go out and spend a tonne of money on a new toy when thousands of people have been left homeless.
Maybe they could have went ahead with the release and then dished out a chunk of the profits to the relief fund, or something along those lines? What do you think, were they right to hold back release?
One thing is certain when the thing does land it will make Apple a tasty amount of money.
Japan has become a very lucrative market for them. $4 billion worth of the first iPad were quickly sold in Japan after their release.