China set to welcome Apple's iPad

Apple revealed that customers in China will be able to purchase the iPad slate device beginning 10.00 a.m. on Sep. 17 through Apple retail stores and selected Apple authorized resellers. The suggested retail price for the 16GB version of the Wi-Fi-only iPad is 3,988RMB (US$589.83), while the 32GB and 64GB models are priced at 4,788RMB (US$708.15) and 5,588RMB (US$826.47) respectively.

Unlike the iPhone, which was sold without Wi-Fi capabilities during its launch by China Unicom in China, customers eager to get their hands on the iPad will now have their choice restricted to the Wi-Fi-only version as the company did not include the Wi-Fi plus 3G models in its pricing.

Before the iPad's entrance, the Chinese market had witnessed an influx of slates by local companies with some labeling their products as iPad killers. Others are aimed as copycat versions of the real deal but at a much lower price--the iPed reportedly sells for US$105.

For more on this story, read China to get a bite of Apple iPad on ZDNet Asia.