Spell cheap: new Apple iPad 9.7" price, release date and country availability

The new 9.7" iPad starts off at just $329, Apple's lowest launch price ever

Yep, Apple's freshest iPad edition comes with a brighter Retina Display and faster A9 chip, compared to the Air 2, but starts at $329 for the 32GB Wi-Fi model, and $459 for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version. The 128 GB unit will cost you just $100 extra with Wi-Fi connectivity, while adding a cellular modem to the 128-gigger nets you a $559 tag, which is still a price that may move the new iPads like hot muffins at a bakeoff. The tablet components have likely fallen in price drastically over the two and a half years since the Air 2 announcement, so Apple is probably still making bank on the new iPad, and yet its tablets are about to become much more accessible in times when it started to earn significant amounts from apps and services, which might explain why Apple's stock is at record high these days.

The new iPad comes in silver, gold and space gray, and will be available to order at Apple.com and Apple Stores as soon as this Friday, March 24. It will start shipping next week in Apple Stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers in the US, simultaneously with the international launch in more than 20 countries like Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. In April, the new iPad will be available in Denmark, India, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Turkey and others, while Brazil, Taiwan and the rest will get the freshest Apple tablet goods in May. The orders are starting at 8:01 a.m. PDT on 3/24, are you in line?