The news comes on the heels of Apple paying $60 million to end a dispute over the iPad name in China, giving the US tech giant more certainty in selling its tablet computer in the huge market. Apple paid the sum to settle its long-running legal battle with Chinese computer maker Shenzhen Proview Technology.

Third-generation iPad models will range in price from $499 for a Wi-Fi version with 16 gigabytes of memory to $829 for a 64-gigabyte iPad capable of connecting to telecom networks as well as wireless Internet hotspots.

Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become Apple's fastest-growing region, with revenues second only to the United States.