Apple’s new iPad gets quiet China debut after name lawsuit, protest at earlier iPhone launch

BEIJING, China – The latest iPad has received an uneventful launch in China after Apple Inc. settled a lawsuit with a local company over ownership of the popular tablet computer’s name.

A few dozen customers waited at Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai on Friday. They were required to order iPads in advance online following a January incident in which people who wanted to buy the latest iPhone threw eggs and shouted at employees after managers cancelled the opening of Apple’s main Beijing store due to the large size of the crowd.

The Apple stores opened on time on Friday and there were no disruptions.

Apple cleared a potential legal hurdle to the release when it settled a dispute this month with a Chinese company, Proview Technologies, over ownership of the iPad name.