Apple gears up for more iPad rollouts

Apple is planning to expand the reach of its iPad tablet device.

The company said that on Friday it would be releasing the iPad in nine new countries.

The new countries will include Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Singapore, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Mexico and New Zealand.

The release marks the extension of what has already been a successful rollout for the iPad. Already available in the US, UK, Italy, France, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, Germany and Australia, the device experienced very strong sales early and surpassed the three million unit mark last month.

The company said that more countries are slated to receive the iPad in the coming months.

The release also comes as Apple looks to move beyond a rocky start for its iPhone 4 handset. Despite strong sales and encouraging early reviews, the handset was plagued by antenna troubles that forced the company to offer users free "bumper" cases.

The latest update for the iOS operating system also experienced early hiccups. The iPad is slated to receive a similar iOS update later this year.