Apple announces US sale date for iPad
The much-hyped Apple iPad tablet computer is expected to go on sale in the UK by late April, the company said today.
No exact date was given, but it said the device will be in US shops on April 3, slightly later than originally planned.
When Apple unveiled the device on January 27, the company said the first iPads would reach the market in “late March”.
Apple did not say what caused the delay. However, industry analyst Peter Misek said this week that Apple might have to delay the launch because of an “unspecified production problem”.
He said Apple’s Taiwan-based supplier, Hon Hai Precision, could be facing a production bottleneck or a shortage of components.
The first iPads will connect to Wi-Fi networks only and cost between $499 (€366.95) and $699 (€514.03) in the US, depending on the data storage capacity.
More expensive versions that can connect to “3G” mobile networks and cost up to $829 (€609.63) are expected to go on sale in late April.
