Apple on Tuesday announced the iPad 3G will start shipping to customers on Friday, April 30, and will be available at Apple Store retail locations the same day. The announcement ends the mystery surrounding when Cupertino would make the 3G + Wi-Fi version of the iPad available to customers.
Earlier this week, it was discovered that current iPad 3G pre-orders would not arrive on doorsteps until May 7, which set off some concern that all 3G iPad shipments would be delayed. Apple responded to those concerns by assuring customers who had pre-ordered the iPad 3G in March that their iPad 3G shipments would still arrive in “late April.” At the time, Apple did not provide a more concrete shipping date.
While Apple’s announcement notes that the iPad 3G will be available in Apple Stores starting at 5 p.m. local time on April 30, it notably lacks any mention of when the iPad 3G will be available at other retail outlets such as Best Buy.
In its announcement, Apple also said the iPad would be launching internationally at the end of May in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. International pre-orders for these countries will start on May 10, but Apple did not provide any pricing details.
Apple appears to have a hit on its hands with the iPad; earlier this month the company announced that it had sold over 500,000 iPads less than a week after the Wi-Fi-only version became available at retail stores across the U.S. Pre-orders for both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G iPad models began March 12, 2010.
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