Apple delays international iPad launch
"Surprisingly strong US demand" causes month long delay
Apple has said that it will delay the launch of the iPad due to the demand for the gadget in the US.
The company said it had taken a large number of pre-orders for the iPad 3G, due for release at the end of the month, and will delay the release outside of the US for one month in order to meet North American demand.
"Although we have delivered more than 500,000 iPads during its first week, demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad," said Apple in a statement. "We have also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April."
"Faced with this surprisingly strong US demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May."
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said last week the company "can't make enough" iPads to meet demand. Today, the firm has said it will reveal international prices for the device on May 10.
"We will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10. We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason—the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far," added Apple.