Apple already sells out first week’s shipment of iPads

Apple’s web site says that it has already sold out its first shipment of iPads, the tablet computers that start selling on April 3.
Now the company says that anyone who orders an iPad now can expect them to ship starting April 12. And that’s just for the versions with Wi-Fi only, with prices ranging from $499 (16-gigabyte model) to $599 (32-gigabytes) to $699 (64-gigabytes). If you want to buy a more expensive version with 3G data networking service, you have to wait until shipments in late April. Those 3G versions cost $629 (16-gigabyte model), $729 (32 gigabytes) and $829 (64 gigabytes).
It isn’t clear now many iPads will have available on the first day of sales, or how quickly it can replenish the models. It is likely that Apple could be constrained for some time, since it is using a number of unique parts such as the A4 1 gigahertz Apple-designed microprocessor and a new 9.7-inch LCD screen. Various market trackers have been trying to figure out exactly how many orders Apple has taken already, given the order numbers that the company is passing out to users after they place their pre-orders. Apple is still limiting orders to two per customer.