Editor’s Note: The following article is excerpted from PC Advisor.
The Apple iPad was went onsale in the U.S. last weekend and sold more than 300,000 devices on the first day.
However, Apple has yet to announce when the iPad will go onsale in the UK. The company’s Website simply states the device is “coming late April.”
Interest in the latest hot Apple product, which has had largely positive reviews, plus uncertainty over when it will go onsale in the UK, has led to two UK online retailers importing iPads and offering them for sale to customers happy to pay a premium in order to be among the first to own one.
Purelygadgets and Simply Electronics, are both listing the device on their Websites and claiming stock is currently available. Purelygadgets claims it has iPads available to send out immediately. When we inquired Friday morning about an order for a 16GB Wi-Fi model, we were told we could receive our device as early as tomorrow.
Purelygadgets is offering the three versions of the Wi-Fi iPad; 16GB, 32GB or 64GB capacities priced at £689.99, £785.99 and £869.99 respectively. Delivery charges are listed at £5.
Meanwhile, at Simply Electronics web users can snap up the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad for £545.95, while the 32GB version costs £649.95 and the 64GB model costs £749.95. All three are offered with free delivery.
Apple is not actively promoting iPad apps on the UK App Store, and Apple’s own Apps including iBooks, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are only available in the U.S. iTunes Store. However, third-party iPad applications can be found on the UK iTunes Store by using the search functionality.
Apple hasn’t revealed the UK pricing for the iPad and says it won’t do so until immediately before the iPad goes onsale here. Last month Play.com listed the device on its Website with a starting price of £499.99. However, the listing was quickly removed.