Apple's iPad finally on sale in UK

May 28 2010

Apple's iPad is finally on sale in the UK after a delay due to the gadget's popularity in the United States.

The eagerly-anticipated touch-screen computer allows users to send emails, read novels, draw pictures and play games.

It will go on sale from £429 for the basic version to £699 for a model with Wi-Fi and 3G network access.

Apple stores across the UK were opening an hour earlier at 8am to sell the iPad, with queues of shoppers expected overnight.

Currys and PC World will also stock the device at 139 stores.

Apple was forced to push back its original late April UK launch date because of "overwhelming demand" for the iPad in the US.

The company's website is already warning that iPad pre-orders made now will not ship until June 7.

Apple sold more than one million iPads in the US in the first 100 days after the April launch, making it a faster seller than the iPhone.

Brand expert Simon Middleton said: "The iPad really is a culturally significant piece of kit. It will, I confidently predict, change the way we think about mobile devices and their potential. Within months there will be rivals from other manufacturers."