International iPad Delayed Due to Strong U.S. Demand

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Apple announced today that international sales of the iPad will be postponed until the end of May as the company has not been able to keep up with demand here in the United States.

In a statement, Apple said that "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."

"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," the statement continued.

Early reviews of the device have been largely positive, and despite some glaring shortcomings and comfort concerns, the much-hyped tablet computer has sold like hotcakes: Some 300,000 iPads sold right out of the gate on Saturday, April 3 (including deliveries of pre-ordered devices).

For now, the rest of the world will have to wait. Apple concluded its statement by saying: "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."

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