Apple Sets iPad Launch Date for April 3

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) said Friday it will have its initial iPad devices ready for launch on April 3, slightly after than the late-March timeframe originally suggested.

Apple says that its WiFi-only webpad will be ready to go in the US in early April. The 3G models will follow later in April, as will launches in Europe and beyond.

The initial WiFi device will start at $499 with 16GB of storage. Apple will start taking pre-orders on March 12.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has signed on as the carrier for 3G support in the US The operator will charge either $14.99 for 250MB worth of downloads or $29.99 for unlimited downloads.

Apple has described the device as "unlocked", meaning that it should be able to work on any compatible cellular network. So far, however, no other GSM carrier in the US has said that it will support the "micro-SIM" format that the iPad uses. (See Apple's iPad: Unlocking the 3G Myth.)

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile