Apple already sells out first week’s shipment of iPads

Apple’s web site says it has already sold out its first shipment of iPads, the tablet computers that will be available April 3. That’s the day that the iPad officials goes on sale in stores, but Apple had been taking pre-orders which customers could go pick up in stores on the day of the launch.

Now that has changed. The company says that anyone who orders an iPad now can expect them to ship via mail starting April 12. (You won’t be picking those up in stores). And that’s only for the versions with Wi-Fi, 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 how many iPads will be available on the first day of sales, or how quickly Apple can replenish the models. It’s likely Apple could be constrained for some time, since it’s 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.