iPad's International Launch Delayed until 'end of May.'

Apple announced  today that due to increased demand for their iPad device, they would have to move the International launch date of the tablet computer to the 'end of May.' Launched on April 4th in the US, the iPad has sold 500,000 units and has been available in the grey market for exorbitant prices which is likely to continue. Read the release after the break.

Apple's statement:

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™. We have also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.

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. We will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10. 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.

A Window for Competition

It's hard to fathom how prospective international buyers will be 'pleased' with iPad's delay, regardless what the reason is. That the device was a 'runaway success in the US,' has no bearing on us here in Canada or to anyone else in the world who has waited patiently for the device.

But the statement seems to imply that supply that was earlier considered for global distribution will remain instead in the US, where they are unable to meet demand. Which is strange considering we've heard from varied sources that iPads are available in large quantities across the US Apple stores and some Best Buy stores.

Either way, it makes Apple look flighty or that the product launch was poorly planned and executed. Customers who have made buying decisions might just go and buy a competing product.

Smart competitors are probably scrambling to launch their products before Apple can begin offering pre-orders (May 10), they have been handed the golden opportunity of time-to-market that they can exploit provided supply and pricing is right. Dell? HP? WePad?Are you listening?

We have a feeling that the iPad's international release is not an issue of hardware as it doesn't seem like an overly complicated or onerous device to manufacture. We think the iBookstore tie-ins, copyrights and content partnerships as well as mobile carrier partnerships are the issues that are holding the iPad back. 

Hype, Momentum and Desire

Apple generated a lot of hype, momentum and desire for the iPad during the past two weeks and while the device continues to be hot in the US, interest from international markets may quickly wane. No matter how you frame it, this could be a costly blunder or Apple or it might work to their advantage by generating pent up demand for the device.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and whether consumer interest for the iPad in Canada will wither as a result of this one month delay.

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