International Apple iPad Ships May 28th

Having promised international iPad preorders from May 10th, Apple has confirmed that those customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK can expect to receive their tablets on Friday, May 28th.  Pricing is £429 for the 16GB iPad WiFi, £499 for the 32GB and £599 for the 64GB; meanwhile the iPad WiFi + 3G starts at £529 for the 16GB, £599 for the 32GB and £699 for the 64GB.

Greater than expected demand for the iPad in the US led to Apple delaying the international launch of the tablet by a month.  Screen shortages were tipped as a key bottleneck, and stocks in the US remain volatile.

Meanwhile would-be iPad owners in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore will have to wait until July to get their hands on the device.  Apple will announce pricing and specific dates "at a later date".

Update: European pricing here, while Canadian and Australian pricing here.Press Release:

iPad Available in Nine More Countries on May 28th

Pre-Orders Begin May 10th

CUPERTINO, California — May 7th, 2010 — Apple today announced that iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28th. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple's online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10th. In the US, Apple has already sold over one million iPads and customers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore.

iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad's revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.*

The App Store on iPad lets you wirelessly browse, buy and download new apps from the world's largest app store. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for iPad and will run almost all of the more than 200,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone or iPod touch. Developers have created more than 5,000 exciting new apps designed for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch interface, large screen and high-quality graphics.

Pricing & Availability

iPad is available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models. iPad will be sold through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorised Resellers. The iBooks app for iPad including Apple's iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store on May 28th.

Apple plans to release iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July. Apple will announce availability, local pricing and pre-order plans for these nine additional countries at a later date.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.