Apple sells out of iPad for release date; want it soon? Get in line

By Nathan Olivarez-Giles

March 12, 2012 9:09 AM PT

It took two days, but Apple’s new iPad is sold out for release date delivery and as of Monday morning, shipping for pre-orders sits at an estimated 2 to 3 weeks, according to Apple’s online store.

If you want an iPad on its Friday release date, you’re either out of luck or you better get in line at an Apple store -- as some are reportedly already doing.

Apple told USA Today on Sunday that “customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts and the quantity available for pre-order has been purchased.”

The release day delivery sell out affects all variations and price points of the third-generation iPad, from the lowest priced 16-gigabyte and Wi-Fi-only model, which sells for $499, to the top of the range 64-gigabyte with 4G capability units, which fetches a price of $829.

Meanwhile, the new iPad’s predecessor, the iPad 2, is ready to ship in “1-3 business days,” Apple said in its online store.

With the debut of the new iPad -- which features 4G connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera and a display with double the resolution of previous iPads -- the second generation model was trimmed to $399 for a 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi-only tablet or $529 for a Wi-Fi and 3G unit with 16 gigabytes of storage.

Selling out of a product is, of course, nothing new for Apple. After the debut of an iPad or iPhone, online pre-orders have regularly sold out, contributing to massive launch day lineups at Apple retail stores, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon stores and Best Buys, among other retailers.

More than 1 million people purchased the iPhone 4S last October in the first 24 hours the phone was available for pre-order and Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference is a regular sellout too.

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Original source: “Apple sells out of iPad for release date; want it soon? Get in line”