Apple is delaying the international launch of its iPad by a month, because it is struggling to meet demand in the US.
The firm said the decision to delay was “difficult”, but necessary to meet higher than expected demand for the device in the US, which it only expects to grow as more devices reach consumers.
It claimed to have already delivered 500,000 iPads, and has already “taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.”
So far, US consumers have only been able to buy the 16GB, WiFi-only, version of the device for $499.
“Faced with this surprisingly strong US demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch if iPad by one month, until the end of May,” the firm said in a statement.
It plans to announce pricing for global markets and open the doors to pre-orders on May 10.
Charlie Wolf, an analyst for Needham & Co., predicted Apple to easily beat his forecast of 1.25 million units for the June quarter, WSJ.com reported.
A recent tear-down by iSuppli revealed the cost of producing the 16GB iPad was just $259.60, with over 40% of that figure going on the display alone.