A sign on Apple’s retail site says that stores will be closed between 4 and 5 pm today

Apr 30, 2010 10:33 GMT  ·  By
Apple retail stores close for one hour today in light of the 3G iPad's launch (announcement highlighted)
   Apple retail stores close for one hour today in light of the 3G iPad's launch (announcement highlighted)

On its website, Apple has confirmed that official retail stores will be closed for one hour (between 4 pm and 5 pm) so that staffers can gear up for the 3G iPad’s launch. The WiFi + 3G version of the iPad was scheduled to arrive around the end of March, but underestimated demand has pushed its launch to May.

“Visit your favorite Apple Retail Store to buy iPad with Wi-Fi today. Or come in to buy iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G starting at 5 p.m. on April 30 (while supplies last),” Apple says on its website. “The store will be closed from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30, to prepare for the arrival of iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G,” a notice on Apple’s site regarding every U.S. retail establishment reads.

In a media advisory posted on April 14, Apple revealed that the company had delivered more than 500,000 iPads during the tablet’s first week in the wild. The Mac maker acknowledged that demand far exceeded what it had predicted and asserted two weeks ago that, “[Demand] 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,” Apple revealed. “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,” Apple concluded.