Apple is to delay the international launch of its iPad tablet computer for a month, due to stronger-than-expected first-week sales in the United States.
Shares of Apple rose about 1 per cent after the company said it sold more than 500,000 units of the touch-screen device in the week after its April 3rd launch. It expects sales will "likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks".
Apple plans to announce international pricing and begin taking online orders on May 10th. The iPads will hit store shelves at the end of May.
The delays risk frustrating customers overseas and create headaches for retailers, banking on the popular tablet computer to draw in store traffic.
But Apple may reap higher margins from additional sales made at US Apple stores and through its website, according to Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross.
"It validates that there is strong end-market for the device and that the demand was not coming just from early adopters or 'Mac heads'," she said. "It has actually got widespread interest."
The iPad's early US sales impressed analysts, many of whom expect 1 million units to be sold in the quarter ending June, and roughly 5 million in 2010, though estimates vary widely.
The electronics giant has staked its reputation on the 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet, essentially a cross between a smartphone and a laptop. It is helping foster a market for tablet computers that is expected to grow to as many as 50 million units by 2014, according to analysts.
Apple shares, which have risen about 15 per cent so far this year, climbed to $244.83 in early Nasdaq trading today.
Reuters