Apple delays iPad's international launch
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(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Wednesday it would delay for one month the international launch of its popular iPad tablet computer, due to stronger-than-expected first-week sales in the United States.
Shares of Apple rose about 1 percent after the company said it sold more than 500,000 units of the touch-screen device in the week after its April 3 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 10. 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 U.S. Apple stores and through its website, according to Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross.
