iPad given UK date

Apple has confirmed that the iPad, the latest addition to the tech giant’s fashionable product line, will begin shipping in the UK next month.

Furthermore, the higher-spec 3G models that offer over-the-air downloads will begin shipping a month later in April.

How much the machine will cost in the UK is yet to be seen. A direct translation according to current exchange rates would see the entry-level 16GB wi-fi model cost 308, with the top-end 64GB 3G model costing 512.

However, it’s more realistic to expect UK prices to start around the 400 mark.

We’re yet to find out which UK operators will be offering the iPad as part of a monthly data usage contract, though all three of the UK’s main mobile operators – O2, Vodafone and the soon-to-be-merged T-Mobile and Orange – are tipped to be talking to Apple.

The iPad uses microSIM cards as opposed to traditional sims, meaning users won’t be able to use their existing mobile sim cards in the device.