iPad 2: Apple tablet sells out within 24 hours of UK launch

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• Customers now face four-week wait for next delivery
  

The much-anticipated iPad 2 sold out in less than 24 hours of its British launch.The slimmer, faster version of the tablet computer, which made its debut last year, went on sale on Friday afternoon at 5pm.
By lunchtime on Saturday stores across the country were reporting that the second generation device had sold out.

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I've got mine: Jewels Lewis was the first person to get his hands on the iPad 2 after queuing outside the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, since 7.30am the previous day. The tablet device sold out in Britain in less than 24 hours Customers who have ordered the iPad 2 online now face a wait of up tofour weeks, although priority will be given to people in the U.S. who have already been waiting for two weeks.It is thought supply could also be hit by component shortages following the Japanese earthquake, which could push waiting times back even further.

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It is unknown exactly how many iPad 2s have been sold inBritain, but analysts estimate that between 500,000 and one million tablets were bought in the U.S. during its first weekend on sale earlier this month.Apple sold out of first generation iPads within days last year as demand exceeded expectations and subsequent supply shortages lasted for months.The iPad 2 was expected to sell particularly well because it is priced at 399 for the basic model, 30 less than for the equivalent model a year ago.It costs between 399 and 659 depending on the tablet's specification.

Short supply: Customers who have ordered the iPad 2 online now face a wait of up to four weeks. But there are fears the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan could affect the supply of componentsThe high-tech console first went on sale in the U.S. on March 11; it became available in Britain online at 1am on Friday before hitting the High Street at 5pm.By Friday afternoon large queues had formed outside the Apple Stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden.Jewels Lewis was the first person to buy the new console at the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, after waiting outside since 7.30am the previous day.The 33-year-old jumped for joy after emerging from the shop clutching his purchase as other shoppers waiting for their new machines looked on longingly.Anticipation ran high in other cities around the world. Queues formed outside Apple stores in Paris and Munich while some keen fans in Sydney queued for 53 hours to be among the first to own an iPad 2 in Australia.

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Waiting game: Shoppers formed a long queue outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden on Friday as they waited for the iPad to go on saleStaff at the Sydney store lined up to welcome the first person in the queue, Canadian Alex Lee, when the doors finally opened.Adding to the technological bonanza was Nintendo, which launched its 3DS games console on Friday as well.
Kat Hannaford, the contributing editor of Gizmodo, the technology website, said: I can't remember a day like it, when two such big hardware products went on sale at the same time.'Apple is obviously the biggest player in the industry, but Nintendo's 3DS has really taken off in other countries and is likely to be pretty huge here.She added that the slowdown in consumer confidence was hitting sales of some of the smaller electronics products, but the big names would cont! inue to do well.Consumers are becoming more discerning, but if a gadget promises to deliver something that nothing else can, it will sell well.'