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iPad 3G available April 30 in U.S.

Apple announces that its iPad with Wi-Fi and 3G will be available at month's end in the U.S. for customers who preordered.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
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Jim Dalrymple
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Apple's iPad with Wi-Fi and 3G will be delivered on April 30 in the U.S. to customers who preordered the model, the company said Tuesay.

Preorder customers who opted for home delivery may have a few hours head start over those who chose to pick it up at a store. Apple said the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G will be available in its retail stores at 5:00 p.m. on the same day.

Apple's iPad Apple

There are some advantages to picking up the iPad at one of Apple's retail stores. Apple will offer those customers a set-up service, which includes helping establish e-mail accounts and downloading apps from the App Store.

If your iPad gets delivered to your home, you can still head to a retail store and join an iPad workshop.

On Monday, it was reported that customers who did not preorder the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G will have their orders shipped starting May 7.

The iPad Wi-Fi only model went on sale April 3 in the U.S. Apple reported selling over 300,000 devices on the first day.

The strong demand for the device in the U.S. led the company to delay international shipments until the end of May, a month later than previously expected. Apple will begin taking international preorders on May 10.

The iPad Wi-Fi + 3G starts at $629 for the 16GB version and goes up to $829 for the 64GB model.

Wi-Fi is typically faster than 3G, but 3G offers Internet connections outside of Wi-Fi networks or hot spots.

AT&T is selling two 3G data plans with no contract. One offers 250MB of data per month for $15; the other is an unlimited plan at $30 per month. Both plans also give free access to AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots.