iPad hits Irish shops today

The Apple iPad has gone on sale in Irish shops today, with stores reporting "brisk" trade in the device.

Prospective owners keen to get their hands on the device queued from early this morning at Apple stores in Dublin, many of which were opening early for the event.

Richard Arnold, from Clonskeagh, was first in line outside the Compu B store on Grafton Street. He had been there since just before 6am.

"I was surprised there weren't more people here," he said. "In London they were queuing for days before."

Mr Arnold was there to buy the 32GB 3G model for his mother.

"My dad's had one for a few months now - he bought one in America," he said. "I think she saw it and got a bit jealous."

Others resorted to more extreme measures. Jack Gleeson from Finglas was funding his iPad purchase with the proceeds from the sale of his CD collection.

"I had about 600 CDs and brought them into Gamestop. I got credit for them, and bought a laptop for €500, sold it for €400, got a Playstation for €300 and sold it for €200. I ended up with €600, and that's how  I'm justifying it," he said.

"I'll use it just for fun, as an internet browsing device. I don't think it's going to replace the laptop."

The iPad is available in three versions – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – and is available in models that have Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. The 16GB entry-level model with wireless internet access will cost €499, with prices ranging up to €799 for the 64GB model.

Before now, Apple fans had been forced to trek across the Border to buy the device in Northern Ireland, or buy it from sources in the United States.

This afternoon, stores around the country reported that trade had been steady throughout the day. Dublin's Compu B said there should be enough stock to ensure that no one was disappointed today.

In Limerick, shoppers were opting for the 3G models, while in Cork, the lower capacity iPads were more popular, with stores reporting the larger 64GB made up most of the remaining stock.

The touch-screen tablet computer, which was unveiled by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs in January, can access the internet over wireless and mobile networks. It runs the same software as the iPhone, but has a larger screen and superior capabilities.

It is also available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore from today.

The iPad is designed for browsing the internet, watching films and reading e-books. It also allows users to send and receive e-mail and play games.

At its unveiling at the beginning of the year, Mr Jobs described the iPad as a “magical and revolutionary product” and said it created and defined an entirely new category of devices.

The device has certainly proved popular with consumers, who greeted it with substantial pre-orders and queues outside stores in order to be the first to get their hands on it.

Apple has sold more than three million iPads worldwide since its introduction on April 3rd. Within 28 days the company had shipped more than one million of the devices.