Apple has officially confirmed the numbers of iPads sold in the first launch day: 300.000. The number includes the units sold at the Apple Store, the ones delivered to customers that pre-ordered them and those distributed to the reseller partners. The first clients have also downloaded over one million applications from the App Store and more than 250.000 eBooks from the iBookstore.

Steve Jobs has commented the event saying that the iPad is changing the ways things are done, as after one hour from the purchase, each client had downloaded three applications and a book, in average.

It seems that the rumors claiming that the worldwide launch for the iPad would come on April 24th are now being somewhat confirmed by internal sources on Apple Canada. Of course, we’ll treat it as a rumor still as they’re not official, but it seems like the Apple Stores are getting ready for receiving the customers.

April 24th seems to be the date chosen by Apple for the launch of the iPad outside the USA. The Canadian Apple staff was informed that April 24th and April 25th will be “blackout periods”. Which means the Apple Store employees cannot take any days off during those dates. Chris Brandrick, from The Apple Blog, reminded readers that these blackout periods are very rare, hence something big is happening during those days.

The Online Apple Stores were updated last Friday to add the possibility for the American users to pre-order the iPad directly from Apple’s Online Stores. The pre-order is limited to two devices for each user. The only new feature present on the other Apple Stores worldwide is that now the site offers an “iPad” section in the top navigation menu.

From next April 3rd on, the first batch of Wi-Fi models will be shipped, while for the 3G models, the launch will be by the end of April, together with the launch of the device in Europe and the rest of the world. There’s also the possibility of pre-ordering an iPad to be picked up at an Apple Retail Store in person.

The April 3rd date was chosen by Apple apparently due to the need of giving the iPad software the final touches. John Gruber, usually a reliable source, says that the specialists from Canaccord Adams believe that the current problem for Apple is how to polish the iPhone 3.2 and the corresponding applications in time for the release.

Apple has increased the efforts for the iPad software, with 3 iPhone 3.2 SDK beta released from the day of the first presentation (end of January). Contrarily to some Android tablets announced in January, the most part of the iPad software is specifically optimized for bigger displays (9.7″) instead of a dynamic resizing. That would explain the time needed by Apple to release the product.

Apple has announced the prices and availability dates for the iPad. Apple’s new device will be available in the USA from April 3rd for the Wi-Fi models, and by the end of April for the Wi-Fi + 3G models. All the iPad models will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK by the end of April as well.

From next March 12th on, USA clients will be able to pre-order both models from Apple’s online store. It will be also possible to preorder a Wi-Fi model to be collected from an Apple Retail Store from April 3rd on.

The prices are as following:

USA:

• Wi-Fi Models: $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32 GB model, $699 for the 64 GB model
• Wi-Fi + 3G (Available from the end of April): $699 for 16 GB, $729 for the 32 GB model and $829 for the 64 GB model.

For the other countries mentioned in the beginning of the article, the prices will be announced during the launch month, and the rest of the world will see the iPad in later months. iBooks, the application that includes Apple’s bookstore, will be available for free from App Store on April 3rd in the USA. It’ll be available for other countries during the year.

The guys from 9to5Mac.com have decided to give users a walkthrough for the iPad Safari, using an iPad Simulator. You’ll see some of the main features for it in the video, but one curiosity came about: instead of the usual blue lego-block to indicate the absence of Flash, there’s a white space. One has to think if it doesn’t mean that Adobe and Apple will finally work together to bring Flash to the Macs.

Enjoy the video!

During the presentation of the iPad done during Apple’s last conference more than a week ago, some of the people present were able to get their hands on the device to try it. We’ll present a hands-on video made during the conference in the end of this post.

We remind you that the iPad will only be available in March for the Wi-Fi version and April for the 3G version. Enjoy the video!

There’s a small aesthetic difference between the iPad WiFi and the one with 3G connectivity. The latter features a black plastic stripe that ca be found on the top of the device, going from the front to the back. The model Steve Jobs had at the conference was one of the base models. The black plastic stripe was indeed added to the 3G model in order to allow for the mobile data transfer.

At this point, we’ll have to see how the WiFi range will work, as the iPod Touch has the same type of plastic stripe that allows the signal to reach the internal antenna. But for that, we’ll have to wait until March for the WiFi version and after April for the 3G one.

Together with the iPad, Apple has presented a series of accessories made especially for the new device. They’re all manufactured by Apple, and here’s a brief description of them:

iPad Keyboard Dock

The iPad Keyboard Dock is a charging dock that features an integrated Apple keyboard. The dock allows users to recharge the iPad using an USB adaptor. Of course, the dock is also handy in synchronizing the device with the computer. The dock also features a port to be used with other accessories and an audio output for headphones or speakers.

iPad Case

The iPad Case is a very particular case for the iPad that can be shaped in different positions, other than protecting the iPad. It can become a rack, or simply raise the iPad a little.

iPad Dock

The iPad Dock is simply an iPad Keyboard Dock without the keyboard, of course. It has both the second connector and audio output.
iPad Camera Connection Kit

The Camera Connection Kit is made of two accessories that allow users to import video and pictures directly from a digital camera. The kit has one dock/USB adaptor and one SD card reader.

iPad USB Power Adapter

The 10W adapter allows the iPad to be charged directly from a electricity socket (without the need of the computer). The accessory comes with an extension.

The iPad will be available in two versions and three formats for a total of six different configurations. The Wi-Fi-only version has WiFi 802.11n connectivity and a Bluetooth 2.1 module. The 3G version has also a phone module with a slot for the GSM sims capable of 3G data connectivity.

All the iPad will come without operator or sim lock, but AT&T already has a monthly contract for the cost of $29. During June/July, other agreeements with different companies will be announced.

The prices: The iPad will cost $499 for the 16GB base version, $599 for the 32GB version and $699 for the 64GB version. For the 3G versions, the prices are $629, $729 and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions respectively. The iPad Wi-Fi will be available in 60 days. The 3G version will be available in 90 days, around the end of April or the first week of May.