Apple's iPad Goes on Sale to Eager Crowds Across the Country

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 3 - Apple's iPad went on sale across the United States on Saturday morning, drawing lines at Apple stores from New York to San Francisco and giving the company its first product in a category that did not exist in any meaningful way until a few months ago.

The Wi-Fi only model starts at $499 for 16 gigabytes of storage and rises to $699 for the 64 gigabyte version. A 3G model, which can connect through AT&T's cellular network, is due out in late April starting at $629. Apple CEO Steve Jobs first showed the 9.7 inch touch screen device in January in San Francisco.

At the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, a line of customers had formed before the doors opened at 9 a.m., and many left carrying the device in a bag within minutes.

What it is: Think of a large iPhone without the phone. It runs the same software as the iPhone and iPod touch, which means it can use most of the more than 150,000 apps in Apple's App Store, though developers are racing to release versions built for the larger screen. Apple is also offering a free iBooks app, available from the App Store, that lets buyers download electronic books, a direct challenge to Amazon's Kindle.

Early features stand out: a bright touch screen, a battery Apple rates at up to 10 hours, and the ability to browse the web, read books, watch video and play games in one light device. Netbook makers, who have been selling small cheap laptops by the millions, are watching how buyers respond.

Analyst estimates for the first weekend have ranged widely, from about 250,000 to 700,000 units. Apple has not yet released its own numbers.

Magazine and newspaper publishers are also paying close attention. Several, including Time and The New York Times, have prepared special versions of their content for the device, hoping it will give readers a reason to pay for digital content again.

For many customers on Saturday, the draw was simple: a new kind of device they could pick up and try that day. Apple is expected to share first weekend sales numbers in the coming days.