For those of us here in the UK who have been eying up the iPad since it was unveiled on 27th January can now be reassured with a UK release date. Apple have announced via its UK website that the 3G version of the iPad will be shipping in April. In other words, the iPad will be coming to the UK in late March, and then a matter of days later the higher specified, however more expensive 3G version will become available.

This is good news, as when Jobs initially launched the product, international plans were said to go ahead in June/July time, so this can suggest that a deal to provide data in the UK has been struck earlier than expected.

There is still no word on pricing of the iPad in the UK, though. Apple have said that this will be soon be ‘announced’, but saying that you can expect prices to start around £400. A number of networks including Orange, O2 and Vodafone have been tipped to provide the data, which is supplied via microSIM cards as opposed to your standard SIM card found in a mobile phone handset.

More news to follow on who exactly will be supplying data in the UK – and what the prices are likely to be for this, too.