Apple has delayed the international launch of iPad to next month, revealing that the device now won't hit European stores until "late May".
The latest gadget from the iPod creators has been a runaway success in the States where it sold over 500,000 units in its first three weeks on sale.
But Apple says its success has contributed to its delay elsewhere in the world.
"Faced with this surprisingly strong US demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May," said the company.
"We will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10," the company added. "We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason - the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far."
The iPad, which is essentially a tablet PC-sized version of Apple's iPod Touch, will be available to purchase in two different models when it eventually goes on sale in the UK: one with 3G and one without.