iPad UK release may be April 24

A source close to Apple has suggested that the iPad will be available to buy in the UK on April 24.

The iPad, which went on sale in the US on Saturday, has been pencilled in for a late April UK release, with prices rumoured to start at £389.

According to rumours reported by Ubergizmo,the date  has been pencilled in as a ‘blackout period’ for Apple store staff across the UK and Europe. This essentially means that staff aren’t allowed to book the day off.

If true, the latest rumour means that the iPad will be launched on a Saturday, similar to the recent Stateside release.

Apple announced Monday morning that it had sold more than 300,000 iPads on Saturday, the first day they were commercially available.  Users also downloaded more than 1 million apps for the device and a quarter of a million e-books.

As in the US, UK consumers will be able to choose between a Wi-Fi only model, and a device that combines Wi-Fi and 3G, allowing users to surf the internet using the mobile phone network. The iPad comes in three storage capacities – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

Apple is yet to comment on the speculation, although iPad Apps listings have already appeared in the  iTunes UK Store with UK pricing.