Apple's iPad goes on sale in US

Apple's iPad tablet computer has gone on sale in the US, allowing customers to get their hands on the much anticipated device after months of hype. Customers queued outside Apple's flagship stores in major US cities on Saturday, although crowds were much smaller than the thousands that gathered for the lauch of the iPhone in 2007. The iPad has been available to pre-order since the middle of March, giving would-be owners little reason to queue outside stores. Pre-orders are rumoured to run into the hundreds of thousands, with analysts predicting sales of between 4 and 7 million within a year.