On January 27th, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad and said it would be available in two months. Now Apple has announced the specifics concerning availability of the Wi-Fi version–and the company’s saying it’ll go on sale on Saturday, April 3rd. It’ll accept pre-orders starting on March 12th for both the Wi-Fi and 3G models, and buyers will be able to reserve a Wi-Fi model to pick up on the third.

(Apple didn’t say when the 3G model will go on sale, but based on the original timetable and barring any delays, it’ll presumably show up in late April or early May.)

I’m still not sure whether the arrival of the iPad will inspire large numbers of people to show up at Apple Stores at four in the morning. We also don’t know whether there will be enough iPads to go around. (For what it’s worth, there’s never been a shortage of iPhones on their launch days–in fact, the most efficient way to buy one has been to bide your time until late on the first sale day, and then stroll in and pick one up with little or no waiting.)

In Apple’s press release about the on-sale details, it calls the iPad “magical and revolutionary” not once but twice, including one such reference in a Jobs quote. The more the company repeats this mantra, the more I think of this guy, the product he promotes, and the catch phrase he’s been using for several decades:

 
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