iPad opens for sale in Europe and Asia

Apple iPad sales opened in Europe and Asia yesterday as shoppers crowded Apple Inc stores with some having queued all night to buy the coveted devices.

The device, somewhat smaller than a regular notebook computer, has an open, colour touchscreen, and allows users to surf the web, watch movies, and read content. It has been hailed by the publishing industry as a potential life-saver.

Shares of Apple the maker of iPod and iPhone, rose as much as 2.3 per cent before ending the session up 1.4 per cent, in a sliding market. Analysts said Wall Street had already factored in a big launch in their calculations.

The iPad's debut, analysts say would possibly unveil the latest version of its iPhone. Chief executive Steve Jobs who underwent a liver transplant last year is expected to reveal a new iPhone with multi-tasking features on 7 June at the annual conference of developers.

Following its 3 April debut, Apple has sold a million iPads in the US which exceeded the wildest pre-launch estimates and demand was so heavy the company had to delay the international launch.

According to analysts the iPad's total shipments would touch 8.13 million units globally by the end of the year and can be expected to contribute at least $4 billion of revenue.