According to a Tuesday announcement by Apple, the shipping of the 3G version of the iPad tablet computer, which can now be pre-ordered online, will commence on Friday, April 30 – the day the model is scheduled to hit the Apple stores countrywide, at 5 p. m. local time.

Though the announcement made no mention of the date when the iPad 3G will hit other stores, like Best Buy, it assuages some of the earlier-this-week concerns about a projected delay in the delivery of the pre-ordered iPad 3G models till May 7. Apple had already allayed the concerns by assuring the customers that the model will reach them in “late April.”

Currently, only the Wi-Fi version of the iPad is available at retail stores across the US. The forthcoming Wi-Fi + 3G model features A-GPS or Assisted GPS, which largely enhances the device’s startup performance via a GPS satellite-based positioning system.

Going by the price-tag of the device, listed on Apple. com, while the Wi-Fi only version costs $499 for 16GB model, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB; the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad will cost $629, $729, and $829 respectively for the 16GB,
32GB, and 64GB versions.

In addition to the announcement of the iPad 3G version, Apple also announced that the iPad will mark its international launch in May-end, hitting the stores in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland.