In the U.S. and Canada, all iPad pre-orders placed through Apple's online store will now ship on March 19, three days after the on-sale date. Customers who placed an order very early in the pre-sale process were told they will receive the tablet on Friday, March 16.

Some consumers, including Computerworld staffers who ordered the new iPad last Wednesday, have received emails confirming that their tablets have been shipped.

Australian orders will ship on March 22, while those ordered in other first-wave markets -- France, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. -- currently show a shipping delay of two to three weeks.

Hong Kong's online store simply says that the new iPad is currently unavailable.

U.S. carriers AT&T and Verizon, both which will also sell the iPad, are only taking customers' email addresses for later notification when the tablet is available.