iPad 3 sold out before worldwide release

Apple says it sold out the iPad 3 in every country where it is to be released Friday, and tells customers to expect a shipping delay of up to three weeks. All pre-orders placed on the online Apple store will now ship March 19 in the United States and Canada, although those who ordered early will receive their tablet on March 16. Australian orders are set to ship on March 22, while customers in France, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will have to wait two to three weeks. In Hong Kong, the new device is simply unavailable. Computerworld reports the worldwide backlog, similar to the one that occurred after the release of the iPad 2 last year, has been a boon to resellers on eBay. Such sellers are promising to have the new device available by next week, asking for as much as a 140 percent markup over the list price of $499.