As Apple gets ready to ship more questions arise

Apple is opening the order books to take your order for the iPad on March 12th. The iPad is shipping on April 3rd from stores.

After the excitement of the product launch, two things are clear. Apple has defined the new tablet and will take the early lead in popularity. The lack of decent 3G service will probably steer most buyers to the wi-fi version.

Cool Apple iPad arrives in Canada

The competition is lining up with alternative models that are expected to begin shipping in April as well but it’s hard to tell if they will put a dent in Apple’s lead. 

A recent survey found iPhone users were the most satisfied of all smart phone user groups. Apple delivers a product that works and has the integration with iTune stores for software – music, videos, apps and movies.

The weak link is 3G service which is poor to spotty in the US. In Canada, Rogers who were the fist iPhone carriers is still rolling out 3G service. Most Rogers customers are frustrated and echo the complaints of AT&T in the US. Telus and Bell customers in Canada are getting better 3G service.

Considering the price differential and 3G service, most analysts expect the wi-fi only iPade to outsell the 3G model.

Competition is coming with cheap tablets. Some early models were spotted at CES with price tags around $150. They may not be as elegant as the iPad but people can be convinced to try products that are 75% less than the leader. Most of the early non-Apple tablets will ship with Google’s Android operating system and offer wi-fi only.