Mark your calendars, folks. It’s official, the iPad 3G is set to be on store shelves and pre-orders delivered on April 30th. While new pre-orders will ship on May 7th. Apple Stores will begin selling the iPad 3G at 5PM.

OR you can always just find an iPad 3G on eBay and get it delivered on the following monday with next-day shipping.

For those who didn’t know it, the iPad 3G is essentially an iPad WiFi + 3G capability:

• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

It’s $130 more compared to each Wifi models:

16GB Model - $629.00
32GB Model – $729.00
64GB Model - $829.00

AT&T’s no contract iPad data plan starts from $14.99 per month for 250MB, up to $30 for unlimited data. (The iPad will use Micro SIMs as opposed to traditional SIMs.)

You can sign up and cancel the 3G plan anytime right on the iPad. Also, with AT&T 3G plans, you have access to some 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots.

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced that the Wi-Fi + 3G models of its magical iPad™ will be delivered to US customers who’ve pre-ordered on Friday, April 30, and will be available in Apple retail stores the same day starting at 5:00 p.m.

iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models are just 0.5 inches thick and weigh just 1.6 pounds-thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook-and deliver up to 10 hours of battery life for surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos or listening to music, and up to nine hours of surfing the web using a 3G data network.*

Apple retail stores will offer a free Personal Setup service to every customer who buys an iPad at the store, helping them customize their new iPad by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and more. US Apple retail stores are also hosting special iPad workshops to help customers learn more about this magical new product.

Pricing & Availability

iPad is available in Wi-Fi models in the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available on April 30 in the US for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. iPad is sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, most Best Buy stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers and campus bookstores. AT&T is offering breakthrough 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad with easy, on-device activation and management.

iPad will be available at the end of May in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Apple will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders for iPad on May 10.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. Apple continues to lead the industry with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife, iWork and professional applications. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

© 2010 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPad, Multi-Touch and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

iPad 3G pre-orders made from here on out will ship “by May 7th”, suggesting that some iPad 3Gs may still ship late April. That’s 3 days before pre-order begin for the iPad outside of the U.S.

Apple Store in Canada are reportedly having a “black out” period during the weekend of April 24, meaning no vacation, according to iPadinCanada. And if anything, there’s a high probability that April 24 is the release date for both models of the iPad in Canada or even the international launch, and the 3G iPad in the US.

We were contacted by a source with close ties to the Apple Store that the weekend of April 24th has been marked as a “black out period” for staff. This means no employees are allowed to book this day off. If that’s the case, then it would make sense that this indeed would be the launch date for the iPad in Canada. Anytime there’s a “black out period” you know it’s for something big.

While folks in the US are ready to pick up or purchase a WiFi iPad at an Apple Store or select Best Buy locations this Saturday. We’ll have a full-featured iPad Review in the coming days or weeks.