US iPad pre-orders start today, UK customs law allows import duty-free

The time has come. Or at least the time before the time has come. As of 1330 GMT (0830 ET) it'll be possible to pre-order an Apple iPad in the US for delivery on the 3rd April. At the time of writing, the Apple Store is down while it makes the necessary amendments.

Unfortunately, the iPad won't be available in Europe till at least the end of April, and Apple hasn't told us when we'll be able to pre-order it.

If you really need to jump the queue, however, you can order the iPad through a service called Bundle Box – which registers a US address on your behalf. Normally this sort of thing would entail a prohibitive import fee, but because the iPad technically counts as an “automatic data processing machine” it's duty-free under UK customs law.

This leaves you with shipping costs and VAT, adding up to £465.20 for the 16GB model - more than the rumoured cost over here of £389, but possibly not too far over the mark if you're desperate to have one early.

Whether a US model will work in the UK is unclear, but there's no reason to believe it won't.