According to AppAdvice.com and “a reliable source” of theirs, Apple will start to take iPad pre-orders on February 25th. The pre-sale will be limited to the Wi-Fi version only and will only take place in the United States.
When Apple unveiled the iPad, it indicated that shipments of the Wi-Fi version would start some 60 days after the unveiling, suggesting a late March shipping target. The 3G version is expected to start shipping about a month later.
It’s not clear why pre-orders will be limited to the U.S. (assuming the rumour is accurate) but it could be related to supply issues.