iPad 2 supplies creep closer to demand

Apple's supply of the iPad 2 edged closer to demand today as the company's online store showed a two-to-three week shipping delay. That is an improvement on the three-to-four week delay between ordering and shipping that Apple was quoting customers last week.

All models of the iPad 2 now show availability in two to three weeks on the U.S. e-store, as well as the online stores for customers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the U.K. Apple has had trouble keeping up with demand of the iPad 2, which rolled out in the U.S. early last month and started selling in more than two dozen other countries on March 25.

Last week, auction giant eBay released data caged from nearly 12,000 iPad 2 sales, saying that average selling prices were between 40% and 53% above list. Analysts attributed the high prices on eBay to overwhelming demand of the new tablet.