International Apple Stores to open early on Friday, iBooks appears and gone again
Apple Stores in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy will open one hour early at 8:00 AM local time this Friday as the iPad officially goes on sale. Delays and high demand could result in long queues for customers, so arrive early and wear comfortable shoes.
It's also noteworthy that iBooks and the iBookstore has begun to go live in these countries (that's a screenshot from the UK at right). Until now, users have been able to access the iBooks app (but not the store) with a US iTunes account; such circumvention is no longer necessary. Update: Readers report that iBooks was in the store, but is gone again!
Hold tight, ladies and gentlemen. You've only got 3 days to go.