WHY though did they simply not start taking pre-orders from the off ?
I really do not understand the delay on accepting pre-orders. It can't be to make sure they have enough stock, as accepting pre-orders sooner would make it easier for them to stockpile a more accurate amount of iPad's they require at launch, it would also give them a better indication of which model was most popular.
So yeah just can't see a reason for not accepting pre-orders from the day they announced the iPad.