iPads - real and fake - selling out in China

Apple officials have not said when iPad will be formally launched on mainland

BEIJING - New shipments are arriving every day in the hundreds, maybe thousands, to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. Transported covertly in the bellies of planes from the United States to China, the distribution channels are up and running, feeding a growing Chinese appetite for Apple's latest gadget du jour - The iPad.

Vendors in Beijing's electronics stores say it is a seller's market. Their iPad stashes are consistently running low with no shortage of tech-savvy Chinese willing to pay high prices for Apple's latest status-loaded device. But beyond the early adopters, will China buy the iPad?