Apple’s iPad will be in UK store shelves by the end of the month with O2, Vodafone and Orange all lining up to offer a wide variation of 3G data tariffs for the device.

The iPad can now be pre-ordered from the Apple UK website, with prices ranging from £429 for the 16GB WiFi-only model up to £699 for the 3G plus WiFi 64GB iPad.

O2 and Orange will offer per-day data plans, £2 a day buying 500MB with O2 but only 200MB with Orange, as well as a number of weekly or monthly price plans. Vodafone will offer only two monthly price plans, 250MB per month for £10, or 5GB per month for £25.

The iPad can be bought in the UK as of 28 May. Apple has been criticised for its UK iPad pricing—in the US, the cheapest model costs $499, equivalent to £334. Apple said the higher price is due to higher taxes in the UK, as well as additional shipping costs.

Those holding out for an iPad price drop could wait for the HP Hurricane instead.That’s the code name being given to the new tablet device that will use the Palm webOS platform after HP acquired the struggling mobile firm late last month.

It had been speculated that a tablet computer would be high on HP’s list of priorities once it had Palm in its errrm hands?

According to the Daily Examiner,which quotes industry insiders, the HP tablet is a reality and the HP Hurricane could be released as early as Q3 this year.

That could make it worth the wait — IF, and it is a big if, it can step up to the plate and achieve what it promised with its Windows 7 based HP Slate, which was a real damp squib.