“It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world" ???
No - it was "launched" in the US where it would sell well regardless. Breaking the Asian market is a real test.
Apple says it "sold over 300,000 iPads in the US as of midnight Saturday, April 3." But that figure is an uncharacteristic understatement by Cupertino's hyperactive hypemeisters. As The Reg noticed - and MacDailyNews also pointed out - Apple's press release refers only to "deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, …
And Firefox managed 8 million downloads in a day, let's compare more apples with oranges!
That 500k includes channels, which we can take to mean "3rd party suppliers" like, best buy, has best buy sold out yet? Has apple sold out or can you still order from their website? Without a detailed analysys of how many are actually *sold* and not sitting on a shelf waiting to be sold, we have no idea how many have been. But at the end of the day it's an apple product, apple fans would purchase a turd if it had the apple logo on it.
While we're at it, lets compare mobiles too, more Nokia 1100's have been sold than iPods so by the logic of how many sold, the 1100 is the worlds best mobile phone?
That 300 000 figure is padded with units delivered to best buy etc that havent been sold to customers.
And about 2500 are in the ebay trying to be resold, badly. The going ebay price is now about same that the unit can be bought from shop with taxes. That 2500 is about 1% of the apples sold units figure.
So its seems the ipad hasnt been a stellar success.
Why would you buy an ebay iPad though? $700 for a 16GB model that you could have pre-ordered from the Apple website for $499+$40 taxes or so?
And then there is the auction timing out thing as well?? By the time your auction for an iPad finishes you'll be at the Apple shipping date of 12th April anyway. Or just wander down and Apple Store/Best Buy.
At the end of the day, Apple ordered a million units and knew they could sell them. So why should they be that scarce that touts can make anything on them?
The 300k is conservative because even the sales blog had them down at 150k in a couple of days of pre-ordering and that didn't include the 700 per 200 shops that we reserved, or the extra shipments that we delivered to shops on the day.
Forgive if this isn't true, but the way I understand channel and recognition of revenue is that you can't recognise it if it's in the channel, you only recognise it when it's sold through, so these units shouldn't be sitting on shelves that they're counting. That's my understanding of channel.
As for the eBay units, they're still units that were sold, and when they sell on eBay they'll be used by someone. You sound like you're trying to imply that these shouldn't be considered units sold, and therefore don't count.
No multitasking
No USB
No SD card slot
Slightly concave back, that makes it spin on a flat surface when you type
High-gloss screen (seriously, what is with wanting a device that reflects more light than it transmits?)
Hardly any storage space, unless you get the uber-expensive model
No camera
No apps that are not blessed by the Holy App Store
No Flash (okay, so that could be a blessing in disguise, but still.. try playing a Flash game with no Flash)
...there are many things I could call the ipad. "Magical" or "revolutionary" is not any of them. Christ, even a self-confessed Mactard friend of mine refers to it as the "ipap". Why didn't you just put OS X on it and stop with the bloody vendor-lock already? Even this toy-unix-fanboi would have been semi-interested then.
Just wonder whether M GALE has a similar spec list for his boyfriend? Did you see Jekyll & Hyde? or indeed anything else, people buying on perusing specs really make me laugh...Totally miss the point...Reminds me of when I was seven, I came to the conclusion that the Lambo was o.1 second faster to 60, so must be better than the Ferrari...Ah well at least some of us learn from our mistakes....
"Just wonder whether M GALE has a similar spec list for his boyfriend?"
...you know I might actually be gay. Or not.
"Did you see Jekyll & Hyde?"
So.. the ipad looks like a fairly innocent little device until you try and use it, then it turns out to be an ugly monster?
"or indeed anything else, people buying on perusing specs really make me laugh...Totally miss the point..."
Why yes. Absolutely. You shouldn't buy a computer based on its spec. What you should do, is ask the nice gentleman at PC World whether you can have that one over there because it's pink. You know, my old colleagues at the aforementioned big-box store would have LOVED you. Talk about a cash cow.
"Ah well at least some of us learn from our mistakes...."
Quite. I suppose if it's a troll, you succeeded in getting a response. If not, well.. you fail. Really, really hard.
A full on operating system isn't needed for a device that doens't perform what a full on operating system can perform, and more importantly, doesn't *need* to perform all that stuff. So why the overhead of a full on operating system? So techies can declare it a true computer and tinker with it?
Task orientation is what makes these devices best, not the ability to do anything and everything.
Horses for courses.
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Always-Innovating-Touch-Book/
(the link at https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/ would have to keel over JUST now)
One tablet. With a "full on" (or at least, multitasking) operating system. Choice of operating systems in fact, including Android. Oh, and a keyboard if you want it. And a $300-$400 price tag depending on whether you want it with the keyboard or not. I'd be surprised if El Reg hasn't covered this machine at some stage, either. Hint, hint?
As far as I can tell, Iphone OS is based on OS X then intentionally crippled anyway, so your comment is really a non-starter. If a company like Apple can't make an OS fit in the ipad's space, why the hell are they still in business? Why do people see fit to pay Applesque prices for what is essentially a crippled toy?
Oh yes. Smooth marketing and a personality cult. Forgot about that for a minute.
Let's see: inferior screen resolution, and an OS that's obviously so much better than iPhone OS at touch that it's taking the market by storm. Is it multi-touch? Is it 1/2" thick? Does it have apps galore that have been written specifically for a touch based OS?
iPhone OS - intentionally crippled just to piss you off, that's true I'm sure that's the reason Apple came out with it. For no other reason.
These devices are task oriented. They don't do everything, but what they do, they do well. Go buy your "touch" tablet if it's so good, or are you just here arguing with me for no reason than to prove that you are right and I'm an idiot for wanting a device that suits my needs (and wants, though at times I swear to anyone gullible they are the same!).
Yes, you know me, you know me well, and the only reason I buy Apple is because of their marketing and personality cult. Thanks for the limiting label, I now know how to live my life, thanks to you.
In the meantime I'll enjoy the products that suit my needs - that clam shell "tablet" doesn't, pure and simple, but if it does for you, then enjoy, I would never be such an a*****e to go and try and steal someone's joy and happiness from a product they were enjoying.
I think I will.
And please, intentionally crippled just to piss me off? I don't think Jobs is necessarily spiteful. He's just a very shrewd businessman who knows how to milk his followers. Iphone OS is crippled. Intentionally. All part of the plan, methinks. Just look at version 4, "now with multi tasking, perhaps". Wow, really?
Iphone 3G "S". Now with a camera. Wow, really? Put a feature in that every other mobile phone has had for years? You mean it wasn't planned that way from the start to maximize revenue?
Maybe when Ipad 2 comes out, it'll have multi-tasking and maybe a keyboard option. And perhaps an SD card slot. And when it does come out, it'll be hailed as the all-singing all-dancing wonder-machine that it isn't, while the adverts all proclaim that Apple has invented "a new computing paradigm". Oh come on.
But don't let my pointing that out spoil your obvious joy.
"Is it multi-touch? Is it 1/2" thick? Does it have apps galore that have been written specifically for a touch based OS?"
Actually, yes. It's called Android, don't you know? And it's 1.4 inches thick with the keyboard. Not sure without. I'm sure it'll fit in a satchel nicely, regardless.
Again, don't let my post spoil your joy, eh?
ah ...Mr gale ... you described a laptop there ...
you ought to read what it is for, in the first place :)
purposeful design , rightly or wrongly though, but if you want a laptop, don't get an iPad ? (several people pointed that out above :D)
for what it's worth, if I had 500 to waste, I'd be getting one, just for easy internet access anywhere around the house, no boot time, as in, a big iphone with my favourites on it.
the concave back ... is a very good point, I suppose Apple will sell soon the iTowel to put you iPad and your iPhone while iTyping
I noticed an article somewhere pointing out some alleged issues with the iPad, having to do with usb battery recharge, heat and wifi functionality.
So I am thinking that it would be a bad idea to release such a complicated product without some kind of iteration in the manufacturing process, so that they wouldn't have to recall a gazillion items for service.
According to Cupertino's payment and pricing terms, "your card will only be charged after your order has shipped."
Surely that is also the UK legal systems payment terms?
Shame very few others (hello Dell! - unless they have changed from when I worked there) actually comply with the law
Ok so its a glorified itouch.
But its bigger! more metal so the heat disapates faster and I had it on all night playing streaming music from shoutcast. battery was at 100% when going to bed and I wake up and the battery was then at 75%.
It was room tempurature and not stinking hot like the ihone gets when playing videos.
I am so going to love this!