back to article Apple understates iPad demand

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, …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    “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.

    1. No. Really!?

      I'll be pendantic too

      No - If it were "launched to the world" I would agree with you.

      However "launched into the world" could be anywhere, like, as you correctly note, the easy US market.

  2. Lou Gosselin

    Terms

    "your card will only be charged after your order has shipped."

    Surely that's not what they meant literally? That leaves open a loophole wide enough to drive a truck through.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Can only assume

      they're doing some pre-authorisation of the card, in the same way as car hire firms do.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    pointless?

    Obviously the "pointless" device is selling in one day more than the "mighty" google nexus one has in a month.

    here's one to those "know it all posts" - Roll it and smoke it slow.

    1. IR

      Okay...

      You're comparing a semi-laptop thing with a phone?

      1. Frank Bough
        Alert

        Makes sense

        ...when the phone in question costs MORE

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Jobs Horns

      Ahem

      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?

      1. Gilbo

        Yup

        Let's add to that the amount of iPads that will currently be appearing on eBay outside of the US for twice the price...

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      quantity.

      Mcdonalds the most "hamburgers". I guess that makes them the best food in the world.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    ipad sold, and resold

    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.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      lol eBay

      It's always nice to see touts suffer.

      With eBay and RapePal fees factored in they'll be making the sum total of bugger all from those iPads, and damn right too.

    2. Justin Clements

      ebay ipad

      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.

      1. Trygve Henriksen

        Why buy from eBay?

        Well, you might be living in a country that Apple sin't shipping it to, yet...

        There's about 40 auctions for them on QXL.no already, but most of those are for more than one unit, so there's probably 200 units for sale there.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I don't believe that's right

      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.

  5. Kevin 6
    Happy

    Well turns

    out they already are modding he ipad

    only good use so far http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      @Well Turns

      Wow - $500 + dollars to make a stupid YouTube video. (iPad in a blender.) Great use of money. I guess it does answer how all of the cracked screens occurred in the iPhones.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Atlas Shrugged

        $500 is peanuts when you're putting together a slick viral video/marketing campaign.

        They'll be paying the camera crew more than that just to show up. Probably.

  6. dave 93
    WTF?

    Apple talking to the Register?

    We need to know. is it a direct 'canned statement', or second hand? It would be about time ;-)

  7. M Gale
    Badgers

    Title

    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.

    1. Jean-Paul

      Boyfriend by spec list too?

      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....

      1. M Gale
        Thumb Down

        Buying a computer based on spec? How silly!

        "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.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Um, because

      OSX isn't touch.

      1. M Gale

        OSX isn't touch.

        Because you couldn't possibly write a driver for that. I mean that might be a bit too "magical" and "revolutionary", even for Apple!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          And require all the resources that OSX requires

          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.

          1. M Gale

            Re: And require all the resources that OSX requires

            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.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              FAIL

              Then go buy it if it works for you.

              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.

              1. M Gale

                Re: Then go buy it if it works for you.

                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.

              2. M Gale

                While I'm at it...

                "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?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          FAIL

          It's not a driver issue

          A simple driver doesn't change the fact that OSX was designed for a mouse as a pointing device, and iPhone OS was designed for a finger. You can't write a driver to change an OS paradigm like that.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Convex surely?

      /pedant

      1. M Gale
        Thumb Up

        Fuck me (not literally, please)..

        ..someone who actually has a good point. Well done, sir!

  8. A 31
    Coat

    re: title

    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

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Limited recall expenses?

    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.

    1. Kevin 6
      Flame

      Why would they recall?

      They will just sell the fixed versions as Ipad 2.0 like they do with all their products.

      but seriously agree with the guy up higher the most revolutionary thing they did was slap a bigger screen on a ipod touch...

  10. Jonathan
    WTF?

    According to Cupertino's payment and pricing terms

    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

  11. Steve Evans

    The big question...

    Everyone seems to be missing the important point...

    How many cups can you fit on the animated tea tray?

  12. Inachu
    Go

    I love my new ipad!

    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!

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