back to article SF iPad launch subdued as Apple fans wise up

Apple's rabid fans may be getting smarter, if the subdued launch of "The new iPad" at the Apple's flagship store in San Francisco was anything to go by. For the iPad 2 launch in March 2011, fans (and this unlucky hack) lined up around four sides of a city block in order to get a camera-equipped fondleslab. This time, however, …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    unlikely that

    IPad 2 users will need to upgrade, and as it is the same price to order it with laser etching to your door It's no wonder they stayed at home.

    Plus, you look a knob queing to find you need not have bothered because there are no shortages.

    I've ordered online, may have to wait a few days.

    No It's my first apple product so I am not a fanbois.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: unlikely that

      "No It's my first apple product so I am not a fanbois."

      But you've already learnt to go A/C... A quick learner obviously.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: unlikely that

        It was a big decision, but when all was researched, investigated, mulled over, it was a decision of the head and not the heart. Going AC was a must as I have previously been vocal in my contempt for fanbois.

        It took me 5 days and 17 goes to place my order on the apple store. Each time at the checkout I stopped and switched off my computer. This was not due to the fact that the iPad 3 is rather expensive. I felt my conscience wobble twist and turn.

        However, I did press the checkout button after severe soul searching.

        It is after all the best tablet, has flaws but was exactly what fitted the bill for me.

        I see no reason to hang my head in shame but will no longer be offensive to fanbois unless they prove themselves to be knobs and prats.

        1. ChrisM
          Trollface

          Re: unlikely that

          Barry, it's you isn't it....

          1. Arctic fox

            Re: unlikely that

            No, far too polite and rational. -:)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No pre-orders on iPad 2

    It's not really a matter of "getting smarter", but the fact that there were no pre-orders available for the iPad 2. Orders for that only started on launch day.

    1. ThomH

      Re: No pre-orders on iPad 2

      It may also be a more muted launch but we won't know until the numbers are in. I'm of the opinion that the new iPad is a bigger step onward from the iPad 2 than the iPad 2 was from the original iPad but either of the early models easily passes the threshold for comfortable usability.

      You probably have a point though — we have several of the sort of people that probably queued last year in the company but all they've done is preorder, with someone planning to head down (to the SF shop, no less) at lunchtime to pick the things up.

      And the weather here is indeed very glum. It's been raining since Monday so I'm starting to wonder why I didn't just stay in London.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looks like a global flop then.

    I thought the Euro-wide flop was because the LTE chip won't ever work outside the US, but it seems the problems is more widespread.

    Perhaps it looks too similar to the iPad2 (except thicker and heaver), and people won't know that owners have upgraded...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Looks like a global flop then.

      Unless you sit next to them with yours and compare screens then compare your expression with the smug look on the face of the person with the new one!

      1. Alan Denman

        then compare your expression with the smug look on the face of the person with the new one!

        But wont they be wearing the free teeshirt just to make sure?

  4. EyeCU

    Apple wont like that

    It's all about the image. If people stop queuing like idiots the news won't report on it so less media coverage hyping up the 'extraordinary' demand for the next 'must have' item. People might start to think Apple are somehow ordinary and a product launch is just a product launch not a special social gathering.

    I'm betting no home deliveries on the launch of the next isomething with an incentive like the 1st hundred get it free, maybe even releasing it exclusively in the Apple stores a day or so before they allow the resellers to sell it. That will get them the 'People queue for days' headlines they're after

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Apple wont like that

      We're probably seeing Tim Cook's influence, he is the supply chain master after all, no stock and long queues is probably not something he would be proud of.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Darth_RayDar

      Re: Apple wont like that

      I can't agree with the "queuing like id..."/media hype/"...ordinary" comment.

      There's been too much excitement about queues, especially since - as I've said since the original iPhone - many Apple aficionados are "too cool to queue" :-) ; I've often gone out of my way to see launch-day queues, but bought mine later the same day when all was relaxed. Really enjoyed party atmosphere while queuing for iPad 2, but - when sold out after 2 hours - I walked calmly to pre-determined fall-back vendor (back where I came from) and got it there.

      Queues are like paper books - I want to buy a few that are very presentable, nice to handle, peruse and see on my shelves, but the majority will be on my iOS devices. I'll watch the next 4 launch-day queues until it's my turn again :-)

      1. DF118

        Re: Apple wont like that

        Did you intend to sound that pretentious?

  5. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Chris 171

    Ritual?

    Woz surprised me with that one. Interesting choice of word.

  7. Ralph 2

    I'll give you one good reason to go and queue to get one. UPS has managed to lose mine somewhere after it arrived at the depot. i.e. it's been stolen. Now I have to sort it out myself with Apple and will probably have to wait a good few weeks to get a replacement.

    1. JEDIDIAH
      Facepalm

      Not an excuse to wait in line like a Fanboy...

      Just wait. If UPS can't be trusted to handle your fondleslab just wait for them to be available in sufficient numbers. There's no need to stand in line like some Trekkie waiting for the next reboot.

      It's not like you have to worry about spoilers.

  8. jai

    fans wise up?

    Speaking from what we've seen in the UK - looks like a lot less people queued up, but i think that's because the majority pre-ordered instead, not that there were significantly less people ordering the new one.

    From what I can tell, in the UK Apple were using three courier companies to deliver. and all of them still had undelivered orders outstanding at 7pm tonight. That's got to be a lot of deliveries to overload the likes of TNT and UPS. UkMail is the 3rd one, but I dunno if they're a 'big' courier company like the other two.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: fans wise up?

      If its Royal Mail you're going to be stuffed.

  9. Dana W
    Meh

    I never bother to stand in line. I wait for the second wave. I LIKE Apple products. But I've said it before. If you are over 21 you probably should have enough patience to wait till you can walk in and simply buy what you are looking for.

    The whole "see my new toy" thing is normal for kids, but in adults is sad. Its a phone/fondleslab/laptop/ipod. It will still be there in a week or two.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fanbois wising up?

    You mean they've realized that there are tablets besides the iPad and one should carefully weigh the options before immediatly buying the one with the fruity logo?

  11. K
    Windows

    I hate Apple....

    .. but Woz is a Legend, I would love to meet him, dam shame he lives 10k miles away!

    1. GettinSadda
      Thumb Up

      Re: I hate Apple....

      I'm not 100% anti-apple (I do have two Apple products, but a huge amount more non-Apple stuff) but I have to agree that I think that proper geeks should follow Woz rather than Jobs!

  12. Doogie1

    Maybe they didn't want to be in the next Samsung ad!

  13. Tony Paulazzo
    Happy

    I succumbed...

    I'm weak, surfed pc world last night, just out of curiousity, they still had stock so I reserved one, picked it up this morning, love it! but it's an upgrade from gen 1, so I'm enjoying the speed bump as well as the display and extra memory. Also jumped from 16 to 32 GBs. Off to delete all those previous posts swearing I wouldn't upgrade.

    Still, should get a ton for my old one.

  14. P. Lee
    Linux

    Not enough of an improvement

    The screen is important, but not that important enough to upgrade - there's little increased benefit.

    It is ipad 2 mark II, it isn't a new generation.

    Thunderbolt, wired ethernet, more CPU and an induction charger might tempt me away from my non-apple product. Not enough premium function to justify the price, as far as I'm concerned.

  15. IGnatius T Foobar
    FAIL

    fail

    Three versions, and Apple still can't manage to build a fondleslab with a proper Android operating system on it? Why would anyone want one of these things?

  16. meehawl

    Wallys

    You know, if any of Apple fans had real sense, they would driven 20 minutes out of SF, either south into the Peninsula or across the Bay Bridge into Oakland. They could have popped into an open-24-hours Walmart and picked up the new Ipad 3 at a minute past midnight. It takes a special kind of person to resolutely line up outside a store many hours later than it became available and then claim you had to do that to be "first" to get something.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    got a

    Better word for them but topping rude to publish

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