Associated Press | The much-anticipated iPad tablet computer from Apple Inc. will start
hitting U.S. store shelves on April 3, slightly later than originally
planned.
When Apple unveiled the touch-screen device Jan. 27, the company said
the first iPads would reach the market in “late March” worldwide, not
just in the U.S. Now international releases are planned for later in
April.
Investors shrugged off the delay and instead seemed reassured that the
tablet wouldn’t slip even later. On a day with a broader stock market
rally, Apple shares jumped $7.44, or 3.5 percent, to $218.15 in midday
trading, a record high.
The company did not specify Friday why the tablet is not coming out until April, and Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison would not elaborate.
However, Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek had said this week that Apple might have to delay or limit the size of the launch because of an “unspecified production problem.” Misek said Apple’s Taiwan-based supplier, Hon Hai Precision, could be facing a production bottleneck or a shortage of components.
Misek said Friday he couldn’t elaborate on the production problem. He said Apple was taking “a very intelligent approach” by allocating more units to the U.S., Apple’s biggest market, while delaying overseas availability for the iPad.
The analyst doesn’t expect the delay to affect sales of the iPad during Apple’s fiscal third quarter, which ends in June. He estimates Apple will sell 550,000 iPads during the period and 1.2 million in fiscal 2010. For fiscal 2011, he expects Apple to sell 3.5 million iPads.
In comparison, Apple sold 8.7 million iPhones in its last quarter alone. The iPad isn’t expected to be even close for a while because Apple will have to persuade mainstream consumers to embrace a new category — a device smaller than a laptop but larger than a phone.
Michael Gartenberg, analyst and partner at Altimeter Group, expects the tablet to “resonate well” partly because people already familiar with the iPhone will know what to expect from the iPad.
“Apple has invested not just 10 years of research and development but 10 years of consumer education too,” he said. “They’ve taught consumers about digital music, multi-touch (screens) and video. It would surprise me if it didn’t sell 3 to 4 million units (this year).”
The first iPads to go on sale will connect to Wi-Fi networks only and cost $499, $599 or $699, depending on the data storage capacity. Versions that also can connect to “3G” cellular networks are expected to go on sale in late April for $629, $729 or $829. Apple has not yet disclosed international pricing.
U.S. customers will be able to begin placing orders for both models from Apple’s Web site beginning on March 12.
All models will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. by late April, Apple said. Other countries are expected to get the device later in the year.
Apple says the iPad will include 12 new applications designed especially for the computer. It will also run “almost all” of the more than 140,000 apps already available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple said. Users will be able to access the applications they bought for those devices through the iPad.
what is the love affair over apple. Google does not even get htis much launch attention from the press let alone Microsoft.
IPAD .. I have $4000 of mac book pro and an Iphone… WHAT THE FREAK am I gonna use this for?!?!?
This would be good for businesses maybe BUT when has apple priced anything bare bones for business that need a volume purchase?
Apple is expensive and microsoft is not. Go buy and HP pad next year for half the $
@jeffs
If you don’t want one, what’s the point of commenting? Clearly you like their other products enough to spend $4k on them, so you MUST have taken the higher end products. And if you don’t like their business model as far as not selling partial computer, then buy something else.
jeffs, Please, please go back to school and learn how to write and how to spell.
With the Iphone already doing what this does (albeit with a smaller screen) my prediction is this will flop.
Jeff, I understand your point. We have a number of Macs (and quite a few PCs, and a couple with Windows 7), iPhones, and a few iPod Touch handhelds. The iPad is not all that revolutionary, but it will be useful for some really specific purposes (especially in health care, portable data entry, interactive education, etc). While other products are out there, Apple still makes a much better product overall and for our business, Macs “just work”, where the PCs require a lot of maintenance and IT support to keep running (Windows 7 has been better than Vista, but still not close to the Mac OS X- we only use Windows when we must, but prefer the Mac, hands down). We are already designing apps for the iPad that will be used in medical settings and can also be networked to iPhones and business links to companies that are heavy media users. With Apple’s success as a solid platform, we just have more confidence than risking using a Microsoft product. Like Toyota, a company ONCE known for quality, Apple could fall at any time. But right now, we do not mind paying a bit more for quality and the confidence that crashes and issues that plague Windows systems will not be part of the iPad.
This thing will be huge, and here’s why.
People can’t easily curl up on their sofas with a laptop to read a book or the Tribune. They can with the iPad. It’s that simple.
Give consumers an easy-to-hold device that is STRICTLY for book/periodical reading, email/text writing and video viewing, and they will buy it, especially when content is so easy to download via the iTunes store.
Yes, there are other tablets out there. But none of them have the iPhone UI, which has already changed the world. Want something? Point to it, or move it out of the way with your fingers.
Add to that all the Apps that are already available, and you have a sure hit.
This is going to be a HUGE FLOP!
All this is, is a gigantic iPod Touch. It’s kind of funny seeing people get all excited over an oversized version of something that already exists. And as someone else points out above, an iPhone is actually BETTER than this, as it has all the same stuff, but additionally, with a phone built in.
Most people have lauded technology as it got smaller and more portable. It’s weird to see the total opposite happening with the iPad…people getting excited over an item getting larger, but with no extra payoff for the increase in size and decrease in efficiency.
Maybe they should call this the “iTouch, Large-Print Edition.”
This is version 1.0 … personally this looks like the perfect Skype tool, but they left the camera off … I know a number of people in my business that this would help immensely. An Iphone is way to small, a laptop to big and they need a portable, note/word processor type. I use my Iphone all of the time for work, but I do believe that this will do OK … not great, but certainly not a flop. Honestly, I view this as Apple’s big push into business. I used to have Windows based computers and phones … ALL FAILED. Got hacked, spent a fortune on anti-virus upgrades etc … Love Apple and it’s products … but thats me … All you PC fans, stick to what you’ve got but don’t be surprised when they crash, fail, or become obsolete within 6 months …
I love my Macbook Pro, but this thing looks pointless. That said, expect every yupster in Chicago to own one within a month.
It’s a giant iPod Touch, so I’m not really sure what the point is. The medical field seems to be the only ones excited about it. If you’re mainly going to use it as a book reader, you may as well just buy a Kindle for like half the price. The Kindle’s “paper” interface is better for reading than the iPad’s screen.
And this thing can’t multitask, which is a death blow for it being a reasonable alternative to a netbook. The netbook can also support Flash and other things that Apple purposely doesn’t support so that you have to buy apps for things like Hulu and Youtube, and many other websites won’t work right that don’t have separate iPhone apps.
Basically, it has all the features (and non-features) of the Touch, but without the convenience of the pocket size. That’s certainly not revolutionary. It’ll probably be at least until the 3rd generation before this thing even has the kinks worked out of it. By that time it may end up going the way of the Newton.
It would be nicer if it folded down over a keyboard (oh wait….never mind….).
Ahh, yes…the iPad. Basically an iPod Touch for people with fat fingers.
Generation 1 will not sell well, but once the Gen 2 comes out (and all the kinks are worked out) the sales will mirror how the iPhone sold (year 1: eh. year 2: yeah!). Wait until Gen 3!
The problem is that Apple went BIG instead of small. iPhone and iPods were perfect – they fit in your pocket and were basically small Macbooks with limits. Now it’s taking the same idea and blowing it up sizewise. It’s an awkward piece that will probably have screens cracking and scratching, so you have to buy really expensive cases to protect it, and it’ll end up bigger than a Macbook.
Newton, is that you? What? you can’t do hand writing recognition? what? you can’t multi-task? What only 32GBs on 3G?…. FOR HOW MUCH?! … i really hope these don’t sell or else the cult of Mac is approaching kool-aid levels.
Thats a lot of money for a high tech etcher sketch.
Look at today’s stock market and see what the iPad has done for Apple stock. Enough stated. This will be a winner. Perhaps not in the first version, but those who predict a flop have only to look at what investors have said. I also know of some new apps that will be coming down and this will make the iPad another Mac, iPod, iPhone, etc. Apple just makes a better product (although as many PC/Windows users know, for many of us, we do not need the high end Mac when a Windows machine can do many of the same things at a cheaper price- they just require more work to keep running).
Say what you want…but I can’t wait. I have a young son who will be spending some time in the hospital. Watch a movie, update his caringbridge site, sit and check email without forking out $$ for a laptop I don’t need. Yeah, an iPhone and iTouch does everything – but with my iPhone my arm starts to ache as I read a really good book…wouldn’t it be nice to have it rest on my lap? As for the readers…I am fortunate the Nook was out of stock when I put it on my christmas list…this will do so much for people like me and not have stuff on it I don’t need.
not useful for education until apple decides to support Adobe Flash. Most curriculum websites use Flash currently. Apple acts like it makes the rules for everyone else at times.
No THANKS!!! I will stick with my smaller version the iPod Touch. I just hope the next iPod Touch has a camera, video recorder and supports java.
Hey there, I’m getting an Amazon Kindle and I’ve been checking over some articles. Is it worth it?
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Rumor has it that Apple will loosen up its iron-fisted rule for the iPad-app store. Clearly, it needs to do so. Is it just a rumor or can we bank on it?
Cons: I’ve owned this laptop for 3 months now and while it’s great to have all these bells and whistles I can’t stand the Fan noise. The fan is running 100% about 75% of the time and it’s noisy. Also the heat from this laptop is crazy. My dell 6400 insp. ran somewhat hot but not as bad as this. Like I stated above I’m still waiting for my copy of windows 7, but looks like this one comes with windows 7 already.
There is really a new kid about the block- larger than iPhone but more compact than Netbook. Steve Work, CEO of Apple released the significantly awaited Apple apple ipad on 28th Jan’2010. So, what’s precisely apple ipad? It’s a contact display tablet letting customers to carry out host of pursuits like world-wide-web browsing, e-mail, perform music, observe movies, movie and tv and shop pictures. Practically each and every single app of Apple is out there and is tailored to match towards the larger display of apple ipad. Such as the other technological groundbreaking electronic unit by Apple, apple ipad customers can examine books using the program of iBooks, comparable to iTunes support. The tablet weighs only 650 grams and 0.five inch thin with 9.7 inch screen. Battery living is 10 several hours and provides standby mode of a single month. In addition , it has speaker, microphone, 30-Pin Connector. The whole unit is supported with Apple created peripherals. Presently, Apple enthusiast could possibly get 3 versions of iPad-16GB, 32GB and 64GB by March’ 2010 and all are WiFi allowed. But a couple of limits Apple apple ipad suffers from couple of restrictions like it won’t permit customers to operate various programs if in comparison to iPhone. The apple ipad also lacks camera thereby limiting the choices of video calling and immediate chatting. With indefinite amount of internet websites accessible, flash multimedia is really a dominant technologies, apple ipad doesn’t help this technologies preventing customers from attaining admittance to website content material. All we can say is Apple apple ipad is neither a cellular phone, nor a laptop computer or music player. It could be greatest described by its possible customers only.
I am really disapointed I am going to have buy a new Iphone because the multitasking option isn’t going to work on my current one. Other then that the OS looks pretty sweet. Nice post *Thumbs up*
I really like my ipad so much, its a little awkward to type on however it doesnt matter, the other features more then make up for it.
I really like my ipad tablet pc a lot, its a little awkward to type on however it doesnt matter, the other options more then make up for it.