WSJ: After strong initial demand, some lines for Apple iPad 'thin' - Page 3

Ok, I'm going to bed then.

depends. if they made 500k ipads and 450k of them have sold, that's hardly a flop. we'll see come the first press release.

Also I I wonder if it being Easter weekend had an effect on lines. many folks might have decided to just wait until next weeek or even were simply busy with other things

Well... I bought one of THOSE ! (and yes, it's just a more powerful Corvette... but what a difference a few extra HP make!!)... and I've also ordered a 3G iPad ... headed out the door now to see if Royal Hawaiian has any display models to "fondle".

Hardly a flop if Munster's new estimates are correct:

http://blogs.forbes.com/velocity/201...partner=alerts

Well... I've been to every Best Buy/Apple Store in the metro Las Vegas area today, and N O N E of them came remotely close to selling out of the iPad, and only two of them had a few (less than 10) people waiting at the door at store opening (as per the sales associates).

I spent a bit of time observing people 'playing' around with the demo devices, and the most oft asked questions were:

1. Is it a 'stand alone' computer ? (Answer: No, one must sync it to an actual computer like an iPhone/iPod to take full advantage of the device's capabilities)

2. Does it have a built-in web camera ? (Answer: No it doesn't)

3. Can it output HD video to a TV ? (Answer: No, it doesn't support true HD video, or built-in video output)

4. Does it have a built-in media card or thumb drive (UBS) reader for transferring pictures etc.? (Answer: No, that requires a Us 30.00 add-on, and it only support MMC/SD/SDHC cards)

It appears that a lot of potential buyers will be waiting for iPad 2.0...

I'm waiting for a positive post from you. Your opinions and "surveys" are well off center to everyone else's experience.

Oy vey!

I find it hard to believe he went to every Best Buy and Apple Store in Las Vegas just to survey people about the iPad, yet he can't seem to ever find a single decent thing to say about an Apple product. So odd.

What could be more 'positive' than the fact that I long ago ordered a 64gb/3g for myself, and picked up a 64gb WiFi for my nephew's graduation present next month.

Frankly, I really have no concern for 'the experiences' of others in this case, as all I was doing was posting what I saw over the last 9 (or so) hours.

It's interesting that in the various iPad discussions I've read today some people are very defensive of the new device when anything negative is said about it. I'd think they were on Apple's payroll if I didn't know better.

No one here has a lot of experience with an iPad (some, just over a half day) and many of us are trying to determine the pluses and minuses of using or buying one. If we want nothing but a rosy picture, we'll look at Apple's website.

I hate carrying around my MacBook because it's quite heavy. In fact it's very heavy IMO. Especially when you add up everything else in my bag. The long train rides in Japan can especially be a bummer with a 15kg bag. But I sometimes go to cafes after work or on the weekends because I work better in environments that are bustling and have more energy than a quiet house. I want to get an iPad because it's so light. A dream really. But I cannot imagine how I'm going to stand this device up on the coffee table and effectively type on the screen. A vertical orientation for typing won't work. I'll need a USB keyboard which totally defeats the purpose of buying a small easy to carry around device. It means you're using the iPad, the stand and an external keyboard. Forget about laying it down flat for 2 hours typing Word docs too because you're forced to look down at the screen. Laptops have good ergonomics because your hands are flat but you're looking straight ahead.

This is the only reason I might not buy an iPad. I think if others don't pull the trigger this may also be their reason. It can't quite replace a laptop.

I placed my pre-order for the iPad 3G with 64 GBs of storage. However with all the hype going on I wanted to get my hands on an iPad today. I went to the Apple Store at around 9:30AM. The line went clear around the block at the downtown San Francisco store. I went home. Later around 4:30PM I was reading the Wall Street Journal online and an article that caught my attention was that the lines had dissipated. Well with that in mind I decided to return to the downtown store. The line was virtually non existent. I waited for about 4 minutes in total fro line to iPad in my hands and walking out of the store.

I have to say that I had been worried. I travel several times a year and have tried to not bring a laptop. The iphone isn't enough to allow me to leave the laptop home.

When I got home I started to download apps for the iPad. After a few hours of use I'm convinced the iPad is a whole lot better than people expect. I for example started sending emails and reading the Wall Street Journal right away. I bought a Robin Williams comedy album directly in the itunes store and started listening while writing more emails.

After 5 hours I picked up my iPhone to check the name of my IM client and the phone felt dated to me since I had been using the iPad. I've been using this for 6 hours now and the one thing that truly sticks with me is how instant this is and how much it feels like a great tiny computer. It's very modern and accessible. The battery is only 49% used so far. Simply amazing technology.

I think you're going to see this start slow in terms of adoption but then pickup in a viral way. I can't wait for the 3G model to arrive. Hopefully in time for my trip to New York at the end of month. I'll be taking this with me and using it as much as possible between then and now. If I can get away with not carrying a laptop on every trip I'll be one happy guy.

Give the iPad a little time. I think word of mouth will work its magic soon enough. You see this catch on.

If you read my post above yours you'll see that I want the same thing but don't think it's possible.

At my local Best Buy where I got my iPad there was no line whatsoever until 15 minutes before the store opened. I waited in my truck until 9:45 and I was third in line. When the doors opened at 10 there were maybe 15 people waiting. Considering that the store got 60 units, nobody really even needed to wait in line at all.

I talked a friend in Texas who didn't decide to get one until 3pm, and he had no trouble getting one.

Demand wasn't nearly as heavy as anyone anticipated.

The iPad may be 1.5lbs but it feels heavy. i was surprised at how heavy it was, but that seems to be the case with all Apple products due to their density; you just expect something lighter for the size.

What about the iPad case. It looks cleverly designed to allow for typing on the soft keyboard while placed on a flat surface. The other option is to carry a Bluetooth keyboard. The keyboard with the dock was clearly not made to be portable or they would have added a way to fold down the stand backing. Andy Ihnatko pointed that out days ago which pretty much makes a no go for truly portable users.

If you are going to be typing for hours at a time I can't see how any tablet device could be a good fit. For replies mixed in with reading, sure, but not for anything extensive; I can't even see that as a viable option for those that have the physical keyboard simply because the display is too small, but that could be because I"m so use to writing on a larger platform.

Well 1.5 lbs is certainly better than 5.5 lbs. For me the display isn't too small but as you said I don't think any tablet it going to cut it UNLESS we have a rolling/folding design for a WiFi/BT keyboard. That keyboard will have to be made of a soft material resembling fabric i.e. carbon fibre or rubber and it will have to be touch for true portability.

It won't replace laptop for type-intensive job. That said you should look into Apple case if it''d somewhat solve your problem.

What a ridiculous post. Does this thing make tea? No. Because it's not designed to.

You point out four points, all of which do not form part of the function of this device. Sorry that you don't "get it".

Re. Your fourth point - what a shame that the $30 kit only allows the connection of the standard media card formats - what a shame that it (only?!) supports MMC/SD/SDHC cards, and a USB adapter which allows you to connect your camera directly to it. How limiting.

Why are you even here - if you've nothing positive to say it just makes you look stupid to repeatedly come out with the negative, narrow minded narrative.

If you're going to be typing for hours at a time, then you'd never do so on a tablet - why do people miss this point? Buy the right tool for the job - apple provide machines for a variety of tasks now from the iPod classic to the mac pro. This is a media consumption and light creation device - that's what is being sold as - why don't people simply open their minds and understand? If my four year old nephew gets it, my 63 year old mother gets it, then why does this minority of the supposedly tech community not?

It browses the web, plays music, checks emails, displays your photos, acts as an eBook reader, lets you play games and watch video. You can do some basic iWork creation on it.

It's really simple:

The iPod is a consumption device for games, apps, media
The iPhone is an iPod Touch with telephony functionality.
The MacBook is a laptop computer for media creation on the go
The Mac desktop range is for serious content creation.

and the iPad just joined the party somewhere between the iPod and the macBook.

Do try and keep up. Yes - it can't be used to edit 250meg high resolution photoshop files while rendering 3D graphics in the background. That is not a fault. It's a little like saying you can't put a nail into wood with a screwdriver - get with the plan, understand what this product is, who it is aimed at.

It's not a netbook replacement - Steve's very clear point was that nobody really wants a netbook - what they want is a cheap laptop. A netbook is just an under-spec'd laptop that doesn't do anything particularly well, because they tend to be crippled by slow processor running unnecessary processes (such as full OS when all people want to do is browse the web or listen to music/check email). The iPad was introduced to the market as a product to fill the gap between smart phone and laptop - not as a laptop or netbook or desktop computer replacement. It is a NEW product category. Do try and keep up. Some people simply do not need a fully blown computer - all they do is use facebook and email and like to listen to music. You don't need an iMac for that.

There are a lot of naysayers making themselves look very stupid because they can't understand a very simple concept which the non-tech community understand.

So I need to buy a fully blown computer if I wanted to type Word documents for two hours? Going by your theory you don't seem to get it either. If those people only need the iPad for FaceBook then they can easily get by with a small iPhone. Don't need an iPad for FaceBook.

I didnt' say I'd be typing for hours on end or intensively. However I might use the iPad for say 2 hrs at a time at a cafe. The problem is the length of time using the device and the position it's in. Even if I'm doing basic editing in Word, Wordpress or something similar, I think having to use it flat on the table or upright in a stand while also trying to type in a vertical position even for a few minutes would prove to be tiresome.

I'd love to hear from one of you who has an Pad and tell me what it's like to place an iPad flat on a cafe height level table or stool height level table while arching your arms and hands over top trying to type flat on the virtual keyboard

and...

place the iPad on the stand and type on the iPad's virtual keyboard while having to keep your arms up only for 5 minutes to type vertically. 5 minutes is hardly what I call intensive and I bet it's a pain in the azz.

Errmm...I just thought about using the Macbook without it's battery to save me some travelling weight. You can do it. However...



.

Why are people assuming that because every single iPad in the US did not sell out this thing is a flop? Apple would have been doing everything they could to build up stock, so that the people who decided to wait til tomorrow will still have stock to buy.

No one knows how much stock they actually had. If for example that had stock of 1million units available including pre-orders, and they still had some stock left over, big deal. If they only had stock of 200,000 and had heaps left over, then yes you may have more of a point.

Wait til some real figures surface.

That is pretty much how it goes. The flip side of their vitriol is calling Apple incompetent for not making enough product or, my personal favourite, claiming Apple purposely shorted supply to increase demand despite that maneuver only making sense when interest is nearly non-exsistent.

If you'd taken even a second to actually read my posts, rather than just embarking on some vitriolic fanatical rant, you'd have noticed that these are simply a sampling of questions that others were asking, and the responses they were given, not (necessarily) my own opinions, valid as they are.

Note: I don't go around showing my support for a device/technology solely by cutting and pasting a bunch of company talking points from Apple KeyNote speeches/web material, I actually purchase/experience said item for myself, and go from there.

(As previously stated) I ordered an iPad 64gb/3g for myself, and purchased a 64gb/WiFi for my nephew today.

How many have you purchased -

There are three reasons for the thinning lines

1. preorders
2. the Recession, which is going to get worse
3. the fact that many are holding back waiting for the Macbook Pros

Comic books? I have it on good authority that the iPad will be the ultimate Dungeons & Dragons companion.

After I bought my two ipads at the UWS Apple store in NYC on the lower level, I came upstairs and went to the crowded demonstration tables. People were truly fascinated with them. I'm sure some were buying and some were just checking them out.

One guy commented to me "I don't know if I'll get one - I heard some sites don't work on the iPad"

One woman mentioned "it's heavier than my kindle". I told her that's true but usually when reading you rest the (kindle/iPad/actual book) on your lap etc. Don't usually read by holding book or device with two outstretched arms....

Yes, it will take time for people to convince themselves about this device. Until people stop comparing to laptops and kindles and have a better understanding of how and what it is designed for, they may think it has shortcomings.

I do agree there is a perception problem with the lack of video on sites with flash. However that will change quickly. CNN, NYTimes, HULU, and others have changed to non flash video and many more will as the ipad gains in popularity.

Meantime, I got mine to serve as a casual home device - in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc for checking emails, surfing the net, watching a video, social websites, reading a book, games, readings news and sports scores etc.

To that end, there is no more elegant, beautiful, well designed, easy to use device than the Apple iPad!

It's only been one day and I love it!

Typed on my iPad.

Blame any anger on either the overexposure or the name itself, which sounds like an Apple-ized ink blotter.

After playing with the iPad for only ten minutes yesterday, afterward I had an amazing impulse to touch the screen on a MacBook Pro in the Apple Store... then I was disappointed I couldn't. Computers have evolved in a huge way for iPad buyers and there's no going back.

That's the exact same way I felt about tablet/slate computers some 6 years ago when I bought my first Compaq TC1000, and again some 3 years ago when I bought my first Hp TouchSmart desktop.

Touch - It's A Great Way To Interact With One's Information, and Apple has realeased a reasonably intriguing computer peripheral with the iPad... but hardly anything revolutionary or remotely 'magical'- IMO.

You are right, there is nothing revolutionary or magical about holding that HP desktop in your palm while surfing the net, reading ebooks and generally doing all mannor of things anywhere you want But hey, I guess it does have touch, must make the iPad look like a whimper piece of wanna be

As someone who is currently surfing the net on a 64gb Apple iPad, I can attest to the impracticality/near-impossibility of using the device to surf the net etc. by holding it 'in your palm', unless said operator's hands are sized far beyond that of normal human beings. \

Had you taken the time to read my response within the context of the post to which it referred (After playing with the iPad for only ten minutes yesterday, afterward I had an amazing impulse to touch the screen on a MacBook Pro in the Apple Store), you might also have concluded that few (if any) users would find it practical/possible to hold a MacBook Pro, "in your palm while surfing the net".

Verdict: In this case your Snarky (alleged) Retort = Abject Failure

Maybe people aren't that interested in it! But I doubt that...

Preorders is a huge reason - I ordered three iPads, two in hand now, and a 3gs version coming - all from home. Conversely, my son and I were waiting on two different lines for the original iPhone in two different malls to see who would get lucky.

And as others have noted, no activation process with the iPad - it took 10 to 20 minutes to "sell" a single iPhone because of the activation process/problems, etc., creating backlogged lines. In 20 minutes, Apple could probably complete 5-7 iPad sales. Far fewer questions as well, I would think, than those wondering about transferring their number, plan options. etc., with the iPhone.

Recession is probably not the issue for this early adoption period - that will play out more over the long haul I think, for the entire sector. But Apple's growth has been surprisingly recession proof - though buyers are more careful with their money, it seems people are looking at Apple's quality and overall experience as a good place to spend those limited tech dollars.

Why did you do this? There are 7 Best Buys and 3 Apple stores in the Vegas area. You traveled to ten locations in one day to gauge reaction to the iPad for what reason? Do you write a blog? If so how about a link? It's not that I don't doubt that some customers have asked these questions, I just can't fathom someone doing this without a journalistic reason. Heck, even the WSJ only referenced 2 Apple stores and 1 Best buy for their story.

I'm still not convinced on the iPad. I'm sitting right now on the beach typing away on my 3GS. I just finished reading AnandTech's Nexus One review, and I'm getting ready to read his iPad article.

My 13" MacBook Pro is back at the cottage -- since this was a "working" vacation, I was using my MBP tethered by Bluetooth to my 3GS for Internet.

Hence my dilema; the iPad fits nowhere into my usage scenarios. If I'm on the go, my iPhone fits in my pocket and does music, web, email, movies, gaming, and document creation. If I'm more sedentary, my MBP is infintely more useful than my iPhone or an iPad.

The iPad is closer in capabilities to my iPhone (only with a larger screen), but isn't pocketable.

Maybe I'll wait for the 2G model and see how the apps stack up because now, it totally isn't worth it.

I have long (over 20 years) been a part of the 'gadget reviewing' community, under DaHarder as well as two other pseudonyms both in America and Japan.

I essentially purchase, test, and review most major manufacturer media playback devices and portable computers, so it's not the least bit unusual for me to spend entire days traveling from store to store, purchasing various items, and observing consumer reactions/attitudes towards new products.

Now Back To The Topic At Hand

That's what you say. It's difficult to believe it when you have nothing good to say about anything Apple produces, or does.

Thanks.
I see a couple stories this morning on macsurfer siting Munster.
Great news if that pans out.

If that's your perception of the situation, then so be it, but it appears to be more a matter of selective memory than anything based in fact, as I simply post my opinions (both flattering and otherwise), though many in this forum do tend to focus solely on those 'opinions' with which they don't agree... yourself included.

But this thread really isn't about me, personally, it's about first day iPad buying/sales experiences.

We have seen lots of reviews by this point in time. Not one of them has been anything but strongly positive, other than one by a Microsoft devotee. Even PCMagazine gave it 4.5 out of 5, better than Macworld, which gave them a still very good 4 out of five. But then, Apple specific publications are always harder on Apple products than are more neutral publications.

You don't have to use something yourself to get a very good idea of the qualities of a product. With all the excellent reviews across the spectrum of media outlets, and the videos that are being provided by them, we know how well the device performs.

Anyone therefor who makes disparaging comments not based on any of their own experiences or the reading of some of those reviews, has no more credibility than any of the people you mention who are positive and criticizing their statements.

So far, the only reoccurring themes I've been seeing as possible negatives, are the lack of Flash, multitasking, and a couple of other more minor omissions. The lack of Flash isn't even being considered to be a major problem for many reviewers, just a temporary one. The same for multitasking.

A number of criticisms here are often not well thought out, and seem to be made just for the purpose of making them, often by the very same people who are always criticizing Apple's products, services, or the company itself. It's easy to tell who is serious, and who is just trying to be annoying.

We read your posts. We see what you write. If I read 100 posts by someone, and 98 are negative, it's easy to get an idea of where they're coming from. With more balanced posting it's easier to take negative remarks seriously. I mostly am positive, otherwise I wouldn't be using Apple's products, but I make more than enough negative posts about products and actions by Apple when I feel they are warranted. So, if you really are going to buy an iPad, and "review" it here, I would expect your review to pretty much reflect the results of all the other reviews now online. If it's out of left field, then we would be scratching our heads about why, and wondering how.

And did you really spend all those hours going around the city looking at all those stores trying to see how many people were lined up? Really now!