Apple now building 2M iPads per month to meet demand - Page 2

They said production was increased to help meet strong demand. Demand can be higher than sales as some people wont buy something that isn't in stock (my mom hasn't ordered an iPhone 4 yet because of this). Also, i don't think they went from 1 million to 2 million overnight, but rather ramped production up. The article says they want to be at 3 million per month next month, which either says 2 million per month hasn't met demand yet or says that demand is growing at a rapid pace.

One thing is for sure, the iPad is the fastest selling computer apple ever made.

That does not imply however that it is perfect.

Frankly I've never doubted demand, just walking by an Apple store should demonstrate public demand. Corporate demand is almost strange as the device would seem to be far outside most corporate infrastruture and purchasing policies.

They have their point if view. Obviously a view that has to be adjusted from time to time.

However their position is no less credible than the users that plug their heads in the sand and deny the serious short comings that iPad has. To publicly declare iPad to be perfect or suitable for any use is foolish at the very least.

Some of the concerns expressed are very valid, you cannot rationally deny the points.

For example cameras. Personally I don't see a rear facng camera as being all that useful. A front facing Facetime camera is another story altogether. That is a personal reconsideration for me after more info on FaceTime has become available. Facetime is a far bigger deal than many will want to admit to thus the neeed to support a suitable camera.

To deny that the iPad is short on RAM is to publically say one is technically illiterate. It is more significant than the lack of a camera as far as technical limitations go That RAM shortage directly impacts CURRENT software as well as future software. IPhone 4 pretty much proves the point here.

At least we aren't viewing the world throuyh rose colored glasses!!!

Besides we aren't telling you or anybody else for that matter not to buy the thing. That is up to the individual, what we are pointing out is why we have not purchased one yet. Notice I said "yet" there, it would take very little on Apples part to get me to buy something slightly improved.

Obviously not!

However the iPad platform is not a cell phone nor a laptop. As such it needs a different focus and capability mix to get many of us to buy. In some cases Apple has recognized this by unbundling hardware that should been built in (camera connection kit). Profits are pretty steep on iPad as it is, so forgive me if I express outragecat feeding Apple anymore money a $2.00 SD slot.

The unfortunate thing is that people like you seem to taje that as an indication of hate for the product to which I would suggest waking up. It is really an expression of desire or even lust combined with a little rational thinking about our personal needs. IPad is one slick device but it is not a hammer for every nail. Understanding that will lead to a better appreciation for the desires expressed by others.



Dave

Wow! I totally didn't realize that Apple still has a 3 week delay for all iPhone 4 models here in the states. What's the delay in Canada? And what's with the white iPhone 4?

Its 3 weeks on the Apple store...if you want to shell out the $$$ for an unlocked one. I haven't been to any Rogers store or place that sells Rogers phones yet that has had any in stock. One place I went to said they had only received 4 phones since launch...

Editorial alert: The term "allegedly" is wildly overused in AI articles, and unless you mean to imply that something illegal or immoral may have occurred, it's the wrong word. Or did the writer really mean to imply that Apple is being accused of wrongdoing for asking their suppliers to increase production?

I think its pretty obvious the next version will have a front facing camera for facetime. But giving its size, a back camera is less likely.

Next quarter results are coming out soon and I think they are going to storm the stock because if they made good ipod/iphone/mac sales, they are in to beat analyst already. Now add up ipad profits and they are going to be way above analyst predictions. Ipad volume is getting in range of adding Apple a forth wheel of income.

CRUS is coming out first and will be a good indication.

I think a back facing camera would just be awkward to use given the iPad's form factor/size. Would people *really* want to hold the iPad in such a way as to take pictures with it? Nothing screams "I have an iPad!" like brandishing it for all the world to see while you try to take pics with it. It makes the iPhone seem positively stealth in comparison.

(I'll admit that it would be funny to see in practice...)

Fiscal Q4 results will be released around the middle of October -- plenty of time for the analysts to factor in increased sales of the iPad, assuming that's what they start seeing themselves.

For someone who just joined the forums in June, you sure are bossy.

Stop your usage of logic. It has no place when reading Appleinsider articles or analyst statements!

Those that suggested any decline in demand had their heads up their butt. Just because supply-demand is reached for *currently launched countries* does not suddenly make the rest of the people *all over the world* not want one.


Well OSX 10.7 is in deep skunkworks. It is now clearly by far Apple's minority OS, whose mostly new users are really clueless, coming from the ultimate simplicity of iOS. Bottom line, expect 2011 thru 2012 to see 10.7 that borrows deeply, heavily from iOS.


Case in point. Insane global demand that is really not going away yet, anytime this year or the next...


Yeah I'm guessing 15 to 20 million iPads sold in total by end of 2010. Phenomenal really. Apple singlehandedly reinvented the tablet and made it popular.

Yup, as Steve said, "they don't even know what syncing is". Apple is starting to realise how absolutely spastic people are (no offence to the physically challenged) when it comes to computers nowadays. If it's not Windows, it's "too much to learn" ... Except for when it is iOS, then you're in it and don't even want to bother with OSX sometimes.

It's actually a reflection of the maturity if mobile devices and the strength of iOS. Apple is getting it. But they are still, in their DNA, surprised at their own success after being the underdog for decades.

And... Thank you very much for giving me my 4,999th post. Ah, 5,000 posts next. This calls for a beer!

It's called planning. If cable companies had people sitting around doing nothing they'd be spending money rather than making it. Same as computer inventory - Apple try to keep only a few days of inventory in stock so they're not left with obsolete units or so far behind that they can't fulfil orders (which is what happened with iPad of course. Fortunately for Apple there were no real competitors for people to go to)
There'll be an initial catch-up but given that they're expanding availability to other countries, a week delay isn't unreasonable until that expansion slows and demand levels off once everyone on the planet has one and the secret signal can be sent that turns us all into... No wait. Spoliers.

They weren't selling two million per month at first. They began at one million per month and slowly accelerated, while begin constrained by demand. It seems to me that now that they have ramped to two million built per month, they are at steady state. So perhaps they have been selling at that rate now for a little while.

Thompson

In my family, we have several desktops, laptops, two iPhones and two iPads. None of our accounts are password protected, and we share a central e-mail address. Privacy is not currently a big concern for us.

But you have a point with some families... especially those with teenage kids, I suppose, who cherish their privacy a bit more. Of course, you always could get Junior his own iPad, and he can have his privacy that way.


Thompson

That's good enough for the tech savvy people you are referring to, but not good enough for the masses (i.e. 200,000 new customers per day). The majority of people don't want to mess with this crap, and so they don't. Then they get burned.

Thompson

Back in days before win95 one of the biggest problems Apple had was keeping up with demand. I remember when I got my first Mac -- a IIsi. My parents bought it for me in my senior year in high school. It took over three *months* from the time it was ordered to the time I received it due to demand that exceeded Apple's forecasts. And that computer cost $3000! The story on Apple throughout the first half of the 90s was their inability to meet demand for Macs, even at their high prices. If Apple had done what many suggested at the time and cut prices, they would have sold no more Macs, because they couldn't even meet demand at the high prices they charged.

My point is that all of the theorizing about how Apple's business model was deeply flawed on some fundamental level may have been misplaced. Apple's problem may have simply been that they couldn't execute in terms of predicting demand and manufacturing.

Now, contrast that to the Apple of today. Apple is far, far better at both predicting demand and getting products manufactured. The worst I've seen them flub this up in years has been this year with the iPhone 4 and iPad. But the longest anyone has had to wait for an iPad has been a fraction of what I had to wait for my IIsi, and the wait now is completely gone. They still have a ways to go with the iPhone 4, but again, nothing like the delays of old.

So I guess my point here is that Apple has dramatically improved their ability to execute, and I think it may end up meaning that a lot of the conventional wisdom about the inherent flaws of Apple's business model was just wrong.

I don't see a problem with using the word "alleged" or "allegedly" in the manner that AI has.

Sure that word is often used to mean that someone has been accused of something heinous (but not necessarily proven). But another valid use of the word "alleged" is that something is asserted to be true (but not necessarily proven). There is no requirement that the "something" be illegal or immoral in order to use the word.

Perhaps your point is that the word is typically is used that way. That's fine, but according to the dictionary (and my understanding) AI is technically correct.

Thompson

When I first got my iPad I used it for a bit and then went back to my computer, but just lately I've been returning to it. There are some really nicely done apps coming out now (such as the new Twitter app), people just needed time to figure it out.

The biggest disappointment for me has been the magazine publishers, who have nearly universally failed to produce good apps. The newspapers are a bit more of a mixed bag: some good, some bad. The biggest surprise has been how powerful the 3D graphics are on it (e.g. the Epic Citadel demo) - I didn't realize that when I bought it.

+1



Thompson

Just have an Apple Store employee set up her iPad and off she goes. Or buy her a $100 netbook running Windoze on Black Friday as her base unit.

Let's see if this works-- quoting a post without including all the imbedded quotes:


Agree-- not perfect, but what is? The iP4; MacBook, MacPro... Nah!



The question should be: is it compelling enough for your use that you will buy it?


The camera (or lack of one) is interesting.

The absence of a built-in camera allows the iPad to go places (secure environments) where other devices are banned.

I agree, that I can't see anyone whipping out their iPad, holding it in front of them, trying to take a picture with a rear-facing camera...

I also, agree that the iPad needs to support, nay exploit, FaceTime. But I don't think a front-facing camera is the answer-- you will need to hold the iPad or support it so it captures something other than nose hair. I think that an external camera is what is needed-- it could be as simple as the original iSight camera:



Or it could be an iPhone or a much better camera connected via the CCC (Camera Connection Kit).

I have tried several external cameras through the CCC, but they work after-the-fact, rather than live. I think that this is a limitation of the software, rather than the hardware.

The CCC provides an interface between the iPad 30-pin connector and a USB 2 connector. It is possible that the current iPad (or a later version) could support a FireWire connection through the 30-pin connector-- some iPods do this.


Again I agree-- except that the iPad needs more RAM than an iPhone or iPod Touch. I'd like to see at least 1 GB of RAM-- to support better image and video editing-- yeah, ya' can't take movies with the iPad, but you sure could edit the hell out of them on that large screen, if you had more RAM.





Also, something needs to be done to support true "virtual memory" on the iPad-- being able to work on content that is larger than the RAM (partially paged out).


I can't resist... At least we aren't viewing the world through nose-focused cameras!!!


For reasons expressed above, I don't want a camera(s) built-in to the iPad. A CCC, included with every iPad makes sense... if it doesn't raise the base price.

Yet, still nobody can get a phone in Canada.

Absolutely ridiculous!

Sure, I can prove you wrong. No problem.
First of all... every person have different needs, I already have an iMac designated as a family computer. Then starting from that you have to know that my sister checks her mail using her blackberry and at the office, my 9 years old daughter don't have email yet, then that leaves my mother that will be able to check her mail in case she wants. No need for multiple accounts cause is not needed for browsing, listen music, play videos, etc. None of them will edit HD video, play pc games, run a server.
For those other things I have 2 iMacs, a macbook pro and the 2 year old Mac Pro. I just want something that they can use anywhere in the house without have to drag around keyboard, mice or worry about getting their laps hot.

The Camera in iPhone hasn't kept the iPhone out of Enterprise. I am still holding out on the iPad until there is a camera in it. Adding a camera in it will make it better. Apple should offer a with or without a camera.

Pretty much next year, will take advantage that I have to travel to the north next year and buy some new gear for cheap.

It's not technically correct. The word means to accuse of wrongdoing. You can check a dictionary if you don't believe me. The word gets misused a lot (especially in AI articles), but frequent misuse doesn't change a word's meaning. But the real point is, like so many other improperly used words, they quickly turn into crutches. A fancy-sounding word may be satisfying to type, but if it doesn't convey the intended meaning, then another should be selected.

Yes the magazines are a mess, especially Condé Nast. They just publish 2 sets of pictures of magazine pages (landscape and portrait). No resize, reflow of text...

It is telling that most mag publishers are using an Adobe tool to create these static monstrosities.


I believe that the Epic Citadel demo was a preview of what a game app will look like on an HDTV when run on the AppleTV.

I will go so far as to speculate that Apple planned to announce AppeTV apps and games and that Epic Citadel was meant to demo the capability.

For whatever reasons, Apple did not announce AppleTV apps and games-- yet!

They may do so when Epic Citadel becomes available later this year...

...mmm.... how about a November date to coincide with iOS 4.2 on all the latest iOS devices...

... Just think of a holiday gift for the family-- An AppleTV, some Boffo games, lots of other apps and content-- less than $200.

.

Apple's iPad timing is perfect. Releasing new iPads in Q1 every year creates huge advantages for them and creates huge problems for their competitors:

Releasing new iPads after CES (in early January) hurts Apple's competitors. CES is the Super Bowl of consumer electronics, it's critical to consumer electronics makers, and many of them are building accessories for Apple products. But Apple doesn't have a booth at CES, and they don't need one.

The tech media compares all slate-like devices against iPad anyway, so Apple gets tons of free press for iPad without attending CES. iPad is the de-facto standard and any time iPad and a clone are compared, Apple wins and the cloner loses. And if Apple keeps announcing new iPads after CES is over, the impending Apple announcement will always upstage most CES iPad-clone news.

Releasing new iPads early in the year is also a huge advantage for Apple. They can advertise each year's iPad during the 8+ months leading up to the holiday buying season. This is always Apple's best quarter in terms of sales. Consumers might know that a new iPad will be released in just a few months, but they still need to buy the current year's iPads as gifts (for themselves or others.)

It will take competitors months to attempt to copy the new iPad, so they will have less time to establish their product in the market before that all-important holiday quarter. By then, iPad manufacturing will have ramped up, and there will have been several software updates. Competitors will be up against a mature, very well-known product.

So announcing new iPads anywhere from late January through March is absolutely perfect timing for Apple. It hits their competitors hard and gives them many months to hype the new product leading up to the holidays.

A few weeks ago, we took a 2-hour drive down to the Santa Cruz , CA Boardwalk & Amusement Park.

We loaded up 2 iPads with games and videos, etc....

Three young-uns' (10, 11 and 14) in the back seat...

No: "I'm bored"; "Are we there yet?"; "He's touching me!".

Two adults in the front seat conducting a conversation!

Three kids in the back seat doing their thing-- no yelling or fighting.

Once there, the iPads were in play for those not going on rides! The park has a free WiFi hotspot, so that was great.

Same thing on the trip back, with stopovers in Los Gatos (lunch), tour of Saratoga (lived there 17 years), Cupertino/Sunnyvale (Apple and our main Computer Plus Store).

It was an amazing day! Everyone had fun! The adults got to converse and reminisce. The kids got to learn a little family history! We all got to avoid heavy traffic (accidents and rush hour). The iPads kept the kids occupied during the lulls!

The iPads did this job, better than anything I have ever experienced!

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I've found it's totally changed how I use my computers. Before the iPad, my Macbook Pro was the most used, with the iMac used from time to time. Now the Macbook Pro is never used and the iMac is used a lot.


If you goto pretty much any business in Korea, they make you put a sticker over the camera on your phone before you can get it, and you have to show them it is still on there when you leave.

Samsung have gone so far as to have stations where you plug your phone in and it disables the camera function, then you can re-enable it when you leave.

No it didn't

That's an interesting speculation. They also talked about Game Center in the same keynote, but it's not quite ready...

Games on the AppleTV could be very interesting. Nintendo have spectacularly demonstrated that computing power and complexity does not have to be king in the games market - AppleTV could do some neat stuff.

I think they soon will-- but in a different way than expected.

If they were to add a camera to the device it would be cumbersome to position/hold. Further, it would be limited-- low resolution, no optical zoom, etc.

Think about it! if you are out and about, you likely are carrying a smart phone (hopefully an iPhone) in addition to your iPad.

What Apple needs to do is allow real-time input from a camera or iPhone connected via the CCK) (Camera Connection Kit).

Then, you would be able to do FaceTime on the big iPad screen while holding (or positioning) the smaller camera or smart phone.

IMO, that is preferable to adding a limited camera to the iPad!

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It's almost as if they planned it that way

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Not that it matters, but I have checked a dictionary, and it doesn't say anything of the sort.

I just wondering if Apple pays for all the product placements the iPad is getting in tv shows lately. For example, Entourage is always showcasing how it can be used in a corporate setting. If they are not paying for that, they are getting an amazing deal.