A rather pointless article if their purpose is somehow to insinuate lack of demand for the ipad, for a couple of simple reasons:
A. Max 2 devices per person really limits demand.
B. Max 2 devices even for businesses limits demand even more.
C. Large majority of people (by some accounts) looking for the 3g enabled version.
Taking all these in mind it's a no brainer in terms of sales decline. These things are selling as hotcakes, to me 170,000 in a few days solely in the U.S. with sales limits and no 3g model, means when the 3g ipad hits the UK, Europe and Canada in a few months we will be looking at about 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 million sold. Not bad!
AT&T has a USB laptop connection card which along with the USB to iPad adapter and the matching AT&T app in the App Store could allow wifi iPad versions to have 3G later.
If enough sell this might be a option later. But would likely cost more than the monthly plan on the 3G iPads.
Your right, seasoned users know with time comes more data, features and larger OS updates which require more storage space. One can make their devices last considerably longer buying the device with the largest storage possible to begin with.
For instance on my 3 year old MacBook Pro I've upgraded the hard drive twice and Apple hasn't come out with a substantially more powerful MacBook Pro since. With the iPad does Apple honestly expect us to buy new devices every time we need more storage?
I've owned several iPods of various sizes, my music collection outgrew them, so now the only one I now use is the iPod Classic as it holds all my music and more if I ever should get anymore, plus I can use anything I have anywhere, unlike the smaller capacity versions.
Meanwhile I regret the loss I took on all those previous iPods, selling them used. I won't repeat that mistake with iPads costing several hundred dollars.
Most of us don't feel compelled to carry around with us our entire digital collection. It's really not how a device like the iPad is intended to be used. Comparing memory needs on a laptop with the iPad is akin to doing the proverbial apples to oranges comparison. It doesn't apply.
Unless you intend to be stranded on a desert island (presumably with a supply of power to recharge your iPad with) just how much content are you going to require at any given point in time? If you're on vacation and you need enough content to be spending your entire trip accessing your iPad, the trip was a waste.
I think 16GB is a good starting point for the iPad and we all know that will go up dramatically every time a new version is released. Unlike the early days of the iPod, when memory was much more meagre, I don't see it as a big issue with the iPad.
Jim Cramer once said that Apple stock is one of the easiest to manipulate. I think he's right on this one.
1. Short the stock.
2. Put out a story that iPad sales dropped off after the intial pre-order rush. Apple fan sites and hate sites run with it like a celebrity porn video.
3. Stock drops $3 on Monday morning.
4. Make a killing on the move.
5. Repeat.
It's like shooting fish in a tank, apparently.
You should try it. Since you sound so smart and knowledgeable about it. Quoting no less an authority than Cramer!
It wasn't stated that 100,000 was expected, but merely that the sales have dropped off since day one.
The whole thing is bogus anyway. The order numbers also include everything else someone could have ordered and they have no way of knowing what's what. Perhaps what dropped off was non Ipad buys. They just can't say.
Also they don't have access to the reserves for in store pickup.
And in the end, all that matters if what money is handed over. So what if there's 500 million reserves placed if only 50k folks show up and actually buy.
What is really bogus is the effect these so called experts could have up or down on the stock value based on their estimates.
A rather pointless article if their purpose is somehow to insinuate lack of demand for the ipad, for a couple of simple reasons:
A. Max 2 devices per person really limits demand.
B. Max 2 devices even for businesses limits demand even more.
C. Large majority of people (by some accounts) looking for the 3g enabled version.
Taking all these in mind it's a no brainer in terms of sales decline. These things are selling as hotcakes, to me 170,000 in a few days solely in the U.S. with sales limits and no 3g model, means when the 3g ipad hits the UK, Europe and Canada in a few months we will be looking at about 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 million sold. Not bad!
Outstanding observations. Careful, though. You're making way to much sense for this thread.
I think that it makes sense that the pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only models would exceed the 3G models since buying the 3G requires a commitment for service.
no it doesn't. No contract is signed at time of buy. You sign up whenever you want. And drop it when you want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kotatsu
Not many I bet. The iBooks store is a US exclusive, so the iPad abroad is an ereader with no ebooks.
if the ipad was a Kindle or a Nook that would be a problem. But it's not. the ereader is only one function. International folks can still surf the web, read emails, play games etc.
Quote:
Apple aren't, understandably, publicising the lack of books abroad. .
Wrong. From day one they said that it was US only with other countries coming soon. They have to deal with licensing, royalties etc just like when the books were paper published, and just like they do with all other media.
This has turned instantly into yet another generic "what I like/hate about the iPad" thread. As if we needed more of that debate.
In terms of the sales numbers (does anybody still want to talk about that?), the method being used to measure preorder demand is deeply flawed. Little doubt order numbers are assigned by the Apple Store sequentially for all products, so iPad orders can't be estimated this way unless we know the rate these numbers were being assigned before the iPad preorders began. On this basis, AI sez that iPad orders have "died off?"
I was one of those who bought the iPad on the first day: 64GB, 3g version. We had been looking and saving up for an Air for a while now (2.13ghz, 128GB SSD version), because my wife wanted a portable device that she could watch her TiVO shows (downloaded to her Mac and converted to mp4), movies & use our sling-player while traveling. While the Air was a thin, 13" screen, fully functional laptop, it was more than what we needed.
The iPad fits our needs *exactly* - Portable, long battery life, multimedia, sling-player active (now on 3g!), -AND- with the 3g aspect, she's not tied to WiFi like she would be on the Air. (We could get a 3g card & service for about twice the monthly price, and we'd be bound to a contract, if we tried for 3g for an Air so that wouldn't work for us.)
So - while the iPad might not be a "Netbook" or what folks wanted it to be, for what it is I think it will serve our purposes well.
I was one of those who bought the iPad on the first day: 64GB, 3g version. We had been looking and saving up for an Air for a while now (2.13ghz, 128GB SSD version), because my wife wanted a portable device that she could watch her TiVO shows (downloaded to her Mac and converted to mp4), movies & use our sling-player while traveling. While the Air was a thin, 13" screen, fully functional laptop, it was more than what we needed.
The iPad fits our needs *exactly* - Portable, long battery life, multimedia, sling-player active (now on 3g!), -AND- with the 3g aspect, she's not tied to WiFi like she would be on the Air. (We could get a 3g card & service for about twice the monthly price, and we'd be bound to a contract, if we tried for 3g for an Air so that wouldn't work for us.)
So - while the iPad might not be a "Netbook" or what folks wanted it to be, for what it is I think it will serve our purposes well.
Cheers!
Exactly. The people complaining about it are judging it based on what it isn't, instead of what it is. Of course it fails at being something it isn't intended to be. It seems to be a pretty solid device when you look at it based on its own merits.
The whole thing is bogus anyway. The order numbers also include everything else someone could have ordered and they have no way of knowing what's what. Perhaps what dropped off was non Ipad buys. They just can't say.
Also they don't have access to the reserves for in store pickup.
And in the end, all that matters if what money is handed over. So what if there's 500 million reserves placed if only 50k folks show up and actually buy.
What is really bogus is the effect these so called experts could have up or down on the stock value based on their estimates.
Agreed, though I'm not sure about whether iPads can be preordered from Apple stores, and preorders placed online for pickup at a store would theoretically be counted by the order number method.
Much too much is made of the analyst effect. It is in fact negligible, to not at all.
Will analysts like Gartner count it as a computer?
Man, I hope not. The analysts are already doing a pretty lousy job of talking about technology in general because they lump drastically different market segments together.
Think of it this way. Businesses (and I mean like generic moving-paper-around businesses here, insurance companies or whatever) buy computers for specific reasons, and make specific purchases based on that. Individuals may buy computers to emulate what their employers have, but they might also buy based on entirely different requirements. For years, businesses, business-emulating individuals and individual-individuals (shut up, it's a word) have largely ended up buying the same basic things, because those were the only things available. Analysts lump all those into one big pile because those groups have ended up buying the same things but for radically different reasons.
In other words, analysts break down the markets based on what products are available, not based on what people actually want. Which is kind of understandable ?*it's easier just to throw all the reported sales and revenue numbers into a big spreadsheet than it is to go out and actually measure market demand. But still, it stinks.
I'm not so sure about the complaints about this thing. I think the iPad will be that real start of cloud computing. I just installed an app on my iPhone that lets me watch my entire video collection from anywhere in the world.
All the iPad needs is an app that will do the same for photos. Or, just use your facebook (or [insert photos service here]) photos...that's where most people are storing their pics these days anyways.
There's no need for 3g if you have an iPhone. If I'm out and about, and I need net access THAT bad, I'll tough it out with my phone.
There's no need for more storage space or USB, if you're just remote accessing your home computer.
I do wish it had a camera for video conferencing, but I can do that from my home PC too. Video conferencing has never really taken off, despite being available for many years. Turns out that people don't want it, for the most part. People like being able to be ugly (or naked) and talk on the phone.
I'm a med student, and I'm interested in what this can do for access. I've 100GB of medical videos that I'd like to be able to watch anywhere. I'd like to be able to read (and hopefully) annotate my textbooks anywhere, WITHOUT lugging around 50lbs of books.
Never having to buy a bookshelf again also sounds great. That alone will cover the cost of the damn thing. I probably buy a new bookcase every 2 years. Between my textbooks, and leisure reading for my me, my wife, and daughter, we do buy a good amount of books. The iPad will eliminate the need to store them.
Not looking forward to re-buying my favorites for the iPad though...ugh. Wish they had some kind of credit plan for those of us that already have the "real" books.
Comments
A. Max 2 devices per person really limits demand.
B. Max 2 devices even for businesses limits demand even more.
C. Large majority of people (by some accounts) looking for the 3g enabled version.
Taking all these in mind it's a no brainer in terms of sales decline. These things are selling as hotcakes, to me 170,000 in a few days solely in the U.S. with sales limits and no 3g model, means when the 3g ipad hits the UK, Europe and Canada in a few months we will be looking at about 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 million sold. Not bad!
AT&T has a USB laptop connection card which along with the USB to iPad adapter and the matching AT&T app in the App Store could allow wifi iPad versions to have 3G later.
If enough sell this might be a option later. But would likely cost more than the monthly plan on the 3G iPads.
Your right, seasoned users know with time comes more data, features and larger OS updates which require more storage space. One can make their devices last considerably longer buying the device with the largest storage possible to begin with.
For instance on my 3 year old MacBook Pro I've upgraded the hard drive twice and Apple hasn't come out with a substantially more powerful MacBook Pro since. With the iPad does Apple honestly expect us to buy new devices every time we need more storage?
I've owned several iPods of various sizes, my music collection outgrew them, so now the only one I now use is the iPod Classic as it holds all my music and more if I ever should get anymore, plus I can use anything I have anywhere, unlike the smaller capacity versions.
Meanwhile I regret the loss I took on all those previous iPods, selling them used. I won't repeat that mistake with iPads costing several hundred dollars.
Most of us don't feel compelled to carry around with us our entire digital collection. It's really not how a device like the iPad is intended to be used. Comparing memory needs on a laptop with the iPad is akin to doing the proverbial apples to oranges comparison. It doesn't apply.
Unless you intend to be stranded on a desert island (presumably with a supply of power to recharge your iPad with) just how much content are you going to require at any given point in time? If you're on vacation and you need enough content to be spending your entire trip accessing your iPad, the trip was a waste.
I think 16GB is a good starting point for the iPad and we all know that will go up dramatically every time a new version is released. Unlike the early days of the iPod, when memory was much more meagre, I don't see it as a big issue with the iPad.
Jim Cramer once said that Apple stock is one of the easiest to manipulate. I think he's right on this one.
1. Short the stock.
2. Put out a story that iPad sales dropped off after the intial pre-order rush. Apple fan sites and hate sites run with it like a celebrity porn video.
3. Stock drops $3 on Monday morning.
4. Make a killing on the move.
5. Repeat.
It's like shooting fish in a tank, apparently.
You should try it. Since you sound so smart and knowledgeable about it. Quoting no less an authority than Cramer!
And tell us how it panned out.
If their net margin was 50% then I would agree.
Why would you be complaining about 50% or 150% or whatever? Is someone is forcing you to buy the product against your free will?
Sheesh.....
Incidentally, Apple's actual net profit margins are more like 20%, not 10%.
It wasn't stated that 100,000 was expected, but merely that the sales have dropped off since day one.
The whole thing is bogus anyway. The order numbers also include everything else someone could have ordered and they have no way of knowing what's what. Perhaps what dropped off was non Ipad buys. They just can't say.
Also they don't have access to the reserves for in store pickup.
And in the end, all that matters if what money is handed over. So what if there's 500 million reserves placed if only 50k folks show up and actually buy.
What is really bogus is the effect these so called experts could have up or down on the stock value based on their estimates.
I guess there are only 120k truely brave/stupid fanboys that would buy it before seeing/using it in person (aside from the 0.01% that actually has).
Yes. Do you have a point?
A rather pointless article if their purpose is somehow to insinuate lack of demand for the ipad, for a couple of simple reasons:
A. Max 2 devices per person really limits demand.
B. Max 2 devices even for businesses limits demand even more.
C. Large majority of people (by some accounts) looking for the 3g enabled version.
Taking all these in mind it's a no brainer in terms of sales decline. These things are selling as hotcakes, to me 170,000 in a few days solely in the U.S. with sales limits and no 3g model, means when the 3g ipad hits the UK, Europe and Canada in a few months we will be looking at about 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 million sold. Not bad!
Outstanding observations. Careful, though. You're making way to much sense for this thread.
Care to give some examples, or are you just talking out of your ass like a typical fanboi?
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showp...&postcount=183
It fits in a bag better than any laptop.
It provides a way better browsing experience than any small laptop.
It provides a better ebook reading experience than any laptop.
It has a better touchscreen than any currently available laptop.
It integrates music playback features better than any small laptop.
It's way better at accelerometer-based tasks than any laptop.
It syncs your data with your main computer more easily than any laptop.
It's a better virtual musical instrument than any laptop.
It's a better game machine than any netbook.
It's better for watching a movie during a cramped commute than any laptop.
It's a better device for anyone who needs to use it while standing (i.e. doctors) than any laptop.
It's a better kitchen wall or refrigerator front internet device than any laptop.
It's a better textbook replacement than any laptop.
I think that it makes sense that the pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only models would exceed the 3G models since buying the 3G requires a commitment for service.
no it doesn't. No contract is signed at time of buy. You sign up whenever you want. And drop it when you want.
Not many I bet. The iBooks store is a US exclusive, so the iPad abroad is an ereader with no ebooks.
if the ipad was a Kindle or a Nook that would be a problem. But it's not. the ereader is only one function. International folks can still surf the web, read emails, play games etc.
Apple aren't, understandably, publicising the lack of books abroad. .
Wrong. From day one they said that it was US only with other countries coming soon. They have to deal with licensing, royalties etc just like when the books were paper published, and just like they do with all other media.
In terms of the sales numbers (does anybody still want to talk about that?), the method being used to measure preorder demand is deeply flawed. Little doubt order numbers are assigned by the Apple Store sequentially for all products, so iPad orders can't be estimated this way unless we know the rate these numbers were being assigned before the iPad preorders began. On this basis, AI sez that iPad orders have "died off?"
The iPad fits our needs *exactly* - Portable, long battery life, multimedia, sling-player active (now on 3g!), -AND- with the 3g aspect, she's not tied to WiFi like she would be on the Air. (We could get a 3g card & service for about twice the monthly price, and we'd be bound to a contract, if we tried for 3g for an Air so that wouldn't work for us.)
So - while the iPad might not be a "Netbook" or what folks wanted it to be, for what it is I think it will serve our purposes well.
Cheers!
in comparison Google sold 20,000 Nexus One's the entire WEEK.
I was one of those who bought the iPad on the first day: 64GB, 3g version. We had been looking and saving up for an Air for a while now (2.13ghz, 128GB SSD version), because my wife wanted a portable device that she could watch her TiVO shows (downloaded to her Mac and converted to mp4), movies & use our sling-player while traveling. While the Air was a thin, 13" screen, fully functional laptop, it was more than what we needed.
The iPad fits our needs *exactly* - Portable, long battery life, multimedia, sling-player active (now on 3g!), -AND- with the 3g aspect, she's not tied to WiFi like she would be on the Air. (We could get a 3g card & service for about twice the monthly price, and we'd be bound to a contract, if we tried for 3g for an Air so that wouldn't work for us.)
So - while the iPad might not be a "Netbook" or what folks wanted it to be, for what it is I think it will serve our purposes well.
Cheers!
Exactly. The people complaining about it are judging it based on what it isn't, instead of what it is. Of course it fails at being something it isn't intended to be. It seems to be a pretty solid device when you look at it based on its own merits.
The whole thing is bogus anyway. The order numbers also include everything else someone could have ordered and they have no way of knowing what's what. Perhaps what dropped off was non Ipad buys. They just can't say.
Also they don't have access to the reserves for in store pickup.
And in the end, all that matters if what money is handed over. So what if there's 500 million reserves placed if only 50k folks show up and actually buy.
What is really bogus is the effect these so called experts could have up or down on the stock value based on their estimates.
Agreed, though I'm not sure about whether iPads can be preordered from Apple stores, and preorders placed online for pickup at a store would theoretically be counted by the order number method.
Much too much is made of the analyst effect. It is in fact negligible, to not at all.
Care to give some examples, or are you just talking out of your ass like a typical fanboi?
It is much more intimate than any laptop.
Why would you be complaining about 50% or 150% or whatever? Is someone is forcing you to buy the product against your free will?
Sheesh.....
Hes just jealous.
1,000 orders per hour is still pretty amazing.
in comparison Google sold 20,000 Nexus One's the entire WEEK.
That is because Apple actually innovates. Google just copies everything that Apple does. FAIL!
Will analysts like Gartner count it as a computer?
Man, I hope not. The analysts are already doing a pretty lousy job of talking about technology in general because they lump drastically different market segments together.
Think of it this way. Businesses (and I mean like generic moving-paper-around businesses here, insurance companies or whatever) buy computers for specific reasons, and make specific purchases based on that. Individuals may buy computers to emulate what their employers have, but they might also buy based on entirely different requirements. For years, businesses, business-emulating individuals and individual-individuals (shut up, it's a word) have largely ended up buying the same basic things, because those were the only things available. Analysts lump all those into one big pile because those groups have ended up buying the same things but for radically different reasons.
In other words, analysts break down the markets based on what products are available, not based on what people actually want. Which is kind of understandable ?*it's easier just to throw all the reported sales and revenue numbers into a big spreadsheet than it is to go out and actually measure market demand. But still, it stinks.
All the iPad needs is an app that will do the same for photos. Or, just use your facebook (or [insert photos service here]) photos...that's where most people are storing their pics these days anyways.
There's no need for 3g if you have an iPhone. If I'm out and about, and I need net access THAT bad, I'll tough it out with my phone.
There's no need for more storage space or USB, if you're just remote accessing your home computer.
I do wish it had a camera for video conferencing, but I can do that from my home PC too. Video conferencing has never really taken off, despite being available for many years. Turns out that people don't want it, for the most part. People like being able to be ugly (or naked) and talk on the phone.
I'm a med student, and I'm interested in what this can do for access. I've 100GB of medical videos that I'd like to be able to watch anywhere. I'd like to be able to read (and hopefully) annotate my textbooks anywhere, WITHOUT lugging around 50lbs of books.
Never having to buy a bookshelf again also sounds great. That alone will cover the cost of the damn thing. I probably buy a new bookcase every 2 years. Between my textbooks, and leisure reading for my me, my wife, and daughter, we do buy a good amount of books. The iPad will eliminate the need to store them.
Not looking forward to re-buying my favorites for the iPad though...ugh. Wish they had some kind of credit plan for those of us that already have the "real" books.