Apple pushes new iPad 3G orders back to May 7, camera kit ships
As Apple pushed new iPad 3G orders back to May 7, it also began e-mailing customers who already preordered to reassure them that their hardware will ship on schedule in late April. In addition, the company has also begun shipping the iPad camera connection kit to some who ordered.
Apple's online store has been updated to reflect that new orders of the iPad with both 3G and Wi-Fi will not ship until May 7. But while those ordering new iPads with 3G connectivity will not get their device until a few weeks later, original preorders are still on track for a late April release. To confirm this, Apple began sending the following e-mails to customers who already ordered:
To Our Valued Apple Customer:
Thank you for your recent order of the magical and revolutionary iPad 3G.
We would like to confirm that your order will be shipped in late April as communicated at the time you placed your order. You will receive a confirmation notice when your order has shipped.
You can get up-to-date information about your order, including shipping status and tracking number, at http://www.apple.com/orderstatus
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
The Apple Store Team
The 3G-enabled iPad models carry a $130 premium and offer wireless connectivity with the AT&T 3G network in the U.S. No-contract data plans are available for $15 per month for 250MB of data, and $30 a month for unlimited access.
Though U.S. orders remain on track to ship on time, last week Apple announced that international customers will have to wait, as a shortage of devices caused the launch to be delayed until the end of May. Apple shipped more than a half-million Wi-Fi only iPads in its first week of availability in the U.S. alone.
In the U.S., online orders of the Wi-Fi-only iPad ship in 5 to 7 business days. All orders remain limited to just two per customer.
Finally, some who preordered the camera connection kit for the iPad have been notified that their order has finally shipped. Apple first gave the connection kit a shipping date of late April on its Web site at the end of March.
Apple's online store has been updated to reflect that new orders of the iPad with both 3G and Wi-Fi will not ship until May 7. But while those ordering new iPads with 3G connectivity will not get their device until a few weeks later, original preorders are still on track for a late April release. To confirm this, Apple began sending the following e-mails to customers who already ordered:
To Our Valued Apple Customer:
Thank you for your recent order of the magical and revolutionary iPad 3G.
We would like to confirm that your order will be shipped in late April as communicated at the time you placed your order. You will receive a confirmation notice when your order has shipped.
You can get up-to-date information about your order, including shipping status and tracking number, at http://www.apple.com/orderstatus
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
The Apple Store Team
The 3G-enabled iPad models carry a $130 premium and offer wireless connectivity with the AT&T 3G network in the U.S. No-contract data plans are available for $15 per month for 250MB of data, and $30 a month for unlimited access.
Though U.S. orders remain on track to ship on time, last week Apple announced that international customers will have to wait, as a shortage of devices caused the launch to be delayed until the end of May. Apple shipped more than a half-million Wi-Fi only iPads in its first week of availability in the U.S. alone.
In the U.S., online orders of the Wi-Fi-only iPad ship in 5 to 7 business days. All orders remain limited to just two per customer.
Finally, some who preordered the camera connection kit for the iPad have been notified that their order has finally shipped. Apple first gave the connection kit a shipping date of late April on its Web site at the end of March.
Comments
Oh, wait......that's not right.
Does anyone know why the 3G version of the iPad is so much more expensive? Does adding the antenna and chips add that much of a premium?
From what I understand, about $50 is licensing fees to 3GSM, and $35-50 is hardware cost.
They don't need to based on demand, but I would think that $499/530 for 16GB, $599/699 for 32GB, and $699/749 for 64GB would make it more attractive. I personally get a little sticker shock at $830 for the 3G/64GB, although that is the model I would really prefer to get.
Does anyone know why the 3G version of the iPad is so much more expensive? Does adding the antenna and chips add that much of a premium?
It's not just the 3G, it's the GPS. The iPad 3G is sort of like the iPhone to the iPod Touch. From a development standpoint, there are more costs for testing, meeting FCC regulations, it uses the micro-SIM chip vs a normal SIM chip. I'm sure there are many other reasons.
Does anyone know why the 3G version of the iPad is so much more expensive? Does adding the antenna and chips add that much of a premium?
The 3G/GPS system requires a daughter board, visible in the FCC photos (see iFixit.com). The circuitry is very likely identical to that in an iPhone, so that no new programming, or very little, is needed. Apple's gross margin on devices is around 46%, so a cost of around $65 for the board, chips, assembly, RF window machining on the case, software support, etc., is likely. This would lead to the $130 retail price. Considering the unsubsidized prices of 3G cellphones, this seems to be in line with current costs.
Apple is not making these - or any other - devices out of the goodness of their hearts. They want to make profitable devices that will find a large enough market. If you find yourself outside that group of customers, that remains your problem, not Apple's. You would only have to save up 82,900 pennies (plus tax) to get the most capacious model. Get a couple of mason jars.
Apple is not making these - or any other - devices out of the goodness of their hearts.
That's okay. I'm not buying it out of the goodness of my heart.
How do all you Apple fanboys feel now seeing the iPad be such a flop with such dreadful sales that they are having to delay shipments?
Oh, wait......that's not right.
I know, I can't wait to see what the sales are like when the version with the missing hardware is released. You know, the one with the camera and such.
I know, I can't wait to see what the sales are like when the version with the missing hardware is released. You know, the one with the camera and such.
Yeah. And multi-tasking. Until they add that, this will continue to be a flop.
To Our Valued Apple Customer:
Thank you for your recent order of the magical and revolutionary iPad 3G.
We would like to confirm that your order will be shipped in late April as communicated at the time you placed your order. You will receive a confirmation notice when your order has shipped.
You can get up-to-date information about your order, including shipping status and tracking number, at http://www.apple.com/orderstatus
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
The Apple Store Team
Oh no! It pains me to see Apple adopting this kind of meaningless corporate grovelling sales drivel. The banks do it, the insurance companies do it and now Apple does it. "To our valued Apple customer"? About as sincere as "Your call is valuable to us....". Please - don't insult us. We buy your products so we know we are valuable. And now that the sale is already made do you HAVE to continue the sales pitch? But worst is the "Thank you for choosing Apple", bit. How am I supposed to respond to that? Its feels like fake humility. Decidedly not cool.
- The joint for a removable battery can't be real because there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, silent switch and volume buttons in the way of the where the door should open to remove the battery
- That doesn't look like a microSIM to me, which Apple would surely be using from here on out.
- Apple like bilateral symmetry, which that battery and SIM/SD card slot don't follow.
- The joint for a removable battery can't be real because there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, silent switch and volume buttons in the way of the where the door should open to remove the battery
- Why took the back off but didn't remove the SIM card from the device to prove it's MicroSIM? Really?
What makes me think it's real...Does anyone know why the 3G version of the iPad is so much more expensive? Does adding the antenna and chips add that much of a premium?
How much is a 7.2Mbps HSDPA/HSUPA 3G USB card for your computer (that won't include GPS)? We're not just talking the sum of the parts, or the BOM, which is at least 20% of the cost, we're talking the engineering, production, testing, licensing, packages, service & support and, of course, markup for profit.
How do all you Apple fanboys feel now seeing the iPad be such a flop with such dreadful sales that they are having to delay shipments?
Oh, wait......that's not right.
Received the reassuring note from Apple re. my 64GB+3G today! Whew.
Did it say "Not to worry."?
When you get it let us know how you like it, thanks.
and that thing even plays .avi, .mkv .wma files
How much is a 7.2Mbps HSDPA/HSUPA 3G USB card for your computer (that won't include GPS)? We're not just talking the sum of the parts, or the BOM, which is at least 20% of the cost, we're talking the engineering, production, testing, licensing, packages, service & support and, of course, markup for profit.
I suppose, but the key to pricing isn't the sum of the cost of manufacturing, assembly and marketing plus profit margin -- it's the perceived value of the product to buyers. Manufacturers achieve higher margins by building more value into their products. This is why the Windows OEMs operate at such small margins. They have very limited opportunities for building in perceived value.
Thank you for your recent Apple order.
To ensure that all customers are given equal opportunity to acquire this
product we have limited the amount available per customer. Therefore,
this order has been cancelled.
If you have questions, you may reach us at 1-800-676-2775 between
8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Customer Support
I guess this means I will not get the 3G until May now, despite having pre-ordered the device well in advance.
Anyone else having this issue? The Manager I spoke to implied they knew that they had a system problem as it was happening to a few people. The system is meant to stop people taking delivery in a UPS store.
Frustrating.
How do all you Apple fanboys feel now seeing the iPad be such a flop with such dreadful sales that they are having to delay shipments?
I know, I can't wait to see what the sales are like when the version with the missing hardware is released. You know, the one with the camera and such.
Yeah. And multi-tasking. Until they add that, this will continue to be a flop.
To help in alleviating stagnant sales on the iPad, Apple could offer a free 17 MBP Core i7 with it.
See AI for pairing MBP 17? w/ iPad.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...with_ipad.html
Don't Panic!
From the Times Article on the iPad by Stephen Fry:
One melancholy thought occurs as my fingers glide and flow over the surface of this astonishing object: Douglas Adams is not alive to see the closest thing to his Hitchhiker's Guide that humankind has yet devised.
To help in alleviating stagnant sales on the iPad, Apple could offer a free 17 MBP Core i7 with it.
Maybe then I'd get one.
On second thought, no I wouldn't. I'd still wait for the full hardware version.
I get the feeling this is code for ... "They'll be shipping April 30th." I would have appreciated it much more if they could have actually given me a specific day ... we're getting down to the wire here.