Apple's iPad 2 launch in Asia draws crowds
The rollout of Apple's iPad 2 in Asia drew thousands of interested customers looking to be among the first to officially purchase the touchscreen tablet in their countries.
After having missed last month's international launch because of a devastating natural disaster, Japan on Thursday became the first Asian country to begin selling the iPad 2. According to The Wall Street Journal, the line for the iPad 2 at Apple's flagship Ginza retail store in Tokyo stretched for three blocks.
The first customer in line had waited since 8 p.m. on Wednesday, braving a night of heavy rain. Though Thursday's crowds were tamer than last year's "frenzy" for the original iPad, a "respectable-sized crowd" gathered for the launch.
The iPad 2 in Japan starts at 44,800 yen, (roughly $549 dollars), a price similar to that of the first-generation iPad when it went on sale last year.
At one store in Hong Kong, over 400 customers endured the rain on Friday to purchase the iPad 2. "A long queue snaked around the Apple shop in a major downtown shopping centre with several groups of shoppers loading as many as a dozen iPads onto trolleys," the Associated Foreign Press reported.
The device was out of stock in Hong Kong by midday, the report noted. At an Apple authorized shop in Singapore, only 100 devices were available for sale, while 100 invited customers lined up at midnight at a KT store in Seoul, South Korea.
Hong Kong has seen its share of excitement this week, as the white iPhone 4 launched there on Thursday and reportedly sold out within one hour.
Apple announced on Wednesday that the iPad 2 would debut in Japan, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korean Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates this week. The iPad 2 will go on sale in China on May 6.
The first international launch of the iPad 2 on March 25 also drew lines. Some analysts had suggested that the international launch would be delayed because of continued stock outs of the iPad 2 in the U.S., but Apple went ahead with the launch as planned in spite of constrained inventory
During a quarterly earnings call last week, Apple said that it's selling every iPad 2 it can make, but faces "the mother of all backlogs."
According to one well-connected analyst, Apple is set to ramp up iPad 2 production to grow shipments by more than 100 percent sequentially. Apple is expected to ship roughly 40 million iPads this year.
After having missed last month's international launch because of a devastating natural disaster, Japan on Thursday became the first Asian country to begin selling the iPad 2. According to The Wall Street Journal, the line for the iPad 2 at Apple's flagship Ginza retail store in Tokyo stretched for three blocks.
The first customer in line had waited since 8 p.m. on Wednesday, braving a night of heavy rain. Though Thursday's crowds were tamer than last year's "frenzy" for the original iPad, a "respectable-sized crowd" gathered for the launch.
The iPad 2 in Japan starts at 44,800 yen, (roughly $549 dollars), a price similar to that of the first-generation iPad when it went on sale last year.
At one store in Hong Kong, over 400 customers endured the rain on Friday to purchase the iPad 2. "A long queue snaked around the Apple shop in a major downtown shopping centre with several groups of shoppers loading as many as a dozen iPads onto trolleys," the Associated Foreign Press reported.
The device was out of stock in Hong Kong by midday, the report noted. At an Apple authorized shop in Singapore, only 100 devices were available for sale, while 100 invited customers lined up at midnight at a KT store in Seoul, South Korea.
Hong Kong has seen its share of excitement this week, as the white iPhone 4 launched there on Thursday and reportedly sold out within one hour.
Apple announced on Wednesday that the iPad 2 would debut in Japan, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korean Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates this week. The iPad 2 will go on sale in China on May 6.
The first international launch of the iPad 2 on March 25 also drew lines. Some analysts had suggested that the international launch would be delayed because of continued stock outs of the iPad 2 in the U.S., but Apple went ahead with the launch as planned in spite of constrained inventory
During a quarterly earnings call last week, Apple said that it's selling every iPad 2 it can make, but faces "the mother of all backlogs."
According to one well-connected analyst, Apple is set to ramp up iPad 2 production to grow shipments by more than 100 percent sequentially. Apple is expected to ship roughly 40 million iPads this year.
Comments
By 10.30am - which is when the store usually opens - there were more than 60 people in line. Some of them had to be turned away because they ran out of units to sell.
Elsewhere in Kuala Lumpur (the capital - incidentally quite near me) buyers numbered over a hundred at most stores. I wouldn't be surprised if my part of the country had completely ran out of iPads by lunchtime.
Anyway, to those lucky enough to get one - enjoy! I only have an iPad 1, but I have heard from acquaintances that the 2 is noticeably more responsive.
In fact the store had 20 pieces of the 64GB 3G+WiFi model and all of them were only available for people who had pre-registered by paying an advance. I was lucky since I was a regular customer at the Apple store and I didn't have to pay an advance to book the model like the others.
I really love how sleek it is compared to the original iPad. Can't wait to start using it!
I just picked up my White 64 GB 3G + WiFi model in India.
In fact the store had 20 pieces of the 64GB 3G+WiFi model and all of them were only available for people who had pre-registered by paying an advance. I was lucky since I was a regular customer at the Apple store and I didn't have to pay an advance to book the model like the others.
I really love how sleek it is compared to the original iPad. Can't wait to start using it!
A couple of questions:
1) Who do you like for 3G service? A few months ago, I went into a Reliance shop and picked up a 3G USB modem for my MacBook. It was not very "reliant".
2) Where did you pick up your iPad 2?
I'm actually planning on having a friend bring one to me from the US, so I don't have to pay the 25-30% "luxury tax" for buying it here.
I just picked up my White 64 GB 3G + WiFi model in India.
In fact the store had 20 pieces of the 64GB 3G+WiFi model and all of them were only available for people who had pre-registered by paying an advance. I was lucky since I was a regular customer at the Apple store and I didn't have to pay an advance to book the model like the others.
I really love how sleek it is compared to the original iPad. Can't wait to start using it!
How much did you pay in rupees for the iPad 2?
A couple of questions:
1) Who do you like for 3G service? A few months ago, I went into a Reliance shop and picked up a 3G USB modem for my MacBook. It was not very "reliant".
2) Where did you pick up your iPad 2?
I'm actually planning on having a friend bring one to me from the US, so I don't have to pay the 25-30% "luxury tax" for buying it here.
Is 3G service available yet in India? I thought that licenses had only been recently handed out?
Connected to whom? Someone at Apple? I doubt it. Apple doesn't seem to me to be the type of company that does any analyst any special favors. In fact, with regulation FD and how aggressively the SEC is now going after this sort of thing, Apple would be foolish to even be associated with the slightest whiff of providing information favors.
How much did you pay in rupees for the iPad 2?
Don't know how much BestKeptSecret paid, but I checked the price here and it's an annoying 54% mark-up from Apple's price of $829.
All of Apple's products are marked up significantly higher than "competitor's" products--reinforcing the notion that Apple is more expensive. In fact, as I type this, I'm seeing an ad on the top of my page for a Dell Inspiron M101zt (2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, 11.6" HD display) for Rs. 20,900 ($472). Compare that with the India price of the MacBook Air: Rs. 59,994.
Don't know how much BestKeptSecret paid, but I checked the price here and it's an annoying 54% mark-up from Apple's price of $829.
All of Apple's products are marked up significantly higher than "competitor's" products--reinforcing the notion that Apple is more expensive. In fact, as I type this, I'm seeing an ad on the top of my page for a Dell Inspiron M101zt (2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, 11.6" HD display) for Rs. 20,900 ($472). Compare that with the India price of the MacBook Air: Rs. 59,994.
You are comparing a netbook (Dell inspirion) with an ultra portable laptop (MBA). To expect the same price categories, is asked a little too much.
besides the MBA sports a SSD which is compared to the 5200rps HDD in the inspirion a total boost.
You are comparing a netbook (Dell inspirion) with an ultra portable laptop (MBA). To expect the same price categories, is asked a little too much.
besides the MBA sports a SSD which is compared to the 5200rps HDD in the inspirion a total boost.
Good points, for sure. But the average (i.e. uninformed) consumer will simply look at the two and and say, "My God, the Dell is sooo much cheaper!!" and not even give the MBA a second look.
Apple store at Ginza may have had lines around the block, but Apple store in Kichijoji was a ghost town. You could walk in off the street and buy as many iPad2s as you wanted. Makes me wonder if the Ginza store wasn't staged as a publicity stunt.
Having a first post, and that being negative, makes me wonder if your comment wasn't staged as a fandroid publicity stunt.
The long lines are expected worldwide, but what seems to be more silly is that their allocation of stock in Apple Online Store Hong Kong was such a joke, its like whats the point of clicking it, when you cannot even pre-order. Apple should have notice this, they have plenty of fans in this region, they should have stock up. Creating a buzz in the market is one thing, but extreme inconvenience of getting one makes loyal users feels angry I am one of the die hard Mac user, and has never experience getting a red hot Apple product will have to go through so much inconvenience, this is not a limited supply product. No wonder the grey market is so active, Apple basically helps to create this market. I rather hope Apple will delay the announcement until they have sufficient stock, this is just ridiculous.
From their recent earnings call, Apple stated they are selling every single iPad2 they could make. There is no inventory. I would rather have them keep their rollout schedule so at least some folks could get them in their hands. If you really need it that badly, queue up.
Having a first post, and that being negative, makes me wonder if your comment wasn't staged as a fandroid publicity stunt.
Submitted from my iPad there buddy. I usually only feel compelled to post comments when I sense bullsh!t.
Don't know how much BestKeptSecret paid, but I checked the price here and it's an annoying 54% mark-up from Apple's price of $829.
All of Apple's products are marked up significantly higher than "competitor's" products--reinforcing the notion that Apple is more expensive. In fact, as I type this, I'm seeing an ad on the top of my page for a Dell Inspiron M101zt (2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, 11.6" HD display) for Rs. 20,900 ($472). Compare that with the India price of the MacBook Air: Rs. 59,994.
You are comparing a netbook (Dell inspirion) with an ultra portable laptop (MBA). To expect the same price categories, is asked a little too much.
besides the MBA sports a SSD which is compared to the 5200rps HDD in the inspirion a total boost.
Still you can compare the prices. The List prices for the Apple and the Dell in the US are $1000 and $600, respectively so the Apple to Dell ratio is 1.67. The best street prices In the US are $830 and $500, respectively so the Apple to Dell ratio is 1.66. This ratio does not hold in India where the prices are Rs 59,994 and Rs 20,900, respectively for a ratio of 2.87.
If the 1.67 ratio held, the price for the Apple would be Rs 34,900. Not admitting to an Apple Tax in the US, the Apple Tax in India is TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND RUPEES.
Went to a local mall in my city (Petaling Jaya) early this morning to pick up one. When I got there (at about 8.30am) there were already more than 20 people ahead of me.
By 10.30am - which is when the store usually opens - there were more than 60 people in line. Some of them had to be turned away because they ran out of units to sell.
Elsewhere in Kuala Lumpur (the capital - incidentally quite near me) buyers numbered over a hundred at most stores. I wouldn't be surprised if my part of the country had completely ran out of iPads by lunchtime.
Across the "Klang Valley" - what Malaysians call the greater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area - all iPads were sold out by the end of the first day of launch, Friday, April 29. Today, April 30, you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere with any stock left.
On the first day, volumes sold are probably in the tens of thousands, probably not hundreds of thousands, though of course demand is still very high. We're talking 10 Apple Premium Reseller outlets with 100 to 1,000 units at each outlet, and multiple Authorised Resellers and places like Harvey Norman (kinda like Best Buy).
The Malaysian online Apple Store is showing 1-2 weeks shipping time.
The Xoom and PlayBook has no chance if Apple can keep up iPad 2 rolling out everywhere around the world and meet demand where it has launched.
On Friday afternoon and evening I was helping out at a local Apple reseller store in the backroom. It was non-stop. Almost like a Starbucks. "iPad 32 3G Black"... "White 16 WiFi" ... "Low-fat light whip to go"
This was also probably the first time in Malaysia we had people camping overnight at the mall, which has never really happened before... Some guys from http://www.intelligent-app.com/ and http://www.ipadmalaysialabs.com/ who were probably quite enthusiastic but also plugging their services. Surprisingly the mall security allowed the overnight camping in certain malls.
Apple store at Ginza may have had lines around the block, but Apple store in Kichijoji was a ghost town. You could walk in off the street and buy as many iPad2s as you wanted. Makes me wonder if the Ginza store wasn't staged as a publicity stunt.
Maybe for Ginza but believe me in Australia and places like Malaysia and of course the US there are no publicity stunts.
People are grabbing these things left, right and centre. And remember in most of these launch countries we haven't even touched education and enterprise sales, which usually take time to order and fulfil.
Originally Posted by Robin Huber
Having a first post, and that being negative, makes me wonder if your comment wasn't staged as a fandroid publicity stunt.
Submitted from my iPad there buddy. I usually only feel compelled to post comments when I sense bullsh!t.
Right, and this was the first and only time you sensed bullshit. Sorry, I remain unconvinced. Buddy.