iPad released in Canada - Post Mortem

[sir1900]

It has been four days since the release of the much anticipated iPad in Canada. All stores in my city are sold out. In fact, stores as far as 4 hours away are sold out too.

In my line of work, an iPad will come in handy and will pay for itself over and over. What has me scratching my head is the fact that most people don't need an iPad yet they are sold out everywhere. It has no where near the capabilities of a laptop and it is not a device that you can simply fit into your back pocket when not in use. Either they are really selling like hotcakes, or Apple is unable to keep up with the demand.

64 GB with WiFi and 3G retail for $879.
32 GB with WiFi and 3G retail for $779.

Call me sour grapes. And yes I am venting a little. I am getting tired of carrying my netbook and hooking it up to the mobile internet stick. The netbook is slow and a pain in the butt to take with me everywhere I go.

 

[The Critic]

For what line of work does an iPad come in handy? I am having a difficult time thinking of one.

 

[addyguy]

Part of a FREE market economy is people are FREE to buy what they want even if it doesn't make sense.

What has ME scratching my head is why a company, when they KNOW they have a winner on their hands, don't make more availiable at launch time, and make that much more money from hordes of people who will buy blindly.

There should be enough available that everyone who wants one can get one!

 

[simple_gifts]

2 million Ipads already sold.

Considering only 10 people at the Ipod/Ipad factory have committed suicide, it is clear they are not working hard enough.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Considering only 10 people at the Ipod/Ipad factory have committed suicide, it is clear they are not working hard enough.

 

[javacontour]

If you wait too long, you lose the advantage of being first.

If you build too fast, you may lose quality and then you lose market share.

It's a fine line. Go too soon, without enough product and you alienate the marketplace.

Wait too long and someone steals your thunder.

Plus, what if the product is a dud, and now you have 10 million instead of 2 million. You have more to fix, etc.

There are valid reasons to "go slow" yet go when you introduce a new product to the marketplace.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Part of a FREE market economy is people are FREE to buy what they want even if it doesn't make sense.

What has ME scratching my head is why a company, when they KNOW they have a winner on their hands, don't make more availiable at launch time, and make that much more money from hordes of people who will buy blindly.

There should be enough available that everyone who wants one can get one!


Thats simple. First you want to get them to market ASAP to make money. Any factory can only produce so many in a day. You don't want to have to stockpile them to get enough for everyone who wants one. That would cost money in having inventory sitting around.

Also, scarcity creates demand. People want what they can't have.

 

[simple_gifts]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Considering only 10 people at the Ipod/Ipad factory have committed suicide, it is clear they are not working hard enough.

It is the truth.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Also, scarcity creates demand. People want what they can't have.


Truth of life.

 

[SLCraig]

That thing is terrible.

Add one more to the list of useless Apple products.

 

[mormit]

Sir1900. What netbook do you have? Some came with XP which was a fine system in it's time for desktops but really doesn't work on a device like a netbook.

My Hp netbook running Ubuntu can do a lot more than the iPad and faster. Full useable keyboard, much faster processor, decent cam and mic so I can yack on Skype, solid wireless connection, etc....even runs Flash.

As far as the why do people who don't need thing, well there is a sucker born every minute. Nigerian bank scams and fuel line magnets still sell don't they?

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Originally Posted By: sir1900
It has been four days since the release of the much anticipated iPad in Canada. All stores in my city are sold out. In fact, stores as far as 4 hours away are sold out too.

In my line of work, an iPad will come in handy and will pay for itself over and over. What has me scratching my head is the fact that most people don't need an iPad yet they are sold out everywhere. It has no where near the capabilities of a laptop and it is not a device that you can simply fit into your back pocket when not in use. Either they are really selling like hotcakes, or Apple is unable to keep up with the demand.

64 GB with WiFi and 3G retail for $879.
32 GB with WiFi and 3G retail for $779.

Call me sour grapes. And yes I am venting a little. I am getting tired of carrying my netbook and hooking it up to the mobile internet stick. The netbook is slow and a pain in the butt to take with me everywhere I go.


Check with college bookstores, if there are any close by. Many of them carry Apple products and they do not have nearly as much traffic as Best Buy, etc.

 

[sir1900]

Well I picked one up on Wednesday. Wanted the 32GB but they only had 64GB left.

Mormit, I have a Acer, which I've owned for about a year now. It has XP. I agree that a netbook has more to offer than a iPad. However, in my line of work (sales), people who call me are demanding instant information or else they will call someone else. A compact device with Internet turned on at all times wherever I go is well worth the money spent.

So far so good. And clients are impressed when I show up with no papers or notepad -- just a handheld device to input all the information.

 

[marcre]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
For what line of work does an iPad come in handy? I am having a difficult time thinking of one.


Are you serious? I can think of many, many lines of work this would come in handy. Especially for people that are out and about a lot. Most people don't need insane computing power. The less you have to carry when you are out, the better. The smaller size comes in handy for many. It can do almost everything a normal laptop can do, just a lot smaller and more convenient.

 

[marcre]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
That thing is terrible.

Add one more to the list of useless Apple products.


Lame.

 

[marcre]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Part of a FREE market economy is people are FREE to buy what they want even if it doesn't make sense.

What has ME scratching my head is why a company, when they KNOW they have a winner on their hands, don't make more availiable at launch time, and make that much more money from hordes of people who will buy blindly.

There should be enough available that everyone who wants one can get one!


It's not that simple. They have to actually be assembled. You can't make millions a day. The release is all over the world. The parts to assemble take time to make as well. I guess they could have waited until they made several million, but then they wouldn't have been released yet.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: marcre
It's not that simple. They have to actually be assembled. You can't make millions a day. The release is all over the world. The parts to assemble take time to make as well. I guess they could have waited until they made several million, but then they wouldn't have been released yet.


Plus, when you're dealing with the early adopter types the less available something is, the more they want it. I doubt this is lost on the Apple marketing folks.

 

[marcre]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
Originally Posted By: marcre
It's not that simple. They have to actually be assembled. You can't make millions a day. The release is all over the world. The parts to assemble take time to make as well. I guess they could have waited until they made several million, but then they wouldn't have been released yet.


Plus, when you're dealing with the early adopter types the less available something is, the more they want it. I doubt this is lost on the Apple marketing folks.


That's true. When ever a popular product comes out, it is hard to keep on the shelves.

 

[marcre]

Originally Posted By: sir1900


So far so good. And clients are impressed when I show up with no papers or notepad -- just a handheld device to input all the information.


One thing I've noticed about being in sales is that clients, whether it's subconsciously or not, I don't know, like the fact that people have nice "stuff". They seem to trust someone more that seems technologically advanced and on the surface seems successful.

 

[Mystic]

The thing I have noticed with Apple products is not too long after something is released there will be a large price drop. The first people who bought iPhones paid a lot of money and then after several months had gone by the iPhone was selling a lot cheaper. So the really wise thing to do is wait until the price drops.

What I can't understand is people waiting in line even overnight in the cold and bad weather or the heat just to buy some product. Especially when it tends to be way overpriced when it is first released. Wait a little bit until the price gets more reasonable-and when you don't have to stand in line.