Apple Announces Two Million iPads Sold

[cmfilms]

Gotta love that this is seen as Memorial Day throwaway news by Apple.

Any other company would have this out as a major press release, but for Apple it's just another day of good news.

 

[notjustjay]

Asus claims 10 hours of battery...we'll see. For the (likely) half price of an iPad with a 1080p 10" screen, I'll take it.

"Price wise, a tag of $399 to $499 has been given although the release date is not till Q1 2011."

Pretty darned close to the price of an iPad (though to be fair, it's half the price of the 64 GB/3G iPad), but you'll be waiting a while for it.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see more competition out there -- iron sharpens iron, so to speak -- but from what I can tell it will be a while before the competition really starts to get good.

 

[Tulse]

give me convincing, practical reasons as to why the iPad is Magical and Revolutionary

It is compact and lightweight, with an interface that, for the most part, gets out of your way. It can do the vast majority of most everyday computing needs in an extremely focused way without the hassle of managing a computer. It is a simple slab that, unlike a netbook or laptop, isn't clunky to use in one hand, or awkward to open and turn on (it's up practically instantly). It can carry your entire library of books, your entire set of magazines, all your documents, all your music, play movies, access email, play games -- ten hours at at time. It may not be the right device for you, but for most people, it does what they need, which is not "computing", but various specific tasks.

Ultimately, you need to use it to understand it, and use it not as a "laptop replacement" or "alternative to netbook", but instead use it as "a way to get stuff done". If you focus on doing tasks rather than the hardware, you might find that it is indeed as magical and revolutionary as many folks say. I know my technophobic spouse has.

 

[czachorski]

So what *exactly* has Apple innovated in terms of the iPad? I keep asking this repeatedly but don't seem to get any convincing replies. It looks shiny and opens windows fast, the experience is magical, look they are selling etc. are not the kind of replies I am interested in hearing.

So Sigh, nth time - try and give me convincing, practical reasons as to why the iPad is Magical and Revolutionary and why according to Jobs it is going to replace the PC when it can't even start up and do its thing without being attached to the PC. (That was a starting point, a hint if you will.)

The revolution/magic comes from incremental learning and improvements made over the last decade by Apple leading to this moment. In 2000, Apple knew how to make a good computer. They then iterated from there to OS X, to the iPod, iTunes, iTunes Music Store, iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone application store, and now the iPad, the iBook store and the iPad app store.

Competitors are trying to take their desktop/laptop experience and go straight to the tablet world, sans the incremental learning and improvements. This is a tough road, and it shows in the products they have produced so far, and the products they are attempting to bring to the market in the future. They may produce a worthy competitor someday, but it may be years off at this point.

The magic is that Apple is the only company in the world that can deliver on such a product, end user experience, price point, and polish today, due to their unique experience this past decade, and do it so overwhelmingly good, that 2 million people line up for it in the first 60 days. That's what we're celebrating today. Way to go Apple!

 

[BobVB]

The magic is that Apple is the only company in the world that can deliver on such a product, end user experience, price point, and polish today and do it so overwhelmingly good, that 2 million people line up for it in the first 60 days.

I must agree. Again referring to my 60 year old techo-ignorant sister who not only figured out how to use the iPad by herself (with no previous ownership of iPhone OS device) and decided on her own she want to buy one right away. Her husband says she sits in the living room as they watch TV surfing, playing games and reading books. Considering my 'fingernails on a chalkboard' support efforts in the past this is both magical and miraculous.

People who haven't used one just don't understand. I'm a technonerd and I haven't used my laptop more than 30 minutes since I got my iPad.

 

[JediZenMaster]

Not true. The Apple TV is that paper weight, and it's only selling at "hobbyist" levels, even at a much lower price point than the iPad.

Funny how people raved about the Nexus one and it was pretty much sold at a hobbyist level also. But yet Apple TV gets panned and bashed and the N1 seems to be loved.

Talk about biased.

 

[Winni]

What I don't get is all the naysayers saying wait for the Android or WebOS based tablets, because they'll be better.

Isn't most of the hate directed against the iPad from people the fact that its iPhoneOS (hence a 'big ipod') and isn't a 'real' computer?

Well, aren't those alternatives 'just' big Android or Palm phones?

It's been pretty much proven that a 'full' OS (Win 7, Linux) doesn't fit with the tablet experience. So what will you get with the others? Flash? A mostly useless USB port?

You'll get complete Freedom: An Open Source operating system and development kit and a distribution channel without restrictions and censorship. Everybody is welcome to the party and can put the software on any sort of device.

Apple has an initial success. They also had one with the Mac and the iPhone. But eventually Windows owned the desktop and Android is going to own the mobile market. Android devices are already out-selling iPhone OS-based gadgets. Two million sold iPads won't make a difference on a global scale.

The game could be completely different if Apple opened their platforms to third parties. But they don't, so eventually they will go back to their niche and leave the lion share of the market to somebody else who is willing to play well with others. This time it's going to be Google.

 

[BergerFan]

I don't need one but somehow I want one.

That's a familiar tale.

 

[louis Fashion]

H8ter Aid

Ahhh the magic of a giant iPod Touch that can't display the thousands of Flash sites. That's some lame magic.

ooooH, SOMEBODY be drinking the Hater-Aid....

 

[WilliamLondon]

At least mine did not require viewing through Fanboi goggles for making sense.

Since mine never arrived, I assume you stole mine from the post and are looking through them backwards.

But eventually Windows owned the desktop and Android is going to own the mobile market. Android devices are already out-selling iPhone OS-based gadgets. Two million sold iPads won't make a difference on a global scale.

You're doing two things wrong here - first, stop comparing OS to hardware, it's silly. Apple is a hardware company, wanting to sell hardware. Android is an OS, and the reason it exists is to communicate your usage to Google who sells it on to advertisers.

The second silly thing you're doing is creating a competition. Why does there have to be a competition. What difference does it make that one item sells more than another? The one that sells more is *not* the better item and to align with the one that sells more doesn't make *you* a better person. Choose the product you enjoy using and stop this silly posturing about Windows being better because it sells more (as an OS than hardware devices) and Android taking over the world (now there's a big brother moment in thought!).

 

[Horus]

You'll get complete Freedom: An Open Source operating system and development kit and a distribution channel without restrictions and censorship. Everybody is welcome to the party and can put the software on any sort of device.

Apple has an initial success. They also had one with the Mac and the iPhone. But eventually Windows owned the desktop and Android is going to own the mobile market. Android devices are already out-selling iPhone OS-based gadgets. Two million sold iPads won't make a difference on a global scale.

The game could be completely different if Apple opened their platforms to third parties. But they don't, so eventually they will go back to their niche and leave the lion share of the market to somebody else who is willing to play well with others. This time it's going to be Google.

Funny as always, Winni.

 

[Mirice]

Oh come on... Do you really need to book your trip on the go or at your couch, from your iPad?such a one-time thing, I'd rather do from the comfort of a desk, carefully.

I thought that was part of the magical experience of using the ipad, being able to do things like plan a trip from your couch. So I guess planning a trip is something you can't do with an Ipad.

 

[NSMonkey]

Apple has an initial success. They also had one with the Mac and the iPhone. But eventually Windows owned the desktop and Android is going to own the mobile market. Android devices are already out-selling iPhone OS-based gadgets. Two million sold iPads won't make a difference on a global scale.

The game could be completely different if Apple opened their platforms to third parties. But they don't, so eventually they will go back to their niche and leave the lion share of the market to somebody else who is willing to play well with others. This time it's going to be Google.

No room for more than one product design philosophy, more than one vendor or more than one business model, huh? That's a pretty intolerant view of the needs and wants of consumers.

I vastly prefer Apple's product design to Google's, but Apple doesn't need to be the single, dominant player in order to validate their ideas. They just need to maintain a healthy market share over the long term, which I'm confident they will. Over time, predictions like yours will be proven to be short-sighted. Market dynamics are changing. We're moving toward competition amongst multiple, vertically integrated competitors and Apple is leading the way.

Google is largely following the Microsoft playbook (but one-upping them with a free OS), and there's no reason to think they won't continue to successfully give away their OS to create more ad revenues. My point is that Google's success won't eliminate competition in the way Microsoft's did.

 

[NSMonkey]

No it bloody well doesn't. I've got a 64gig 3G iPad. It's a big iPhone that's a bit faster. It's not magical. It's not revolutionary. It sure as hell isn't 'the future of computing'. And it's just heavy enough that even if it were, you wouldn't want to hold it in your hand too long. Oh - and keep a cloth with you, that glossy screen ( which is damn annoying at the best of times) gets so damn dirty so damn quickly.

It's a nice device. Things it is not.... revolutionary. magical. the future.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[inkswamp]

The Mac never had the market lead you describe. Not in 1984. Not ever.

Thank you!

I've tirelessly pointed this fact out to people on discussion forums for years and you're one of the first I've ever seen say the same. I don't get why this myth persists.

I suspect there are a lot of Mac fans who delight in the notion that Macs once ruled the PC roost as well as a lot of Windows fans who love the notion that Microsoft stole Apple's lunch money. But it's a myth. Macs were a success, but they never had a huge market share for MS to steal.

And that's why I laugh at people trying to draw parallels between the iPod and the iPhone with the early days of the Mac and Windows. It couldn't be any different.

 

[marksman]

Bravo to Apple,

but before we pat ourselves too much on the back, stop and consider this...

http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/2...the-U-S--still-doesn-t--get--mobile_1318.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/weekinreview/11giridharadas.html

Those articles are stupid.

The US trails because they have a massive infrastructure of hard wired lines that people have used for years while these other so-called "advanced" countries were living in mud huts. So with the advance of technology it becomes feasible for them to have phone service, and they end up with wireless every where.

Don't get me wrong, it is a good thing that a lot of these backwater countries went from literally no phone service at all to flushed out cell service, but for people to claim that they are more technologically advanced, or for them of all things claim these backwater countries that create none of the actual technology used in the process are some how more advanced is absolutely absurd.

We don't have the same cell penetration rates of other countries because we have a hard-wired infrastructure several layers deep that is probably more extensive than all the rest of the world combined.

 

[mlblacy]

Wish there was some sort of magic that can dispel trolls

Ahhh the magic of a giant iPod Touch that can't display the thousands of Flash sites. That's some lame magic.

Ahhh, that's some lame comment. It sounded better in February, now it's just getting old. Have a Touch, have a iPad... The two are nothing alike. Yes, they have some similarities, but in terms of functionality the pad blows the doors off the Touch. I have an Air, but the Pad is what I always have with me around the studio, on the road, even next to my desktop. A battery that lasts 8 to 10 hours, 3G and wifi, a screen big enough to actually read off (unlike the Touch).

It was a great purchase, my folks are buying two of their own. My two year old nephew even plays on it. Anything that can be used and easily understood by an age range from toddler to senior, yet be powerful enough for work functions is a hit in my book. I didn't think it would replace my primary workstation, my desktop, but I was surprised it pretty much replaced my laptop.

Oh, and by the way... Comments from folks who don't have one, or had one for a week but took it back, are also less than magical.
Cheers.

 

[scottparker999]

I returned mine after a week. So subtract 1

Within 5 mins it was probably resold, so +1

 

[kironin]

"Kudzu Interactive will use its new capital to increase sales to independent restaurants in addition to chains. It is also working on the iPad app to replace menus at tables, and a new app for fast-food restaurants whereby people order at the counter, to bypass the line. " nytimes.com Tech

I would think you would have to nail down that menu!!!

 

[marksman]

It's a nice device. Things it is not.... revolutionary. magical. the future.

Haha.

Let me guess about your track record on predicting the future.

 

[russellb]

What do you mean with "no competition"? There are plenty of competitors. Plenty of tablet computers out there. Their problem is they are so unsuccessful, you don't even know their names.

Yes I always have to laugh at this sort of comment. People say there is no competition, they simply dont count all the unsuccessful products that failed until now Apple does it the right way.

You wait .... as soon as the first successful competitor gets a decent competing product .. people will say .. SEE I TOLD you the ipad is crap here is a better product, but that will be a year or possibly more down the track after the ipad has been on the market.

Even when Apple put out a great product the competition cant even copy it and do a good job.

 

[lilj4425]

But the economy is terrible.

 

[marksman]

Actually most netbooks have a battery live that is very comparable to that of the iPad .. like 10 hours+ (depending on what you do with it of course).

T.

If you put them in sleep mode.

What netbook has 10+ hours of full on video usage time on their regular battery.

Are you talking about with them plugged into the wall maybe? There is no netbook that comes close to that.

People really have to give up on the battery issue. Apple dominates on the battery front across the board pretty much now, because they make necessary concessions because they believe having a long-lasting built in battery is more important than having the option that 99% of people will never use, which is a replaceable battery.

Apple goes to great lengths for their portable battery life, and you can see that work across all their lines and with every passing year it gets stronger. In 2010 is absolutely off the wall to claim anyone else is close to them in making that happen.

 

[BobVB]

I thought that was part of the magical experience of using the ipad, being able to do things like plan a trip from your couch. So I guess planning a trip is something you can't do with an Ipad.

Not at all - I just made my trip plans on Expedia and Amtrak from my iPad...

 

[NSMonkey]

C'mon haters give it up already. The iPad is a success! No matter what type of tablet google or HP makes it is already too late to catch up with the iPad.

Now those other tablets may have a niche market with geeks and other segments of the market. But apple was first again to the market with a new device. These other companies were soo busy trying to beat apple that they finally got BEAT.

Some people though will never be able to see thru their own blinders but say what you will the iPad is a great device and people love it.

People call it a giant iPod touch,ETC but the device is what you make it and i'm sure somewhere in those 2 Million iPads were people who hated the device. Who purchased it to find reasons to Pan it. But by doing those they helped the device become a success

Google and HP will never make a tablet that can do more than the iPad can. Because they will market it as an iPad killer. Which is wrong. The device won't be able to stand on its own legs because by bashing the iPad it will add to its publicity

Hahahaha! Truth and facts make no difference when it comes to people's blind fear and hatred of whatever they think Apple represents. They're like the most extreme neoconservatives, who prefer to manufacture their own reality rather than acknowledge obvious facts (e.g. their war against Iraq, which was never a threat to the United States and had no involvement in the 9/11 attacks).