iPad Opening Weekend Pre-Orders Pegged at Roughly 150,000 Units

[RainbowMac]

I reserved one at my local store for pickup, but whether I actually purchase it is another story. It doesn't quite overwhelm me, especially after reading this article and googling the competition:

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109051/should-you-preorder-an-ipad

 

[inkswamp]

Not bad actually, considering the fact that not too many people put their hands on it.

The people I know who are interested in the iPad are also iPhone owners (and are PC users, weirdly enough.) I think a lot of people assume it's going to be like a big iPhone so in a sense, they have used the iPad.

It's ironic to me that the most derisive joke about the iPad ("so, it's just a big iPhone") may actually be its biggest selling point.

 

[peterdevries]

If these numbers are accurate and the current "slower" steady rate continues until April 3, that will be 500k pre-orders, not counting in-store pickups. Sounds pretty great to me.

I also wonder what effect, if any, not having the 3G models ready by April 3 is having on pre-orders of those.

What many people also forget here is that this only reflects US orders, as the other announced regions are not yet open for preorder.

 

[llurgy]

The people I know who are interested in the iPad are also iPhone owners (and are PC users, weirdly enough.) I think a lot of people assume it's going to be like a big iPhone so in a sense, they have used the iPad.

It's ironic to me that the most derisive joke about the iPad ("so, it's just a big iPhone") may actually be its biggest selling point.

To me, this is its biggest selling point, though I have to change the iPhone to the iPod Touch.
I have had my first gen Touch since around 5 months post launch and I have always hankered after a Touch that is bigger, and hey presto, here it is!
I was one of those that pre-ordered within the first 5 minutes.

 

[RebootD]

Apple: The ultimate form of peer pressure consumerism!

As much as I could care less about the iPad right now I have to give credit Apple for figuring out the perfect recipe for creating a frenzy for products as status symbols. No one gives a crap if you have a Blackberry but if you DON'T have an iPhone you must be poor/incompetent/non-tech savvy so people get one so they don't feel labeled otherwise. Same with Macbooks in colleges. It isn't "Why do I need a Macbook" it's "OMG everyone else has one and my Dell looks horrible.. Daddy I need a Macbook!"

And now we have the iPad, a product no one cared about until Apple repackaged it as a "new, magical and innovative device" and people are pre-ordering something that has no tested value or having touched one! Amazing!

I love my MBP, IPT and my way-overpriced-MacPro but wow I don't understand the mass hysteria thing and never have.

 

[Small White Car]

I suppose you're the same kind of guy who "knew" that the iPod and the iPhone wouldn't catch on, yeah?

Yeah...and then they all "knew" that the iPod Mini would fail because you could get so much more drive space in the larger iPod! That guess worked out really well for them too, huh?

I love how these same folks all say "it's just a big iPod Touch." Well, duh. That's WHY it's going to sell millions of units. They keep saying that like it's a bad thing or something. Come this Christmas how many $400 iPod Touch sales will instead become $500 iPad sales? Quite a few, I'd wager.

 

[ikramerica]

No 3G pre-orders until FCC approval.

The wifi model can be sold without it because it is merely based on the FCC approved wifi standard using FCC approved wifi hardware. But from what I understand, each cell phone must be approved individually as they are more likely to cause general interference if not designed/shielded correctly.

 

[sam10685]

There's only 150,000 die-hard nerds?

 

[sanPietro98]

What if Steve Jobs and his friends at Disney have secretly cooked up something magical for the iPad together?

Disney magic + Apple magic in one device. Let's not forget that Steve Jobs is the largest individual shareholder in Disney and member of the Disney board.

Just saying ...

And it was reported that Bob Iger (Disney CEO) was in the front row at the iPad media event. I would love to see what an Imagineer could devise with the iPad. Zip-a-dee-doo-da indeed.

 

[Rootus]

And now we have the iPad, a product no one cared about until Apple repackaged it as a "new, magical and innovative device" and people are pre-ordering something that has no tested value or having touched one! Amazing!

Amazing to you, maybe. The rest of us saw this one coming.

I use my iPhone all the time. Give me a bigger version of it with more screen real estate that I can use when I'm commuting on the train, or at home to read an e-book or surf the web when I don't feel like parking my butt in front of the computer ... I'm tempted.

 

[sanPietro98]

No one gives a crap if you have a Blackberry but if you DON'T have an iPhone you must be poor/incompetent/non-tech savvy so people get one so they don't feel labeled otherwise.

Huh?

I've NEVER heard this line of "thought" before. I know plenty of people who bash the iPhone and AT&T and would never get one.

 

[ValSalva]

I just hope good news like this for the iPad isn't bad news for Macs. Is Apple too distracted by the iPad? A lot of consumers are losing patience with Apple not updating the MBP - not because the C2D models are bad but simply because there are so many cheaper Core i5 and i7 laptops around.

And all this lawsuit against HTC makes one wonder if iPhone 4.0 isn't going to be anything special: litigate rather than innovate.

Tomorrow is another Tuesday but I don't have high hopes any more of Apple paying as much attention to the Mac. Updates to the MBP and Mac Pro will probably end up waiting until May or June.

 

[FSMBP]

I suppose you're the same kind of guy who "knew" that the iPod and the iPhone wouldn't catch on, yeah?

Nope. I embraced the iPhone and knew it would change the game regardless that it launching with shortcomings. I didn't know about the iPod as I was not following Apple then.

Nice try.

 

[FSMBP]

Yeah...and then they all "knew" that the iPod Mini would fail because you could get so much more drive space in the larger iPod! That guess worked out really well for them too, huh?

I love how these same folks all say "it's just a big iPod Touch." Well, duh. That's WHY it's going to sell millions of units. They keep saying that like it's a bad thing or something. Come this Christmas how many $400 iPod Touch sales will instead become $500 iPad sales? Quite a few, I'd wager.

Wrong. Don't make assumptions about what I said.

You're telling me that the teens, the market for touches, would rather carry a big tablet around the schools? They would rather carry a device that they can shove into their pockets and hide easily. If they want to listen to music, you think people are going to jam out to their giant iPads???!

Plus, I'm sure parents in this economy would rather spend $200 vs. $500.

 

[gwynne]

You're telling me that the teens, the market for touches

Is this a known demographical statistic? Everyone I know who owns an iTouch is an adult.

 

[gwangung]

Wrong. Don't make assumptions about what I said.

You're telling me that the teens, the market for touches, would rather carry a big tablet around the schools? They would rather carry a device that they can shove into their pockets and hide easily. If they want to listen to music, you think people are going to jam out to their giant iPads???!

No, they're telling you that, even here, size matters.

 

[seedster2]

The numbers are what I expected for the most part. The Apple fans jumped on it and everyone else is just in a wait and see mode. When you leave Apple oriented websites most people are curious about the iPad, but it's nothing like the iPhone in terms of excitement and demand.

Only time will tell if curiosity is enough to sell a $500 tertiary device to people.

Yeah I certainly didn't expect iPhone numbers. I think most rational people besides certain zealots expected a strong turn out. I was pleasantly surprised with this figure. Not sure how accurate it is, but it's promising. The questions still remains was it the general audience? or just the fanatics? I recall everyone saying this product wasn't geared towards them.

The question is what will be a steady demand for ipad after initial period. Apple make a pretty smart move, when postponed sales to April 3rd. Now they can hide sale stats until July 21. I can imagine Jobs in a year saying something like:
"Well, so Ipad is a kind of hobby for us, but we still investing into this platform"

Apple is really ahead of the class. Besides the overselling of "magical and revolutionary" in the iPad announcement, they rarely ever slip up.

If it lives up to the hype, they will flaunt the numbers. If it falls short you wont hear a word about the figures and the zealots will be on super defense mode code red

For what it's worth, the people I know who are interested in the iPad have all said they want to play with one in the store first so they haven't pre-ordered.

I think this is accurate of most of the market. The iPhone was something completely new to the market. This is mostly perceived as a supersized Touch. Whether there's a demand for it by the general market is going to be interesting

the whole analysis smells like pseudo science. Too many assumptions.

Only apple knows the numbers.
Other reports suggest they have oversold accessories.

I must admit I'm impressed with the initial numbers. Though I have a feeling most of those sales went to the Fanboys, Media employees and Developers.

I'm interested to see how the sales will be 1 month after it launches. That is a better barometer IMO.

Yeah I am skeptical of the numbers. If they were super negative, I am sure most would outspoken about the guesstimates. I think they'll sell a bunch intially. Sustainable? Who knows

The people I know who are interested in the iPad are also iPhone owners (and are PC users, weirdly enough.) I think a lot of people assume it's going to be like a big iPhone so in a sense, they have used the iPad.

It's ironic to me that the most derisive joke about the iPad ("so, it's just a big iPhone") may actually be its biggest selling point.

Good point. I don't think anyone was really blown away by the presentation. Maybe even underwhelmed in some cases. But will the familiar ecosphere and the existing hardware be compelling enough to convince others to shell out 500+

 

[CBGEEK626]

Just a couple of points on some of the meta-topics in this thread -

I think Apple is using the "magical" theme in reference to Sir Arthur Charles Clarke's quote that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

"It just works," According to SJ.

I've said this before but will repeat it here. With the Ipad Apple is trying to culture change how people interact with a "computer."

Ignore 30+ years of computing and imagine how gobsmacked we would be by the Ipad if that style of personal computing had been introduced in the 1980's. With 2010's functionality of course. The tech world would be completely different had we walked the mobile computing path years ago.

And it's my gut feeling that the Ipad with be the PRIMARY computing device for millions of people in the world, not a tertiary one. Think outside your own generation to the ones both in front and behind you. And to the world outside the "First World."

Dave

 

[gwangung]

J

And it's my gut feeling that the Ipad with be the PRIMARY computing device for millions of people in the world, not a tertiary one. Think outside your own generation to the ones both in front and behind you. And to the world outside the "First World."

Dave

Dad has computer/laptop. Mom has an iPad and that's enough. Kid has iPad.

Hm. Hmmmm.

 

[Friscohoya]

Numbers would have been better if Apple allowed reservations on the 3G one. I am one of those people waiting around till who knows when to reserve a 3G one. My luck, it will be end of April ... last day of month. Blah.

You can reserve a 3G now. Just wont ship until available.

 

[Crike .40]

It's likely that this has been said several times over already, but:

I, like many of my friends, am waiting for 3g and getting some facetime at my local Apple store. If the product is solid so too will be the sales. Pre-order numbers look AMAZING relative to iPhone, and I have a sneaking suspicion that those are only the tip of the iceberg (if Apple can indeed deliver).

 

[ItsGavinC]

The numbers are nothing staggering, but not bad at all for a device that 99% of the people who ordered have never actually seen or held. Not bad at all.

More like 100%, unless you are including "seeing" the iPad on the website, or the keynote video. It's 100% for all intents and purposes.

 

[AidenShaw]

I guess I don't see the negativity of the article - was the iPad ever expected to more than a niche product?

I heard that it was "the most important thing" that the turtlenecked
one has ever done.

 

[Amnak]

I want one but I wish i could get a student discount ... Because I'm just that a poor college student

 

[AidenShaw]

As much as I could care less about the iPad
right now I have to give credit Apple for figuring out the perfect
recipe for creating a frenzy for products as status symbols.

Give RebootD a gold star for understanding Apple's marketing.

There's only 150,000 die-hard nerds?

Or, we now know the upper limit on the number of die-hard fanbois.

Note "die-hard fanbois", and not just "fanbois". I have a friend who
is a major fanboi (he has two MacBook Airs - got the 1G, then the 2G
when it came out).

He didn't pre-order an Ipad....

And it's my gut feeling that the Ipad with be the PRIMARY computing device
for millions of people in the world, not a tertiary one.

And slates may be the PRIMARY computing devices for billions of people
in the world.

Apple's sales/marketing/support model will keep Apple on the
sidelines of the revolution. (By "support" I include Itunes -
the walled garden of Econtent.)