Even though I would enjoy having a camera at launch (not a deal breaker for me BTW), a possible reason why it won't could be because of Apple's current litigation with Kodak.
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More Analyst Claims of iPad Production Delays Surface
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Please read the post, with some degree of comprehension. 6 months leaves 4 months for further development and testing before being finalized product is sent into production.
The iPad went into production days after announcement, with a less than 2 month window remaining.
There is no room, in any realm of possibility, for an undisclosed hardware change to have occurred in the days following the iPad announcement. It simply could not have happened.
I love your overly simplistic view of manufacturing though, screens, cameras, attach, connect, all in days work, apparently.
So you think the average store is going to sell 800 iPads per day? I would surprised if there was room in inventory in the average store for 800 iPads boxes plus the common accessories and all of the other stuff the store sells.
If the release date is March 26 there are only five days that supply needs to last. However, selling 225K units in less than a week isn't really a "problem". The iPhone did around 270K in first couple of days (http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13208). If the release date is the 28 even more sustainable (and allow folks to blow away weekend standing in line). On the 30th (last tuesday) even more so.
It is quite likely Apple is going to want to push the bulk of the new revenue for the iPad into a new quarter. The new quarter starts after March ends. So very likely the launch date will be pushed very close to very end of the month. Get a decent amount of "teaser" money this quarter from the iPad but not a long enough sample so that folks look past it.
It also won't hurt Apple much if there is an initial scarceness to the supply in the beginning. That will result in more news stories about just how rare and magical the iPad is. More free hype for Apple.
There are also a significant number of buyers who are waiting to see the iPad for themselves before buying one. Buying a $600 device sight unseen is more than a little goofy. This is only going to be the WiFi only model. Additionally, some folks are going to be on the sidelines also because the model they want isn't out yet.
Who is pulling numbers out of their butt now ? hand waving analyst countered by hand waving non analyst.
500K/wk supported by what? Most surveys have put those "inclined" to buy an iPad down in the 9-13% range. That is similar to what the Mac market is relative to the PC market. Throw on top that this is only 1/2 of the product line up being sold. Seriously? You think Apple will sell around 10M of the WiFi only units in the first year?
Well the WSJ and a few others have pre-release iPads the majority of developers aren't going to get one until the release date. Nobody with an interest in quality is going to ship software having only done development on the iPad simulator. It is also quite likely that differences between the simulator and real hardware will pop up. In short, the software ( which really will be the critical driver) is going to slow roll out. Most likely it will catch up to when the 3G version ships.
The initial sales are more likely to be like original iPhone sales not what the initial 3G and 3Gs initial sales were.
Not to be annoying or anything, but...
I too want a camera built into the iPad, and I think it's quite clear (based on the camera mount, software, etc..) that Apple wants a camera in the iPad as well.
The reality however is that Kodak has decided to sue everyone and their mom's over camera tech licensing, which is more than likely the reason the iPad wasn't announced with a camera.
If Kodak wins their lawsuit, then Apple (and the other companies being sued) will have to pay license fees for all pre-existing, current, and future products that contain the camera tech in question. Considering all of the products Apple currently has utilizing those cameras, the fees could end up being astronomical, and I'd put good money on Apple wanting to avoid paying extra license fees to Kodak by including those cameras in the iPad.
Unfortunately it's the end-user/customer who ends up holding the short end of the stick in some of these lawsuits. Obviously, if the courts rule in Kodak's favor and the patent infringement claims prove to be true, then I feel all these companies should pay the appropriate license fees. Fair is fair, and in the same vein, Apple should be compensated by those other companies incorporating their Multitouch tech in other products.
We'll obviously see a webcam/video-conferencing camera in the iPad at some point, but I doubt it'll be the same components mentioned in the lawsuit.
***Sorry, The Mad Hatter already posted a similar comment***
I too want a camera built into the iPad, and I think it's quite clear (based on the camera mount, software, etc..) that Apple wants a camera in the iPad as well.
The reality however is that Kodak has decided to sue everyone and their mom's over camera tech licensing, which is more than likely the reason the iPad wasn't announced with a camera.
If Kodak wins their lawsuit, then Apple (and the other companies being sued) will have to pay license fees for all pre-existing, current, and future products that contain the camera tech in question. Considering all of the products Apple currently has utilizing those cameras, the fees could end up being astronomical, and I'd put good money on Apple wanting to avoid paying extra license fees to Kodak by including those cameras in the iPad.
Unfortunately it's the end-user/customer who ends up holding the short end of the stick in some of these lawsuits. Obviously, if the courts rule in Kodak's favor and the patent infringement claims prove to be true, then I feel all these companies should pay the appropriate license fees. Fair is fair, and in the same vein, Apple should be compensated by those other companies incorporating their Multitouch tech in other products.
We'll obviously see a webcam/video-conferencing camera in the iPad at some point, but I doubt it'll be the same components mentioned in the lawsuit.
***Sorry, The Mad Hatter already posted a similar comment***
If they get swamped with WiFi orders can perhaps play a bit of catch up before adding 3G version demand. If don't get swamped can play with an earlier April date. They just gave themselves a little wiggle room.
Won't be surprised if it is 30 days though to allow the software to more fully roll out before the 3G model hits the market. There is more profit to be made on the 3G models and will want to fully enable the market for them.
Possible just not very probable. The more probable is that shipping a version without a camera is easier (fewer things to go wrong). If trying to minimize initial glitches to fix and have smoothest product launch possible (since Apple itself is putting huge spotlight on this launch) just remove everything not absolutely necessary.
Additionally, it is a easy version 2.0 feature to add later in case don't come up with anything better as a differentiator. At worse it is yet another differentiator to add. (there isn't going to be huge number of hardware going to be able to add over time. Blowing it all in one shot doesn't make sense.)
Pulling a camera because of Kodak would be indicative that Apple thought Kodak's filing meant doom (that the case was so strong they couldn't possibly win and had no patents to bargain with for cross licensing) . That's kind of hard to believe.
Are we being a bit malicious here? Two years ago there was a report that said "the majority of complaints by workers were related to overtime". It turned out that in fact the majority of complaints by workers were about not getting enough overtime.
How about BestBuys 1028 stores and the 2000 "The Carphone" stores in europe? Are they going to have zero inventory?
Meanwhile on the street in Houston, they are already raffling off an iPad as draw to a local event,
Annual Heights Crawfish Broil
http://tinyurl.com/y87ool8
Annual Heights Crawfish Broil
http://tinyurl.com/y87ool8
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)
I can't see why they would be sold in Carphone Warehouse, they're not mobile phones. I could be wrong though?
fjose1929 said:
I can't see why they would be sold in Carphone Warehouse, they're not mobile phones. I could be wrong though?
lol, because you have confirmed that they JUST started producing the thing. Using your logic, shouldn't they wait for the FCC to clear it first? Why would they start producing at all? You don't really know any facts, just guestimations.
Also, YOU DON"T KNOW, if they were testing one with a camera and one without. Noone does, so please stop acting like you are in the know. You are one of us. Please understand that.
Again go back to the launch of the original iPhone. Did it appear in non Apple and non ATT locations on day one? Nope. Apple is likely going to use the opportunity to drive people into their own stores at first. Once their stores are set, they'll let other ones have them.
When the initial kinks are worked out they'll roll distribution out to 3rd parties. Who here thinks there are not going to be any glitches at all on this launch? I don't. Last thing Apple would need is clueless 3rd parties trying to help users with problems.
It is very unlikely that Apple will let these be sold in anything but a highly controlled context for the initial launch.
http://www.appleinsider.com/article...at_best_buy_and_other_assisted_locations.html
"Initially it will be around places with really great assisted sales,"
I don't think that amounts to all Best Buys. I think that is more likely the ones where Apple has a very close hand: the "store within a store" with trained Apple Solution Consultants Best Buys. I also doubt those Euro stores meet the Apple definition of "great assisted sales" either.
Yet another reason for the lower initial production numbers followed by a higher as the locations sold increase later.
I live in an area where there are more than a few Apple stores and the best buys here don't sell Apple computers. They have enough local retail presence that they don't both with these local Best Buy stores. Best Buy and these other are supplementary retail options for Apple where they don't have a foothold. So even after launch only a subset of Best Buy's would be getting these.
There is a huge difference between there was some prototype with a camera in it and testing the final design candidate that is to be shipped off to manufacturing.
The iPad that is coming has the specs listed :
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
No camera listed. Your position is that the folks that composed this page have no clue.
No creditable company is going to release a specs only to just before launch say "Sike! just joking about those specs we posted a couple months ago... here are the reals ones. " The set of shipping features get frozen several months before production manufacturing starts.
First of all apple has never been typical though I dont think that makes them not credible. Secondly, if the camera was in there all along as is possible either behind the screen or in the bezel housing as spotted by a number of different people, then it would have nothing to do with manufacturing. They will still likely have another even and could do a one more thing. I aint saying its likely, I am just saying its possible.
Sorry to be a fusspot...
It's just that headlines with "...Delays Surface" makes me think it's impacting a Microsoft Product.
Just sayin'. Word placement counts for something. (Regret The Error is one of my favourite news blogs.)
I Am Not A Journalist, but why exactly do "claims surface"? Can claims do opposite things like submerge? Evaporate? Seems to be a water metaphor that is a bit murky in usage.
It's just that headlines with "...Delays Surface" makes me think it's impacting a Microsoft Product.
Just sayin'.
Word placement counts for something. (Regret The Error is one of my favourite news blogs.)I Am Not A Journalist, but why exactly do "claims surface"? Can claims do opposite things like submerge? Evaporate? Seems to be a water metaphor that is a bit murky in usage.
Hold Up...
Why wait in line, when you can get your email and just pre-order the damn thing and wait a couple of days for it in the mail?
I am going to Delaware from Maryland to get it tax free and student discounted.
Why wait in line, when you can get your email and just pre-order the damn thing and wait a couple of days for it in the mail?
I am going to Delaware from Maryland to get it tax free and student discounted.
For the ultimate Apple gadget fans, that would be two days that they didn't have a gadget that some other people had. Plus there are rumors of a "thanks for waiting in the rain" prize for those who do on the first day. LOL.
There is no good reason to pre-order electronically or stand in line (unless you are trying to get one and resell it on eBay at higher than market prices). Either one is an act of buying the device on "faith", sight-unseen. Same primary motivator just different wait times. People should seriously consider waiting until they have handled and interacted with one before buying.
P.S. A release date of April 3 makes the 225K entirely sustainable for those sold during the month of March.
Likewise only releasing in US first and other countries later. (*cough* iPhone lanch) Pretty much makes the Euro carphone warehouse stores moot. Likewise " Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. " makes all Best Buy stores moot too.
You have yet to make any sense whatsoever.
Apple products for mass distribution go into production two months before launch. Fact.
The iPad announcement left 2 months before launch. It went into production right away.
Any camera, is a far too significant of an inclusion to remain a secret. Of course Apple has a prototype with a camera, or two. That's a given, and makes absolutely no difference. If it was included, they would have spent 20 minutes showing it off. It would be a gigantic selling point, obviously.
To say I have no knowledge is to say I have no common sense or ability to use logic, which I have. Why you would even argue that its likely for Apple to withhold the announcement of huge feature, even now 1 month to the day before launch and 1 week from Pre-Order, is beyond me.
I have always believed that if there was going to be an Ipad with a Camera, it would be the 3g model. I never thought Wi-Fi would get one. People are already complaining about the $130 price increase, so adding that in would soften the supposed blow. Can we agree that this could be a possible scenario? If not, let's agree to disagree. It's Friday, let's celebrate the weekend.
I have always believed that if there was going to be an Ipad with a Camera, it would be the 3g model. I never thought Wi-Fi would get one. People are already complaining about the $130 price increase, so adding that in would soften the supposed blow. Can we agree that this could be a possible scenario? If not, let's agree to disagree. It's Friday, let's celebrate the weekend.
Nope. Not at all.
Still holding out for a camera on the iPad? Its only 2 more days! And hey, when it doesn't have one, you can always say the 3G model coming in 20 days willlllll have one! After all the $130 has to go somewhere right?!
Reality is amazing thing. Denial is even more interesting.