So today the IPad finally arrived here in the UK!!
Had one shipped from a friend in Florida who got a 16GB one. Mine was shipped via Fed Ex, and rather than wait in all day (they said it would be delivered sometime before 6PM) I got them to hold it at the depot and I picked it up at 9 AM.
Got it home, activated it and synced it with a few Apps, movies, photos and songs which took about 10 minutes. Connected to 3 different wireless networks - 2 of which I host and one is someone nearby and the Wi Fi has no problems and the same strength as Macbook and IPhone. I wonder if the Wi Fi problems are just in the States?
Now for the fun part.....
Had a quick play about with it before setting off to the Apple store. I had a workshop on Final Cut booked so took the IPad with me.
Never actually got anything done at the workshop - spent the whole time showing the Apple store staff the IPad - it was so surreal!!
Staff were coming up to me asking they could touch it, hold it - everyone of them said it is smaller than they expected. Some staff seemed scared to stop and look while others just gathered round me - trying it out, amazed at the speed. Someone told the manager who just looked at me, the device then walked away seemingly disinterested and after about 20 minutes, he came over and told all the staff to go back to work. It turns out he was present at the launch in the states so had obviously seen it and used it etc. not sure if I pissed him off or not, I guess Apple UK have their plans on how they are doing to introduce the device to Apple staff before the launch at the end of the month and I can now see why (if he was) the manager would be pissed. Instead of his staff looking after customers in the store at the time, helping them with products they are currently stocking, they were huddled wound me looking at something they aren't going to be selling for a few weeks yet.
It was a really weird time though.
I know Apple get their staff up in a frenzy whopping, clapping and cheering on product launches and today I think I finally 'got' Apple.
Apple staff are usually introducing the public to products like this, mostly trying to get them to buy them, obviously excited about the product themselves and experiencing some kind of buzz themselves having such a product in their hands and showing it off. Today though it was in reverse. I was the one showing off a new product that they were excited about - something they hadn't seen yet and wanted desperately to touch and feel.
I guess now I know how the team at Infinite Loop feel when they have a product and they get to show it to people for the first time. someone even joked that I should have worn a turtle neck black sweater and jeans, another said I should have just held it above my head and ran through the store whooping and cheering (Steve Balmer Style).
I've had a chance to play with it for a few hours at home now and I am VERY impressed. Everything opens up so fast, web browsing feels like a totally new and better experience. You can't connect to the App store from the device in the UK, so you have to download Apps on ITunes and sync them.
Worth every penny - if nothing else but to see the look on all the Apple Staff's faces when they saw it.
I felt like Steve Jobs.
