Apple sells 1m iPads - official

banquo

Not bad for less than a month. Seems there are more early adopters than we though. Looks like it'll be three million by the end of the year ( 1 million in Europe and another million over the coming 11 months, I reckon)

official announcement here.

blaz

It is surprising how many gullible people there are in the world.

Tom Dunne

blaz wrote: »

It is surprising how many gullible people there are in the world.

If you have nothing constructive to contribute, then please don't.

blaz

Tom Dunne wrote: »

If you have nothing constructive to contribute, then please don't.

While my comment was not constructive, it was meant to express my surprise at the number of iPad's that were sold. I would never have expected that, because while being both an owner of a Macbook and an ex-owner of an iPhone, I find the iPad a useless device. I am genuinely interested in what is so appealing about it to the 1 million people that bought it.

Creamy Goodness

blaz wrote: »

While my comment was not constructive, it was meant to express my surprise at the number of iPad's that were sold. I would never have expected that, because while being both an owner of a Macbook and an ex-owner of an iPhone, I find the iPad a useless device. I am genuinely interested in what is so appealing about it to the 1 million people that bought it.

Don know why you find it hard to believe that 1million out of a population of 350million have bought an iPad?

The iPad may not look appealing to you but for others it's great. I've used one and I can say I won't be buying one soon but I can see their place in the market easily.

Tom Dunne

blaz wrote: »

I find the iPad a useless device. I am genuinely interested in what is so appealing about it to the 1 million people that bought it.

Just because you find it useless, doesn't mean others won't, horses for courses really.

It's back to my old argument - if you want a basic web/media browsing device, and you are a non-techie, then it may be for you. If you are a power user, then it most likely isn't for you.

vinnycoyne

blaz wrote: »

I find the iPad a useless device.

Have you actually used an iPad?

banquo

I was on the fence about it until I used one (thanks again, Graham!). I saw the potential for that type of device certainly, but wasn't sure about the iPad specifically. Having used one for just ten minutes I'm beyond convinced. The mammy is getting one, that's for sure. It's perfect for the typical user. All the major complaints are from power users. Like flash - the typical user has no idea what flash even is. Most users I know can't even move files from one folder to another on their PC. Hiding the filesystem has to be an option for OSs down the road.

Pittens

I am genuinely interested in what is so appealing about it to the 1 million people that bought it.

As someone who owns an iPad let me explain.

It is the future of computing, definitely at the consumer end ( producers will need more horsepower and menus and real keyboards).

at the moment because I am working I am using a MacBook, however during the weekend the MacBook stayed in it's room, and I read boards, watched videos ( which look fantastic), read and answered mail and much more on the iPad.

I just picked it up and did it. Also played a few games with it, including social games ( i.e. scrabble).

It looks great, feels fantastic, reacts to touches brilliantly. When organising windows in safari it feels a bit like Minority Report.

Going back to the MacBook was never an option, this is the future as clear as day, as clear as wifi was the future.

So what happens next?

1) iPad dismissed as a toy by iHaters. ( As the original Mac was, because of it's weird use of icons and mice; real men used DOS).
2) Somebody copies the idea - I mean the whole experience including multi-touch. Possibly HTC.
3) Lots of people buy that instead. The very people who didnt see the need a few short years ago.

And the cycle of silliness continues.

Pittens

I should say the battery life is absolutely amazing.

There are issues related to it being V 1.0. I got the cheaper 16G version, which is half taken up with apps, music, and ( mostly) videos already and I did not sync my entire database.

It is lightening fast - faster to render safari than my MacBok pro ( 2009 model). It looks great. Maps is amazing.

I miss 3G when I am out on a train.

So wait and get a 3G model, if they go cheaper, or more memory.

Pittens

Banquo, the only thing that is stopping me giving this to my mom for her birthday sometime ( to replace an iBook) is the lack of printing.

On Flash: youtube videos seemed to play embedded ( for instance on boards), as did some videos from another site a frequent. iPlayer does not work.

longhalloween

Im really impresses by it. Its the beginning of slate computers like in star trek, but what impresses me most is not the ipad itself, but its potential to be amazing!

Give it 2 or 3 years and i can see it becoming as popular as the ipod.

BrianD

banquo wrote: »

Not bad for less than a month. Seems there are more early adopters than we though. Looks like it'll be three million by the end of the year ( 1 million in Europe and another million over the coming 11 months, I reckon)

official announcement here.

Well at that rate it just shows you that the iPad is much a do about nothing. There were all sorts of claims about it changing the fortunes of the newspaper industry etc. With predicted sales that low, it is certainly not a game changer. Acer were estimating that they would sell 25m of their brand alone in 2010. I think we are looking at the betamax of the 21st century.

Bob_Harris

Pittens wrote: »

It is the future of computing, definitely at the consumer end (producers will need more horsepower and menus and real keyboards)

We already have these. They are called laptops.

banquo

BrianD wrote: »

There were all sorts of claims about it changing the fortunes of the newspaper industry et

I never got this argument. ''But it hasn't changed the newspaper industry, a-HA!''

It's been out a month. And the claim isn't iPad specific, but specific to the form factor.

banquo

Also, has anyone noticed since the iPhone a huge resurgence amongst non-techie friends towards Macs? Most of my friends didn't know about Apple products at all two - three years ago, but now the understanding of ''PC and Mac'' (and not just all computers being PCs) is commonplace?

Pittens

We already have these. They are called laptops.

Yeah, when I was referring to producers using menus, and needing keyboards I was referring to laptops. Do keep up.

Pittens

Acer were estimating that they would sell 25m of their brand alone in 2010. I think we are looking at the betamax of the 21st century.

Pretty sure I heard that about the iPhone which took 2 months to get to 1 million downloads.

How many will Apple sell in a year?

Well that 1 million statistic is the American wifi only market, with the 3G released ( estimated to sell about 40% of total iPads) and continuing sales of the WiFi Apple should sell 2 M in the US by end May, and opening up the rest of the world 10-15 million in a 12 month period would be easy.

If people like what they see when their friends show them, it will accelerate. Thats what happened to the iPod ( which had little or no fuss for a few months) and the iPhone.

These things are pretty cheap for what they do.

Elessar

I have a nice Macbook Pro and an iPhone. I don't need an in between device. For me, it just doesn't fit.

I just don't need a gigantic ipod touch.

I can see this selling well for Apple though.

Fat_Fingers

I would like one but cant justify it to myself as i already have ipod and this been just a bigger ipod. Dont tell me you can read books. I love my books old fashioned way - paper book and paper bookmark!

And also smart money never buys Apple gadgets until version 3. Not that i'm smart. Anyone heard of AppleTV, yep i'll say no more.

opinion guy

Eh. To be honest I think the achilles with the ipad is apple's increasing arrogance when it comes to how they developers. I can see niche markets for it as part of an integrated network such as on a manufacturing floor, or on a hospital ward.

But frankly I think someone else will bring out a better specced physical device, which plays flash and has 3G as standard etc etc, but has more open software. Yeah maybe HTC with an android operating system, but I doubt it. I'd say HP maybe (I own a HP tablet pc from few years back. Was actually well put together - it was just slow)

Incidentally check this out. Would be great on a touch screen slate device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ

tallus

I'm sticking with my Archos 7 for the unforseeable future.
It may not be as slick as the iPad but it does have a lot of functionality.

opinion guy

tallus wrote: »

I'm sticking with my Archos 7 for the unforseeable future.
It may not be as slick as the iPad but it does have a lot of functionality.

Thats not a tablet computer...its a phone that can't make calls or send texts.

Fat_Fingers

Correct , Archos 7 is not tablet computer but by that definition neither is my Ipod or Ipad.

I think you mixing it here, nobody ever claimed that Archos 7 is a phone. Its not. Its mainly media player.

opinion guy

Fat_Fingers wrote: »

Correct , Archos 7 is not tablet computer but by that definition neither is my Ipod or Ipad.

I think you mixing it here, nobody ever claimed that Archos 7 is a phone. Its not. Its mainly media player.

Did I forget my sarcasm smiley again ??:rolleyes:

Arcos 7 looks very similar to my HTC but doesn't make calls. My HTC does all that and more. Point of arcos = none

mcgovern

opinion guy wrote: »

But frankly I think someone else will bring out a better specced physical device, which plays flash and has 3G as standard etc etc, but has more open software. Yeah maybe HTC with an android operating system, but I doubt it. I'd say HP maybe (I own a HP tablet pc from few years back. Was actually well put together - it was just slow)

Incidentally check this out. Would be great on a touch screen slate device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ

HP have shelved their plans for their tablet PC since they both Palm.

Fat_Fingers

I personally think its very good that Ipad is selling so well and that Apple came out with it. Sure, Steve Jobs talks c**p when he refers to it as revolutionally and game changing. Thats just crazy Steve Jobs..

Think of it , the others will see that this is a huge market and will get off their lazy backside and make their own slates.
As it is this first Ipad is nothing but gigantor Ipod, very cool looking toy. BUT as competition enters market it will force Apple to update it and I think by version 3 we will have something really special . it’s a win-win for customer.

I’m off to my cryotank to set a alarm for year 2012 to wake up in time for Ipad 3.

tallus

opinion guy wrote: »

Thats not a tablet computer...its a phone that can't make calls or send texts.

It does all the ipad can do + a whole lot more with a lot more storage space.

tallus

opinion guy wrote: »

Did I forget my sarcasm smiley again ??:rolleyes:

Arcos 7 looks very similar to my HTC but doesn't make calls. My HTC does all that and more. Point of arcos = none

Which HTC would that be ?

I don't know of any HTC device comparable to the Archos.

opinion guy

tallus wrote: »

Which HTC would that be ?

I don't know of any HTC device comparable to the Archos.

Touch HD.
Similar size screen. Plays movies, plays music, makes calls, sends sms, email, wifi, 3g. I plan on upgrading to a Desire. What does an arcos do that say a Desire doesn't ? Apart from havin ridiculoulsy massive storage that is ?

Bob_Harris

opinion guy wrote: »

Touch HD.
Similar size screen. Plays movies, plays music, makes calls, sends sms, email, wifi, 3g. I plan on upgrading to a Desire. What does an arcos do that say a Desire doesn't ? Apart from havin ridiculoulsy massive storage that is ?

Android phones have **** media players to be honest.

tallus

The Touch HD is nothing like an Archos.

For a start, it can't record video on the fly from tv.

The Archos has an 800 X 400 Full Web browser on a screen around twice the size of a HD.

It can play more video and audio formats than the HD and secondly, it can play divx, and xvid files without having to convert them for the device, unlike the HD.

I could go on, but both devices are like chalk and cheese and it's dragging us off topic.

The HD is primarily a phone. I don't see it as a vaild comparison as a tablet type device.
The Archos is listed on their site as an internet tablet. You don't have to agree with their terminology, but I do think it's a rival device when compared to the iPad. Slightly smaller screen, but a lot of features, and yes it can play flash which I don't think the iPad can, tho I'm open to correction there.

/edit..

Just took a look at the iPad on youtube.. hmm I'm deffo getting one when I can afford one, it looks pretty sweet tbh. Very slick indeed.

opinion guy

Best use of an ipad I've seen thus far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NP-AeKX40

tallus

opinion guy wrote: »

Best use of an ipad I've seen thus far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NP-AeKX40

That was class!