APPLE introduce NEW TABLET.....IPAD

[singveld]

you cannot even get a battery swapped in the shop

Apple will issue replacement iPad when battery runs out

The iPad is a sealed unit, which means users cannot replace the battery themselves Photo: Apple

Monday March 15 2010

iPad owners will pay $99 to receive a new device when they need a replacement battery.

It means that iPad users will effectively have to buy a new device if their battery becomes unable to hold a full charge over time.

The iPad - which goes on sale in the US on April 3 is a sealed unit, which means users cannot replace the battery themselves.

Instead, they have to send their old iPad in to Apple, and will receive a replacement iPad in return.

"If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminshed ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee," said Apple on its website. "The service costs $99, plus $6.95 shipping. The total cost is $105.95 per unit."

Users are urged to ensure the data on their iPad is backed up before sending it in for the iPad battery replacement service, because the replacement iPad "will not contain any of your personal data".

The move has raised eyebrows in the technology community.

Several Apple products need to be returned to Apple in order for the battery to be changed, but the iPad is the first device where Apple has explicitly said it will send users a completely new unit.

The iPhone, by contrast, is "serviced" by Apple before being returned to the user.

Apple has started to take pre-orders for the iPad in the US, and the company's website has revealed more details about the touch-screen, tablet-style computer.

Users who choose a 3G model and sign up to a limited-use data plan will receive on-screen alerts to warn them how much of their data allowance they have used and how much is remaining.

Users will also need to download and install the iBooks application on their iPad via the App Store.

Users can add bookmarks to the books they are reading, look up any word in a document using the iPad's built-in dictionary, and even have their books read aloud to them using the iPad's VoiceOver tool.

And Apple has also added a screen rotation lock to the device, enabling users to "fix" the screen in landscape or portrait orientation, which is useful when reading lying down.

Apple is yet to announce UK and Irish pricing details for the iPad, or the cost of the battery replacement service for consumers.

- Claudine Beaumont

© Telegraph.co.uk

 

[singveld]

slow start for ipad

iPad Pre-Orders Low

Deagol, a financial analyst reports his estimates for Apple's iPad pre-orders.

With the iPad only being available to pre-order on the internet through Apple's website and has found a disturbing trend for Apple.

Unfortunately for Apple the outlook is not looking good with orders in the 100,000's rather than the millions one would normally associate with a big Apple launch. All those celebrities and media outlets singing high praises for Apple's newest invention, the iPad, seems not to have had much effect.

However it would be foolish to right off the iPad so soon, but with increased competition from the likes of Microsoft, Google and HP as we reported early the iPad will not have the tablet market to itself.

no flash, they call this web surfing tool, my arse.

 

[johnny333]

Re: slow start for ipad

iPad Pre-Orders Low.

The pre-order numbers for iPads were higher than the pre-order for the original iPhone.

In one survey the majority of interested buyers indicated that they intend to buy an iPad 6 months after the release date. Guess they're waiting foir Apple to work out the initial bugs.

No one really knows how well the unreleased iPad is going to do but its interesting that APPL shares are at record levels of $220+

 

[Ash007]

Looks like people are excited about the Ipad.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/apple-fanatics-prepare-for-ipad-launch-mania-20100323-qsgi.html

Apple fanatics prepare for iPad launch mania
ASHER MOSES
March 23, 2010 - 12:31PM
Be the first to comment

Australian app developer Graham Clarke, who made the Barista and Cellar apps for the iPhone, will be travelling to New York for the iPad US launch.
Most app makers haven't so much as touched an iPad but scores, including several Australian firms, are hard at work on apps for the device, as Australian fanatics prepare to travel abroad for the US launch next week.

Apple has begun accepting iPad apps for review and approval before the device launches in the US on April 3, several weeks ahead of Australia, which gets the device "late April".

Developers must submit their apps by March 27 if they want to be included among the first apps to be featured on the iPad app store. The device's 9.7-inch touchscreen interface is seen as a game-changer for mobile apps and the earliest apps are likely to be the most successful.


Apple CEO Steve Jobs' latest baby.
Analytics firm Flurry, which provides real-time user data to thousands of app developers, crunched the numbers for AppleInsider and revealed that, like with the iPhone, games will be the most popular iPad app category, commanding 44 per cent of the apps being tested for the device. Entertainment follows with 14 per cent.

The iPhone's 150,000 apps will work on the iPad, but developers are planning to do a lot more with the device than simply stretch their apps to fit the larger screen.

Media companies in Australia and abroad are hard at work on porting their publications to tablets such as the iPad. Already, Wired magazine has shown off a tablet version, while the ABC has confirmed it is actively looking into developing iPad apps.

Graham Clarke, through his new Glasshouse Apps company, is one of several Australian developers beavering away to create their apps in time for the launch.

"The iPad to me is just the start of something much bigger. April 3, 2010 isn't just the date of another Apple event, it's the first word of the next chapter in the history of computing," he said.

Clarke developed the Cellar and Barista apps for the iPhone but would not give away much about his iPad plans.

"People are pretty tight lipped about it, which is understandable because Apple haven't really approved any apps yet - you can't give too much away until you know for sure that everything's going to work out," Clarke said in a phone interview.

Another Australian app maker, Firemint, which made Flight Control - one of the iPhone's most popular games - has said it is preparing to release an iPad version, Flight Control HD.

Most iPad developers bar a few major media companies such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have been unable to test their apps on the device before launch, instead relying on iPad emulation software.

Apple has told developers not to give away too much about their plans, while the few organisations that have received an iPad in advance of the launch are forced to abide by strict secrecy rules. These include, according to The New York Times, "keeping the iPad hidden from public view, chained to tables in windowless rooms".

Some developers have complained that Apple's immense secrecy measures are limiting their ability to create apps that are optimised for the new device.

One of the main selling points of the iPad, the ability to buy e-books from the iBooks store, will not be available to Australians at launch. But Amazon this week said it was developing an iPad Kindle app, which would provide access to more than 450,000 Kindle books and allow users to turn pages simply by swiping their finger.

Anthony Agius, founder of the MacTalk community website, said he worried Apple would reject the Kindle app because it competed with iBooks, after similarly banning the Google Voice app on the iPhone.

Agius and Clarke are among several Australian Apple fanatics who will be travelling to New York for the US launch in an effort to obtain the iPad weeks before other Australians.

"For me, Apple is kind of like my favourite band - if your favourite band had a new album that was out and you can't hear it for a month, it's painful," he said.

Agius will fly to New York on Friday and hopes to bring home about 10 iPads for friends. Apple has limited purchases to two per person but Agius hopes to get around this by pre-ordering with several credit cards and Apple IDs.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that hundreds of thousands of iPads had been pre-ordered ahead of the US launch. Some analyst firms, including the NPD Group, believe the iPad's sales in the first few months after launch will exceed those of the iPhone.

One company, iPodMeister, is offering a free iPad Wi-Fi + 3G model to people who send them 1150 used CDs or DVDs, which will then be distributed at a discount in poor countries.

Clarke believes the iPad will spark a major shift in desktop computing towards the use of more touch-based interfaces.

"You'll probably have to change the way that you use them [desktop PCs] because you obviously can't sit down in a chair and hold your hands up to the screen all day, but I just think that it's so much more intuitive to connect with the computer by touching it, rather than using a keyboard and mouse all the time," he said.

 

[Ash007]

Apple have problems meeting demand of ipad? Wow?

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/apple-struggles-to-meet-ipad-demand-20100329-r6dc.html

Apple struggles to meet iPad demand
March 29, 2010 - 11:44AM

The Apple iPad. Photo: AP
Some US customers who preorder Apple's new iPad tablet computer now have to wait a bit longer to get the device, as the company appears to be having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Apple began taking preorders for the iPad on March 12, promising to ship the touchscreen device to buyers on the official sales launch date of April 3, when the iPad will hit U.S. retail store shelves.

But the company may have sold out its initial inventory, as Apple's website now promises a shipping date of April 12 for customers ordering the iPad.

Customers who placed their orders earlier this month will still get their devices by April 3, an Apple spokesman said.

The new April 12 shipping date indicates that the company has seen robust early demand for the iPad. Analysts have said that Apple is having some difficulty ramping up production due to issues in its supply chain, but that several hundred thousand iPads have already been preordered.

The iPad - which resembles a large iPhone with a 9.7-inch (25 cm) screen designed for web surfing, games and media consumption - is Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone in 2007.

It goes on sale next Saturday in the United States, starting at $US499 for the basic Wi-Fi model. The high-end model tops out at more than $US800.

The device will launch in Australia in "late April" but prices have yet to be announced.

Although analysts' estimates vary widely, some expect Apple to sell around 1 million iPads in the June quarter.

Reuters

 

[singveld]

look like ipad is selling well in USA and the rest of the world have to wait.

everything apple touches turn to GOLD.

 

[prince123456]

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8eF0y0IfpPU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8eF0y0IfpPU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[singveld]

wow apple printing money!

The Loop reports that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has released a report estimating first-day iPad sales in the range of 600,000-700,000, well above his pre-launch estimates of 200,000-300,000.
Piper Jaffray Senior Research Analyst, Gene Munster, on Saturday said he believes Apple sold between 600-700 thousand iPads on the first day. This includes the pre-orders that would have been coming in since March 12.

It is unclear from the report exactly what data Munster based his estimate upon beyond an observation of 730 customers in line at the company's flagship Fifth Avenue location in New York City, up from 350 for the iPhone 3GS launch and 540 for the iPhone 3G.

Some observers have claimed that the iPad is poised to outsell the original iPhone over the initial few months of sales, and given that the iPhone took 74 days to reach one million units sold, Munster's estimate places the iPad well on its way to that goal.

Today's launch was also limited to Wi-Fi models and to the United States. 3G-capable models in the U.S. and all models in a number of other countries are set for launch later this month, undoubtedly setting the stage for another burst of sales.

 

[singveld]

if only it can do flash

As today's launch progresses, iPads are started to get into the hands of many across the U.S. As we get settled with our own iPads, here are a few first impressions:

- The iPad feels very substantial in the hand. At 1.5 lbs, it takes a bit of getting used to compared to an iPhone or Kindle.
- The screen is bright and crisp with wide viewing angles. Despite the oleophobic coating, it collects and shows fingerprints more than expected.
- The Apple logo on the back is black with a smooth finish, not with a chromed finish like on the iPhone 3GS.
- The iPad must be connected to iTunes in order to set it up. Out of the box, it shows a connect to iTunes screen (you must have iTunes 9.1).
- Set-up via iTunes is similar to that of the iPhone, allowing you to select the apps and media content to be synced to the iPad.
- The capacitive touchscreen is fast and responsive. Screen orientation changes take place almost instantly.
- The on-screen keyboard in portrait orientation is usable with two thumbs but the middle keys will be a bit of a stretch for those with smaller hands. The keys are nice and large so it's hard to miss the intended key and the predictive entry also found on the iPhone helps as well.
- Typing with two thumbs in landscape orientation is much harder and a case or some other way to prop it up to see the screen while typing with two hands is the best approach.
- Apps not yet optimized for the iPad are usable in 2x mode but leave much to be desired. iPad-optimized apps are really where it's going to be.
- Sound out of the iPad's speaker is richer and louder than expected and is sufficient for watching a movie in a quiet environment.
- The standard apps have been adapted very well to the iPad's larger screen. The iTunes Store and the App Store are a pleasure to browse on the iPad.

 

[johnny333]

Re: if only it can do flash

If you own Apple shares(AAPL), the following article will be of intersts especially the projected price of AAPL

http://www.cnbc.com/id/36175356


Apple's Strong iPad Sales Spur Outlook for Stock, Earnings
Published: Monday, 5 Apr 2010 | 9:02 AM ET
Text Size
By: Reuters

Wall Street analysts on Monday joined the masses in terming Apple's iPad launch as "rock-solid," with some pegging sales of the tablet computer at about 5 million units in the first 12 months.

At least four brokerages raised their price target and full-year estimates on the company, two days after Apple's latest device hit stores.


Analysts also said the tablet computer's margins would push up Apple's [AAPL 235.97 --- UNCH (0) ] earnings from the onset.

In a statement, Apple said it had sold more than 300,000 iPads on the first day of its launch.

Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes estimated that Apple sold about 400,000 iPads in the launch weekend, while Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu expects sales of 250,000-300,000 units.

Reitzes said the launch day was a success for Apple with strong pre-orders, wait lines at stores and an overall sense of intense consumer interest in the product.

JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz said Apple faithful and the early adopters should help the iPad beat subdued investor expectations in the interim, but critical mass depends on future product generations overcoming current limitations.

Moskowitz estimates iPad's gross margins to be about 51 percent and expects Apple to sell about 4.8 million units in the first 12 months.

Susquehanna Financial analyst Jeffrey Fidacaro raised his calendar year 2010 unit sales estimates to 4.8 million units from 2.1 million units.

Analyst Fidacaro, who expects a smaller second wave of demand in late April for the 3G version, said due to iPad's robust eReader capabilities it is likely to take share from Amazon.com's [AMZN 131.81 --- UNCH (0) ] Kindle.


Shanon Cross of Cross Research pegged launch weekend iPad sales at about 350,000.

Apple has plenty riding on the iPad, which it unveiled in January and calls a new category of machine: a lightweight media consumption device that tries to fuse the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

JP Morgan raised its price target on Apple stock to $305 from $240, Kaufman Brothers increased it to $295 from $253 and Thomas Weisel Partners lifted its price target to $280 from $270.

Susquehanna raised its price target to $275 from $260 while Barclays kept its price target unchanged at $285.

Apple's stock is up around 12 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs.

Shares of the company were trading up $1.59 at $237.56 Monday in trading before the bell. The stock closed at $235.97 Thursday on Nasdaq.
Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Topics:

 

[cooleo]

Makes no sense to buy an over-sized iPod Touch. Better save money and wait for next generation iPhone la. Anyone know when the next gen iPhone is gonna launch? Some whisperings about April, but i highly doubt so.

 

[johnny333]

Makes no sense to buy an over-sized iPod Touch. Better save money and wait for next generation iPhone la..

Like the iPhone but can't justify spending on Starhub/Singtel/M1 data plan lah. Especially since the plan is useless outside of Spore.

I was thinking of getting an iTouch for its wifi connectivity when I travel but now will consider getting an iPad. Will however wait & see what the next iTouch will look like but will probably get an iPad. Its bigger & heavier but with the bigger screen its easier on the eyes

 

[mscitw]

Chinks have this inferiority complex after the Opium Wars and 1st Sino Japanese War.

They give themselves stupid anglophile names and pray to foreign deities.

One good example are local babas, arrogant and proud but not anymore after the Brits left.

 

[singveld]

Early iPad User Complaints: Weak Wi-Fi, Charging Issues
Tuesday April 06, 2010 10:33 AM EST
Written by Eric Slivka

With the iPad's U.S. release to the masses on Saturday, several complaints have arisen from users experiencing difficulties with their new devices. Two of the highest-profile complaints in the early days have been weak Wi-Fi signals and confusion over USB charging of the device.

Apple's discussion forums have received a significant amount of activity regarding the Wi-Fi issue, which typically results in users receiving a significantly lower signal than computers or iPhones held in the same location relative to the access point. The reduced signal is resulting in slower performance and smaller range for many of these users. Users have also reported seeing significant fluctuations in signal.

Speculation has centered around the iPad's external shell and power-saving measures as possible reasons for the Wi-Fi performance issues. While Apple has strategically placed the iPad's Wi-Fi antennas to provide optimal reception, the device's aluminum rear enclosure almost certainly shields reception to some degree. Additionally, some users have wondered whether Apple is supplying reduced power to the Wi-Fi hardware as part of its power-saving techniques that have enabled the iPad to meet or exceed its stated 10-hour battery life in many cases. Regardless of the cause, Apple has yet to comment on the Wi-Fi situation, although it has in the past quietly addressed similar issues through software updates when possible.

A second issue experienced by users has been difficulty with charging the iPad via USB. A number of users have discovered that their iPads refuse to charge when connected to USB ports on some computers, an issue that Apple has stated is due to the required power draw for the device. In a support document posted on the issue, Apple recommends that users charge their iPads by using either the included power outlet adapter or high-power USB 2.0 ports.
When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge, but only when it's in sleep mode. Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.

The iPad's charging demand stems from its large battery that drives a significantly hungrier device than most mobile handhelds users are accustomed to charging via USB. Consequently, lower-power USB ports have difficulty keeping up with the iPad's draw, especially when the device is not in sleep mode.

 

[singveld]

iPad Sales Estimated to Have Already Surpassed 500,000
Wednesday April 07, 2010 04:15 PM EST
Written by Eric Slivka

Advertising firm Chitika earlier this week rolled out a running tally calculating the number of iPads accessing the Internet via the device's Safari browser based on unique hits to its network of advertisements. According to current tallies, over 500,000 iPads have now been sold.

In a blog post, Chitika research Dan Ruby notes that the company's numbers have been registering significantly lower than official and estimated sales numbers, a phenomenon Ruby has attributed to some users not accessing the Internet. For example, by midday Monday, Chitika had registered nearly 270,000 iPads on its network, while Apple had already announced "over 300,000" iPads sold on Saturday with more sales obviously rolling in Sunday and early Monday. We've even heard that Apple may have sold over 750,000 iPads already.
We've also learned that the WiFi iPad may not be seen as primarily an Internet surfing device. With estimates of over 300,000 iPads sold on release day and perhaps as many as 700,000 sold over the weekend, that only around 40% are showing up on the Internet may imply that people are buying the iPad for the apps, and spending most of their browsing time in the App Store.

While Chitika's methods may offer only a crude approximation of iPad sales, they do provide an interesting glimpse into the device's market growth. Beyond overall sales numbers, the report also provides data on new iPads appearing each day and breaks down sales and percentages by state.

 

[johnny333]

Bad news guys, the Ipad is going to be delayed



http://www.cnbc.com/id/36499836

When Bad News is Really Good News for Apple
Published: Wednesday, 14 Apr 2010 | 8:55 AM ET
Text Size
By: Jim Goldman
CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief


Apple says iPad has been a "runaway success" in the United States, already selling a half-million units, with pre-orders for the 3G version going briskly.

That's the good news.

The bad news?

Because of that success, Apple [AAPL 242.43 --- UNCH (0) ] will need to postpone the international roll-out of iPad by a month. We've already seen a kind of iPad black market spring up in places like India, where the $500 wi-fi model is selling for over $2,000. This might only increase that nasty activity.

Meantime, Apple shares are off to the races.

500,000 units of a device in a market segment that no one knew for sure would be a hit. Except, obviously, Steve Jobs and team. No two ways about it: iPad is a stunning success. Let's see if today's financial peak behind the curtain leads to new estimates and another upgrade parade on Wall Street.

RELATED LINKS

Current DateTime: 05:56:09 14 Apr 2010
LinksList Documentid: 36499979

* Apple Sells Over 300,000 iPads First Day
* Tablet Wars: The 12 Biggest iPad Rivals
* Developers Scramble to Strike iPad Gold

Apple's complete statement: "Although we have delivered more than 500,000 iPads during its first week, demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad™. We have also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.

Faced with this surprisingly strong US demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May. We will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10. We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason—the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far."

 

[JWNY]

New toy to play with guys...

this will take SBF surfing to the next LEVEL :p

JWNY

 

[singveld]

ipad another great sucess after ipod, itouch, iphone.

iPad Getting Schooled, Hospitalized and POS'ed
1:40 AM - May 1, 2010 - By Marcus Yam - Source : Tom's Guide US

Current estimates put iPad sales at around a million – a number that will definitely soon grow with the 3G model releasing today in the U.S. and a worldwide rollout in late May. Interestingly, even the current Wi-Fi only model is making its way into many more places than just into the hands of early adopters and Apple fans.

Now businesses, schools and even hospitals are considering the iPad for use in making day-to-day operations easier.

While the old pen and paper approach to taking down food orders works fine, a company dealing with automation with point-of-sale (POS) technologies has developed a system that works with both the iPad and iPod touch for restaurant use. Check out a video here.

"Using those devices [iPad, iPod touch], along with a couple of standard ticket printers, brings the startup cost for the pilot to under $2,000," Lecere CEO Jim Morris said. "Contrast that with an upfront cost of about $20,000 to install a traditional, on-premises POS system with its heavy, non-movable POS terminals, printers, and back-office servers."

Schools are now looking to use the iPad as a replacement for textbooks and old-fashioned notebooks. Given that electronic textbooks cost around a third of printed versions, schools looking to cut back on costs using the iPad.

Apple has given a 10 percent discount on the iPad to Monte Vista Christian School in California for its first order of 60 units. Both students and teachers are now using the iPad as an educational device.

Perhaps the most serious use of the iPad thus far is in the medical field. After getting an iPad for himself, Nick Volosin, director of technical services at Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia, Calif., ordered 100 additional iPads that he thinks will be of great value to the hospital.

Rather than using Apple's software and App platform on the iPad, Volosin figures that the Apple device is best used with Citrix virtual desktop software. This way, the iPad can still display and work with all the existing software, but medical workers get to take advantage of the device's 10-hour battery life and portability. Read more here

 

[Queen Seok Duk]

The iPad does NOT come with 'eyesight' or built-in camera.

No chance for a proper Skyping experience.

 

[gbomega]

A good netbook is very thin, has a slick design and much better than the iPad. Using the netbook you can hook up to your HDTV and stream videos online... finally the cost is about the same