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From people I've talked to in my family and others (non-technical folks) the idea of purchasing an iPad when it first launched wasn't incredibly alluring for an

From people I've talked to in my family and others (non-technical folks) the idea of purchasing an iPad when it first launched wasn't incredibly alluring for anyone who's not an early adopter. Regular buyers like to wait until 1) reviews are available, 2) updates are out to fix bugs, and 3) the vague "quirks" are worked out in a device before pulling the trigger. $500-800 is a big investment for people buying a device to use on their couch, casually. But now that the third generation is out, and it has an amazing new screen, great battery and extremely fast wireless (and, presumably, no "quirks" that people might think had been present in the earlier models) it's thought to be a safer buy. It's not the first model, it's been out a few years, Apple knows what they're doing by now, they've seen commercials and know people that have one, etc. So what were they waiting for? The new one to come out. And it has. I think the buyers this weekend weren't merely Apple fans with iPad 1s and 2s who wanted to upgrade, but lots and lots of new owners who have been waiting patiently for a good reason to whip out their credit cards. For this reason I think overall sales of the new iPad are going to be totally insane.

robertp 15y ago
This is good logic but its impossible to know who is buying all the ipads. Whenever I see real customers behind an online store of any sort, they are almost always completely different from what myself and the store owner would imagine.
justjimmy 15y ago
I'm a new owner myself. I've been following Apple since I bought the first generation iPod (paid way too much for it) when it first came out. I noticed how fast and often Apple releases their upgrades, and I taught myself to wait (hard to do) whenever I decide to buy a new Apple product. I didn't get an iTouch till it's 3rd generation, didn't own a smartphone till iPhone 4, and didn't get a MB till the Unibody design came out. And now I will own my first iPad in an hour once I get home from work. The delay due to getting the engrave option. So yeah, count me as one of those that's finally getting an iPad :D
- sixothree 15y ago
  I would say you waited the right amount of time for all 4 of those choices.
- acqq 15y ago
  Ditto, mathematically, most of the users are not the early adopters. I'm also not one, and I'm certainly more typical "average" guy: my first iPod was Shuffle(!), the first iPhone the 4 and it's much more convenient than I was able to imagine even if I really, really miss the possibility to use it as a simple "flash disk." I've bought an iPad 2 for my parents. I expected that USB will work with the "apple camera connection kit" but it doesn't. Still I'm going to order the new iPad. Even if I miss some things that competition has, I consider overall feeling really worth the investment both for the iPhone 4 and the iPad.
- megablast 15y ago
  Apple and other companies offer a free engraving option, because you can not return them afterwards. Still, why would you return it anyway, it is a great machine.
jcdavis 15y ago
I fit mostly into those descriptions, and I definitely consider myself a tech person. An iPad has never been something I really needed, so I waited. Now that they are on v3 with the amazing new retina display (which is one of the features I really really wanted), I found myself preordering one on opening day.
joering2 15y ago
Regular buyers like to wait until 1) reviews are available, 2) updates are out to fix bugs, and 3) the vague "quirks" are worked out in a device before pulling the trigger. Really now? 1. Apple has love/hate relationship. Most people don't care about review, as long as its a new Apple product. iPhone4 initial sales prove that, even after major websites couldnt recommend it, sales were through the roof anyways. 2) Updates are being pushed automatically. You can decline, but why would you wait to buy a device because update iOS 5.6.1.2 didnt come out yet? Hardware issues are very rare - of course the antnae/grip case, but apple offered free of charge help anyways - and you could always "hold it different way" :)
- gnaffle 15y ago
  I think many regular buyers ask their friends for recommendations. If most of these friends don't have a problem with the iPhone 4 reception, they're going to buy one anyway. (As for the initial sales, major web sites hadn't discovered the antenna problem , and most reviews recommended it AFAIK.)
- bobbles 15y ago
  You're thinking from a techie point of view: 1) Most people don't give a crap that its 'Apple' that even makes the iPhone, or the iPad. Were the iPhone 4 reviews bad? I don't remember there being bad reviews anyway. 2) People dont care about what version number the OS is.. but they know 'new' is better than 'old'.
  - joering2 15y ago
    1) does consumer reports count to you? http://mashable.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-consumer-reports/ http://mashable.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-consumer-reports/ 2) yes but you go to Apple and want to buy something and tell them: oh let me wait for next iOS version because it will be new. the response will be that your Apple device will tell you when it can update itself. I actually think Apple kind of cannibalizing (monetary-wise) itself with the fact that 4th gen iPod, for example can update itself all the way from ios4 to 5. But of course, before bunch of downvotes come in, I think its a good approach that they don't take advantage of this fact and let you enjoy your old device with newest software.
Steko 15y ago
Most people are skeptical of new devices but the good ones spread organically. You take your ipad home, next thing you know your whole family wants one. Your kids take it to school, their friends want one. You take it to work, your boss wants one... then his boss wants one, then the whole executive staff gets ipads (which they take home...).
- beatle 15y ago
  Here's another mind-boggling info: Apple sold 3 Million iPads. That number DOES NOT include preorders of the device, which went live the day the product was announced. Why didn't Apple include the preorders? http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57400231-248/apple-3-million-ipads-sold-since-launch/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57400231-248/apple-3-milli...
  - glhaynes 15y ago
    I'm not sure why the author of the cnet article says preorders aren't included because Apple's press release doesn't ever say they're not. I'm guessing he's just assuming they're not included because it was possible to preorder before Friday and Apple's release says it has sold 3 million "since its launch on Friday". But I imagine Apple is considering the preorder to turn into a sale on Friday.
jsz0 15y ago
The iPad probably has the most impressive hands-on-upsell of any device I've seen since the iPod. Apple has sold about 60 million iPads so it might not be unreasonable to think another 200-300 million people have had some hands-on experience with an iPad by now. This is exactly how the iPod built its momentum.

robertp 15y ago

This is good logic but its impossible to know who is buying all the ipads. Whenever I see real customers behind an online store of any sort, they are almost always completely different from what myself and the store owner would imagine.

justjimmy 15y ago

I'm a new owner myself. I've been following Apple since I bought the first generation iPod (paid way too much for it) when it first came out. I noticed how fast and often Apple releases their upgrades, and I taught myself to wait (hard to do) whenever I decide to buy a new Apple product. I didn't get an iTouch till it's 3rd generation, didn't own a smartphone till iPhone 4, and didn't get a MB till the Unibody design came out. And now I will own my first iPad in an hour once I get home from work. The delay due to getting the engrave option. So yeah, count me as one of those that's finally getting an iPad :D

sixothree 15y ago
I would say you waited the right amount of time for all 4 of those choices.
acqq 15y ago
Ditto, mathematically, most of the users are not the early adopters. I'm also not one, and I'm certainly more typical "average" guy: my first iPod was Shuffle(!), the first iPhone the 4 and it's much more convenient than I was able to imagine even if I really, really miss the possibility to use it as a simple "flash disk." I've bought an iPad 2 for my parents. I expected that USB will work with the "apple camera connection kit" but it doesn't. Still I'm going to order the new iPad. Even if I miss some things that competition has, I consider overall feeling really worth the investment both for the iPhone 4 and the iPad.
megablast 15y ago
Apple and other companies offer a free engraving option, because you can not return them afterwards. Still, why would you return it anyway, it is a great machine.

jcdavis 15y ago

I fit mostly into those descriptions, and I definitely consider myself a tech person. An iPad has never been something I really needed, so I waited. Now that they are on v3 with the amazing new retina display (which is one of the features I really really wanted), I found myself preordering one on opening day.

joering2 15y ago

Regular buyers like to wait until 1) reviews are available, 2) updates are out to fix bugs, and 3) the vague "quirks" are worked out in a device before pulling the trigger. Really now? 1. Apple has love/hate relationship. Most people don't care about review, as long as its a new Apple product. iPhone4 initial sales prove that, even after major websites couldnt recommend it, sales were through the roof anyways. 2) Updates are being pushed automatically. You can decline, but why would you wait to buy a device because update iOS 5.6.1.2 didnt come out yet? Hardware issues are very rare - of course the antnae/grip case, but apple offered free of charge help anyways - and you could always "hold it different way" :)

gnaffle 15y ago
I think many regular buyers ask their friends for recommendations. If most of these friends don't have a problem with the iPhone 4 reception, they're going to buy one anyway. (As for the initial sales, major web sites hadn't discovered the antenna problem , and most reviews recommended it AFAIK.)
bobbles 15y ago
You're thinking from a techie point of view: 1) Most people don't give a crap that its 'Apple' that even makes the iPhone, or the iPad. Were the iPhone 4 reviews bad? I don't remember there being bad reviews anyway. 2) People dont care about what version number the OS is.. but they know 'new' is better than 'old'.
- joering2 15y ago
  1) does consumer reports count to you? http://mashable.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-consumer-reports/ http://mashable.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-consumer-reports/ 2) yes but you go to Apple and want to buy something and tell them: oh let me wait for next iOS version because it will be new. the response will be that your Apple device will tell you when it can update itself. I actually think Apple kind of cannibalizing (monetary-wise) itself with the fact that 4th gen iPod, for example can update itself all the way from ios4 to 5. But of course, before bunch of downvotes come in, I think its a good approach that they don't take advantage of this fact and let you enjoy your old device with newest software.

Steko 15y ago

Most people are skeptical of new devices but the good ones spread organically. You take your ipad home, next thing you know your whole family wants one. Your kids take it to school, their friends want one. You take it to work, your boss wants one... then his boss wants one, then the whole executive staff gets ipads (which they take home...).

beatle 15y ago
Here's another mind-boggling info: Apple sold 3 Million iPads. That number DOES NOT include preorders of the device, which went live the day the product was announced. Why didn't Apple include the preorders? http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57400231-248/apple-3-million-ipads-sold-since-launch/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57400231-248/apple-3-milli...
- glhaynes 15y ago
  I'm not sure why the author of the cnet article says preorders aren't included because Apple's press release doesn't ever say they're not. I'm guessing he's just assuming they're not included because it was possible to preorder before Friday and Apple's release says it has sold 3 million "since its launch on Friday". But I imagine Apple is considering the preorder to turn into a sale on Friday.

jsz0 15y ago

The iPad probably has the most impressive hands-on-upsell of any device I've seen since the iPod. Apple has sold about 60 million iPads so it might not be unreasonable to think another 200-300 million people have had some hands-on experience with an iPad by now. This is exactly how the iPod built its momentum.