TAKEAWAY: After a weekend of seeing and reading about all those lines outside Apple stores in the US, it is no surprise that, according to reports, the iPad2 has sold out.
The protective cover is one big surprise when it comes to the iPad2; our TheiPadLab will premiere soon with tips on the essentials of news app creation
We are not surprised, but it is still amazing to read about the iPad’s ability to fascinate and to engage those who wish to hold one in their hands, preferably the newer, slimmer and faster model iPad2.
What is more surprising, however, is that, according to this report: 70% of those buying the new iPad2 are new buyers.
Gene Munster’s
team at Piper Jaffray walked the iPad 2 lines in New York City and Minneapolis and interviewed 236 would-be buyers.
Here are the highlights:
—Munster is sticking with his estimate of 400,000 to 500,000 iPad 2s sold, compared with 300,000 iPad 1s in its first weekend last year.
—The difference is that nearly all those iPad 2s were sold in one day; stocks were essentially depleted by Saturday and not replenished. In its calls to retailers over the weekend, his team was unable to find a single iPad 2.
70% of iPad 2 buyers were new to the iPad, compared with 23% of iPhone 4 buyers who were new to the iPhone at launch.
—Buyers were split almost evenly between Mac and PC users (51%/49%). By contrast, the split for the original iPad was 74%/26%.
47% of buyers were purchasing a 3G model, which carries a $130 premium.
For more details go here:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/13/piper-jaffray-ipad-2-totally-sold-out-70-to-new-buyers/?source=yahoo_quote
Also of interest:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-14/apple-may-have-sold-500-000-ipad-2-tablets-analyst-estimates.html?cmpid=yhoo
What it means
If you are a person in our business of storytelling/media/communications: whether you work as an editor, journalist or designer, I believe strongly that you need to get your own iPad and enter the laboratory that it provides. Download as many news apps as you can, but also apps from various disciplines. Study what works, and analyze why.
This is no longer a question of whether the iPad (and, of course, other tablets likely to enter the market soon to compete with Apple’s iPad) will be the platform of choice for millions to get information. The iPad has changed the game, and this second burst of enthusiasm for it, especially by new buyers who never had one before, is the evidence we needed to reaffirm it.
We are likely to see every newspaper/magazine publisher contemplating a tablet edition, if they have not already done so.
With perhaps 1,200,000 new eyeballs landing on an iPad screen, according to sales estimates, our audience for this platform is rapidly expanding, attracting a new group of users waiting for those stories and images.
Coming up TheiPadLab
I receive many emails and calls from designers, editors and, primarily, from university students, who would like to know where the training seminars are to learn how to create news iPad apps, particularly.
This has inspired me to start working on what I call TheiPadLab, which will be a series of basic blog posts on how to go about setting up the basics for a news app. We are all learning as we go, and my Lab postings will not deal with the more technical aspects of creating the app, but will concentrate on information architecture and storytelling.
I am currently working on various course-like segments to post here in the near future.
The weekend developments and the incredible success as reflected by iPad2 sales in the United States definitely give my efforts for the Lab a boost.
More about iPad2’s weekend sales
Go here to see a nice comparison video showing the improvements in the iPad 2 web browser over the original iPad. The original iPad came with only 256MB of RAM as compared to 512MB found in the iPhone 4. To me, this is one of the best reasons to get the new iPad2!
Tablet devices: iPad takes over as the lecture hall aid of choice
- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d776cbf6-4b71-11e0-89d8-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1GYNNb3Gn
iPad 2 Review Roundup: The Critics Are Head-Over-Heels
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/10/ipad-2-review-roundup_n_833950.html#s251765&title=Engadget
They are lining up to get the new iPad2. See here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-fans-line-up-to-buy-apf-193384030.html?x=0&.v=12
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/11/muscovite-buys-the-first-ipad-2/?source=yahoo_quote
Apple iPad 2: It Begins … With A Downpour
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2011/03/11/apple-ipad-2-it-begins-with-a-downpour/?mod=yahoobarrons
Pad 2 sales to start with pre-dawn online orders
New version of Apple’s iPad hits stores; first sales to come with pre-dawn online orders
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/IPad-2-sales-to-start-with-apf-193384030.html?x=0&.v=3
A soggy night in the iPad line
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/10/a-soggy-night-in-the-ipad-line/?source=yahoo_quote
Hong Kongers Pony Up for Early iPad 2
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/03/11/hong-kong-shoppers-line-up-early-for-apple-ipad-2/?mod=yahoo_hs
And, finally, don’t miss this iPad2 parody video!
