With first-weekend sales of Apple's new iPad reportedly topping 700,000 units, JOHN HARRIS looks at the phenomenal welcome to what many believe to the technology toy of 2010.

Apple’s Easter Saturday launch of its widely hyped iPad provoked responses ranging from the remarkable to the ridiculous.

News.com.au reported that Australian Apple fans last week flew to New York to get their hands on the device that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has dubbed “magical”.

Also in the Big Apple, hardy New Yorkers began camping on Fifth Avenue, outside the Manhattan AppleStore on Good Friday, before the iPad went on sale at 9am Saturday.

On the opposite side of the US, a storm erupted in a tea cup after a website reported that Apple’s “other Steve” – the company’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak – got his hands on an iPad two hours before its official release.

Although the report has been denied, it makes you wonder how well Woz is getting on with his former garage buddy if he could only beat the herd by a couple of hours.

Korean carmaker Hyundai is also reportedly planning to give away an iPad with its US$50,000 Equus luxury sedan. The device will be pre-loaded with a digital version of the Equus manual and an iPad app to make it easy for drivers to book and track service appointments.

In case you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, the iPad is currently at the front of the field in the contest for the hottest technology toy of 2010.

Retailers, customers and competitors are watching demand for the hand-held digital display device to see if it repeats the phenomenal success that Apple achieved with its iPhone in 2007 and the iPod at the start of the decade.

Some reports claim that as many as 700,000 iPads were sold over the weekend, the sort of fast-start that would make sales projections of 7.1 million units in 2010 – doubling to 14.4 million next year – eminently achievable.

Announced in January, the iPad has a 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display. At 1.27cm thick and weighing just 680 grams, the iPad let users browse the web, use email, view photos, watch videos, run iPad and iPhone apps, listen to music, play games and read e-Books.

With a claimed 10-hour battery life, the iPad comes in two ranges: One communicates via WiFi local area networks; the other also uses 3G data networks operated by mobile phone companies.
In the US, the iPad costs from $499 for the 16 gigabyte WiFi-only model to $829 for the 64GB 3G model.

Despite the US ballyhoo, Australians without the return airfare to New York will need to wait until later this month for its release in this country. No prices are available yet, although it’s expected to cost from $649-$699.

If you’re keen to get your hands on an iPad early without the Frequent Flyer points, hundreds of the devices are already for sale on eBay.

John Harris is managing director of Impress Media Australia. Email jharris@impress.com.au.
 

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