Posts Tagged ‘Early’

iPad 2s “Made in Brazil” Available as Early as July?

Foxconn, the company that assembles iPads and iPhones on behalf of Apple, has been in talks with the Brazilian government about the possibility to open a $12 billion factory in Brazil, and has also been negotiating with officials to retrofit existing Brazilian production plants to start building iPad 2s later this year, to help Apple keep up with the overwhelming demand for the device.

The retrofitted factory was supposed to open in November, but according to a Reuters report, the plant could start producing iPad 2s as early as July.

Foxconn’s new plan is nothing short of aggressive, and will help Apple supply enough devices in the 28 countries where the iPad 2 is currently available, and offer the device in additional markets across the globe.

Currently, all iOS devices are exclusively built off Foxconn factories located in Shenzhen, China. Countries like Brazil have been trying to convince Apple and Foxconn to build additional factories to build iPhones and iPads, to supplement the existing Chinese factories, and offer a production center better suited to serve the North and South American markets.

Foxconn and Apple are desperately trying to find ways to increase the production output of the iPad 2, to deal with the shortages currently experienced across the globe. Foxconn is also in the process of ramping up more production lines at its existing plants in China, and is currently able to ship about 4 to 5 million units a month.

» Related posts:

• Apple and Foxconn to Open New Factory in Brazil to Build More iPad 2s
• 2 Million iPads in July?
• iPad 2 to Hit Store Shelves in Early April

Canadian Buyers to Get iPad 2 as Early as 10 AM on Friday

While the iPad 2 is supposed to launch in 25 countries across the world on Friday, at 5 PM local time, it would appear that Canadian Buyers will be allowed to buy the iPad 2 as early as 10 AM.

According to a report from 9to5mac, Canadian Best Buy stores will start selling the device earlier than expected, based on an internal Best Buy ticket system.

Was confirmed by my store manager. We will be selling them at 10am Friday when we open. It’s first come first serve and there WILL be a line up. If we are doing the same thing as last year we will be handing out a piece of paper which you will fill out telling us which ipad you want, size, color ect.. (sic)If it’s anything like the US release date we will not be able to sell them until 5PM EST. I would wait until ~24th for more information on price and availability.

In other words, your mileage may vary, and some stores might agree to sell the device as early as 10 AM, while others will force you to wait until 5 PM.

Canada may get the iPad earlier than expected, but it won’t be the first country to actually start selling the iPad on Friday, as technically, New Zealand will be the first country to get the iPad, after the United States.

Other countries on the launch list include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Given the current iPad 2 shortages, if you do not want to come back home empty handed, you might want to start waiting in line in front of your local Apple retailer as early as possible on Friday.

» Related posts:

• Apple Opening International Stores Early This Friday
• Apple’s iPad 2 Early Store Openings a Bust
• iPad 2 to Hit Store Shelves in Early April

Apple’s iPad 2 Early Store Openings a Bust

Were you one of the many people that got up early this morning and stood in line at your local Apple store in hopes of getting an iPad 2? If you were, you probably found out it was a complete waste of time.

Word spread like wild fire across the web yesterday that select Apple Stores were planning to open their doors earlier than normal today. Apple store employees let customers know that they were opening some stores earlier than normal on Tuesday to accommodate customers wanting to buy an iPad 2. Only problem, inventory was once again way short of demand.

The PadGadget team visited local Apple Stores this morning at 8:00 AM and found some people had been in lines for at least an hour. Once 9:00 AM rolled around, the lines had grown to over 100 -150 people. Shortly after 9:00, Apple Store employees informed those waiting in line that FedEx had arrived but only delivered a meager 15 – 30 units. Clearly the news was a huge disappointment for hopeful customers who had been standing in line for over two hours. We’ve heard from readers that this same scenario played out across the country.

Most people speculated Apple was opening early because stores were receiving larger iPad 2 shipments to make up for low quantities during opening weekend. We heard many frustrated customers complain that they had been told by Apple employees yesterday they were expecting a large shipment and they should come back today to pick one up.

Apple needs to quickly address not only their supply chain issues at the root of iPad 2 shortages but also the way in which they communicate availability to potential customers. Setting expectations by opening stores an hour early only to find the store received 20 units is unacceptable for a company who prides itself on customer service and satisfaction.

During last year’s launch, Apple had an in-store preorder system in place that allowed customers to place their name on a list and then be notified once inventory had arrived and their unit was available. This simple system allowed customers to avoid standing in line for hours on end, only to then find out they had just sold out.

The people we spoke with this morning said this was not their first time waiting in line to get an iPad 2 and most doubted they would be returning to an Apple Stor any time soon. Customers were clearly frustrated with the lack of information coming from Apple Store employees, who supposedly have no idea when, what or how many iPad 2s they might get. Online ordering is only marginally better as shipping times continue to grow, with Apple’s Online Store now showing at 4-5 weeks waiting period.

Apple needs to get the iPad 2 inventory issues worked out quickly before potential iPad 2 customers start waiting in line for an iPad alternative.

» Related posts:

• iPad 2s Sold Out Across Much of the Country
• Apple Opening International Stores Early This Friday
• iPad 2 Online Shipments Slip to 4-5 Weeks, Stores Open Early Tuesday

iPad 2 Online Shipments Slip to 4-5 Weeks, Stores Open Early Tuesday

Just two days ago, the iPad 2 online shipments had slipped 3 to 4 weeks. Now, the shipment situation has become more complex. Let’s just say that if you already have an iPad 2, you were one of the lucky ones. If you still have not found one, you may have a chance today.

Some reports have estimated that Apple sold at least 500,000 units over the weekend. Others have gone as far as estimating that Apple sold close to a million units. We’re still trying to confirm the actual number of units sold. The question remains the same for many – When can you get your hands on an iPad 2?

We called a few Apple stores near our location in the Dallas area. Apple has confirmed they are planning to open some locations across the nation an hour early this morning (Tuesday). This is a good chance for you to get your hands on the iPad 2, which was being restocked in several locations on Monday.

Otherwise, you will have to be patient and order it online with the new estimated online shipment of 4 to 5 weeks. Keep in mind that Apple has also limited the number of iPads ordered to two per order.

A word of advice. Call ahead to confirm if your nearest Apple Store location does have iPad 2 units available. Hopefully, you will get lucky and get a chance to buy the new tablet this morning.

» Related posts:

• iPad 2 Online Shipments Slip to 3-4 Weeks, Some Orders Arrive This Week
• Update: New International Pre-Orders Ship by June 7
• iPad 2 Available Online Friday, 1:00AM; Hits Stores at 5:00PM

iPad 2 to Hit Store Shelves in Early April

While the announcement of the second generation iPad is confirmed for next Wednesday, the actual shipping date for the device is still very unclear at this stage. Just like with its predecessor, the iPad 2 is unlikely to hit store shelves right after its announcement, and according to Barclays analyst Kirk Yang, the device is much more likely to ship in early April.

According to Yang, sources within the Apple supply chain confirmed an early April delivery for the first batch of devices, with two million units expected to be produced for that month.

Note that the analyst is at odds with Digitimes, as according to him, “none of the component suppliers suggest any type of re-designs nor delays,” while Digitimes recently claimed that the device design went through last minute changes, and that only about 350,000 units will be available when the iPad 2 hits store shelves.

The analyst also believes that Apple will manage to sell almost 30 million units in 2011, and about 40 million in 2012.

The iPad 2 is expected to come with several improvements over the first generation iPad, such as a thinner design, a rear camera for taking pictures, a front camera to allow the iPad 2 to be compatible with FaceTime, as well as a larger, more powerful speaker. While the device is expected to sport more memory, the iPad 2′s CPU should be very similar to the one found in the first generation iPad, albeit clocked at a higher speed. The device should also come with a better quality screen, but its resolution will be the same as the one offered by the first generation iPad display, 1024×768.

» Related posts:

• iPad 2 to Launch in the U.S. on April 2 or 9?
• Lowered Production Targets for Second Generation iPad
• iPad 2 Available by the end of March

How early should i line up for Ipad 3G?

So im going to get the 16GB ipad 3G tomorrow and was planing on being at the apple store around 4:30 before the 5PM sale. Will i have no problem getting one? Did they have a pretty good stock when you got your wifi version on launch day? Did they run out or do you think they plan on having thousands? I know its stupid, but im buying one anyway, i hate my netbook with windows 7. Thanks in advance.

Dual Dock Connector iPad? Just an Early Design

Many Apple-related news websites and blogs (including PadGadget) reported on alleged new drawings highlighting new features not currently found in the 1st generation of iPads. The drawings – including a picture extracted from a patent filing, pointed to two dock connectors on the iPad allowing the device to be docked in either portrait or landscape mode, unlike the current iPad which features a single dock connector located on the bottom allowing only a portrait orientation when the device is docked.

As usual, speculations around new features poured in, but as it turns out, the pictures are simply from an early iPad design that simply didn’t make the cut. Apple initially looked into a dual connector design, but eventually the Cupertino engineers decided to keep things simple and killed the additional landscape port.

Apple may still decide to use the dual-port design in a future version of the iPad, but it is unlikely, as having 2 separate connectors would likely confuse many users, and given that the next-gen iPad is expected to come in a smaller format, the additional port would likely be unnecessary.

» Related posts:

• iPad Patent Shows Dual Dock Connectors
• Docking the iPad
• iLuv Unveils new iPad Speaker Dock

iOS 4.2 for iPad Almost Ready, Early Releases Under Testing

As noted by MacRumors earlier today, some iOS developers seem to already have access to early releases of iOS 4.2 for the iPad. For example, Epic Games, the creator of the impressive Epic Citadel demo, released an update of the app over the weekend, and the notes coming with the new version contain an interesting tidbit:

Fixed performance issues on iPad devices running iOS 4 or later.

Given that iOS 4 will not land on the iPad until November, it is clear that some “select” developers have been working closely with Apple’s iOS development team and gained access to early versions of iOS 4.2 for iPad, in order to test the OS, and make sure their apps are compatible with it. Since Epic was featured during the Apple keynote earlier this month, it is very likely that Apple provided early iOS 4.2 builds to Epic to support its efforts to demo its Unreal Engine for iOS, weeks before the OS is actually pushed to the general developer program.

This preferential treatment is not unusual, and is usually limited to developers featured in the Apple media event. But this also means that testing builds of iOS 4.2 will likely be released to the developers community very soon, as it seems mature enough to be used by apps like Epic Citadel.