Launch of the iPad 2 |
Tuesday's need to push back estimated shipping times is the latest in a string of delays since the iPad 2 first went on sale in the U.S. last Friday. Initial orders were scheduled to ship in a matter of days, but the wait was quickly pushed back to between two and three weeks.
On Saturday, Apple was forced to extend estimates to three to four weeks. Now, customers who hesitated to buy could be waiting over a month to receive their iPad 2.
iPad 2 |
Wall Street analysts generally expect that Apple sold at least a half million of the iPad 2 in its first weekend of availability. More bullish estimates have forecast Apple to have sold as many as a million at launch.
This just shows us what a hold Apple has on the tablet market. With the one of the closest competitors, the Samsung Galaxy tab only selling 2 million units in the fourth quarter and the iPad 2 selling around a million units in just its first weekend on the market we see how unfair a fight this truly is. Apple is so far ahead that they have been able to make a new model of their very successful iPad (which sold around 15 million units in one year) before the competitors have had a chance to get a first generation tablet out.
Apple is doing the same thing to the tablet that they did to the Mp3 player, making it impossible for anyone to catch up until the competition eventually gives up.
The evolution of the iPod |