iPad Hits the 2 Million Unit Sales Mark
Since releasing the iPad on April 3rd, Apple has sold 2 million of them.
Apple today announced that iPad sales have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.
“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”
If you wanted to make a comparison, it took Apple 4 months to hit the 2 million mark with the iPhone.
Source: Apple
Apple Opens iBooks Store to Independent Authors
Last week Apple opened up a new portal that will allow independent authors to self publish their books in the iBook Store.
Self published books will be submitted under the iTunes Connect program and must adhere to the following criteria. Each iBook must be in ePub format, validate against epubcheck 1.05, have a 13 digit ISBN, and not contain any unmanifested files. Additionally, authors must have an Intel based Mac running OS X 10.5 or higher, a US Tax ID, and a valid iTunes account with a credit card on file.
Independent authors selling through the iBook store will have the ability to make their books available in multiple countries at desired price points in each.
Videoplaza’s Monetizer AdPlayer for HTML5
The European company Videoplaza will have their HTML5 based video player ready for the iPad’s May 28th launch.
The recently developed player facilitates the monetizing of video based advertisements on the iPad.
iPad Production to Increase in June
According to Sterne, Agee & Leach analyst Vijay Rakesh Apple is currently producing 1 to 1.5 million iPads per month.
Based on checks made with memory chip makers, Rakesh believes that all of the iPads production bottlenecks have been resolved and that starting in June the manufactured number per month should rise to the 2.5 million range.
The increased production will coincide with the July launch in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July as well as the September back to school shopping period.
iPad Compatible DVR
If you are looking for a DVR that will record H.264 video in the iPad’s format, then elgato’s eye TV HD should suit your needs.
Setting up the DVR is a quite simple process as it uses component and composite cables to connect to your cable or satellite receiver and a USB cable to connect to your Mac. The device comes with an infrared blaster and remote for effortless control of your source receiver.
Once connected just install the software and you will be recording content for your iPad with ease, which can easily be imported into iTunes or with the optional EyeTV app can be streamed to your iPad anywhere.
At the present time the eye TV HD DVR is only available for the Macintosh and will set you back $199.95.
iPad Steering Wheel Mount?
As the iPad frenzy continues so does the entrepreneurial spirit to profit from it.
The idea here is to securely mount an iPad to a car’s steering wheel. The product is being pitched as a safety device, as according to the demonstrator it is safer to text with their configuration than an iPhone. We should mention that about half of the states have made texting from a cell phone while driving illegal.
The company is not selling the iPad steering wheel mount itself but rather the plans to build it. A check with their website indicates that the plans are not currently available for purchase.
To us, the whole concept raises numerous safety concerns, after viewing the video you can judge for yourself whether this is a joke or not.
Yankee Stadium Bans iPads
Yankee Stadium security has classified the iPad under the “no laptops” policy.
The New York Yankees have always been strict on what can and cannot be brought into their stadium during an event. The latest addition to their not allowed items is the iPad.
Last Monday a fan was turned away at the gate when attempting to enter the Yankees vs. Red Sox game with her iPad. She was given no explanation by stadium security as to why the iPad wasn’t allowed in the park. On her second attempt she hid her iPad and was successful in gaining entry.
Once inside, using her iPad she began a thread on the IGN Mac General Board regarding the incident.
To date there still hasn’t been any official statement from Yankee Stadium security as to their reasoning behind classifying the iPad as a laptop.
Apple Stores Sold Out of iPad 3G
Spot checks in 50 Apple stores throughout the U.S. show that the iPad 3G is completely sold out.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster’s team checked with 50 Apple stores to find that all iPad 3G models were sold out and only 26 percent of the locations had WiFi only units in stock.
Apple’s protocol for dealing with the limited supply is to ask customers if they would like to be placed on a waiting list. According to a store representative the wait time for people who are on the list is roughly 4 to 7 days. When the customer’s iPad is received at the store they are notified and have 24 hours to come in and purchase it.
Apple No Cash For iPads Policy Reversed
It seems that the publicity surrounding the story of Diane Campbell being unable to purchase an iPad with cash has caused Apple to reconsider its’ sales policies.
Apple has now decided that consumers can use cash to purchase iPads provided that they setup an Apple account in the store before leaving. Apple also stated that the previous credit or debit card requirement was in place solely to prohibit people from buying more than 2 iPads at this time of high demand.
In a generous gesture, two employees from Apple went to Diane Campbell’s house to deliver her a new iPad free of charge.
Apple Says No to Cash For iPads
Since late April it has been Apple’s policy not to accept cash for iPad purchases in any of their retail locations.
This past Monday a story aired on San Francisco’s channel 7 about a disabled woman who was not allowed to purchase an iPad using cash.
After saving her money for several months, Diane Campbell walked into the Apple store in Palo Alto, CA. with intentions of purchasing an iPad. When she walked up to the counter to pay for her iPad with cash she was told credit or debit cards only. After hearing that, she walked out of the store disappointed.
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