It looks like the iPad 3G is in hot demand, as the “magical” tablet is reportedly sold out in multiple stores.
MacRumors and Bloomberg have been calling around and found numerous Apple stores are sold out of both versions. This news makes you really contemplate if Apple really can make $1 billion from the iPad in this quarter.
“Demand continues to exceed supply,” Natalie Kerris, a spokeswoman for Apple, told Bloomberg. “We’re working hard” to provide iPads to additional customers, she said.
People don’t seem to mind paying a $130 premium for the 3G version in order to get data anywhere. AT&T actually has reasonable plans for the iPad: about $15 a month for 250 MB or $30 for truly unlimited data. Both of the data plans come with no long-term contract, you can sign up via the device and there’s even a monitoring tool to make sure you don’t go over your limit. Of course, the quality of your AT&T coverage will vary wildly depending on where you’re using the tablet.
What’s the big effing deal about the iPad? Well, when the iPad was first introduced, I thought it was just going to be an expensive toy but I’m slowly turning around on its ability to replace a netbook or laptop. It always seemed like a good media consumption device and the app makers have brought out the big guns. The Netflix app is damn fine and ABC’s video app now shoots shows over 3G. We’ll probably see a stellar Hulu app in the near future and I’d be willing to pay a subscription for that if I can get access to the back catalog of shows I love.
The real reason I’m toying with the idea of buying an iPad is because of its productivity abilities. Editor-in-chief Will Park has been able to clock many work hours on his Apple tablet and once it gets multitasking with iPhone 4.0 in the fall, I’m sure it will be a credible work device.
I know we have some iPad owners out there, so let me know if it’s worth it. If you want an example of the iPad frenzy, check out the video we captured on launch day.