Well we all knew it would happen, but it did so sooner than expected. Apple have run out of stock of the new iPad only a short while after announcing the preorders. Some people will not receive their tablet now for up to three weeks, even though they were told initially it would be the 16th.
Others who got in quickly have been told that there will be a slight delay, 4 days longer than first expected. We know after receiving a few emails that the first orders will go ahead as planned on the 16th.
In the States and Canada, orders preorders are delayed 3 days, to the 19th March.
The Hong Kong store sold out quickly and it now states that the iPad is no longer available due to demand. Australian Apple fans will get their tablet shipped on the 22nd of March. France, Germany, Japan,. Switzerland and the United Kingdom face delays up to 3 weeks now.
No one is shocked with these delays, as with every Apple product there is always huge initial demand. When the iPad 2 was released, the same shortage of stock was a problem, leaving the eBay market open for third party sellers who charged a huge premium.
Part of the problem with the iPad 3 has been a slowed production of the new high resolution screen, pointing to yield issues.
Kitguru says: If you wanted an iPad 3 at launch there is close to no chance now, unless you are willing to camp out at your local Apple store.
I ordered my iPad 3 on the day of the announcement. That night, actually. Had no troubles at all placing the order as some people apparently did earlier in the day. My iPad 3 arrived today as expected (March 16th). So, there was no delay for my order.. Of course, I did order the 64GB version. I’m sure the 16GB version ran out faster than the 64GB version. So, that could be part of my ease of ordering. However, I can speak for people who ordered days after the announcement. I decided to avoid the lines and give mail delivery a shot. It was, in fact, simple and painless. Way to go Apple.
As for the iPad 3, it’s definitely a huge step up from the iPad 1 (which was my previous version). Not so much from the iPad 2 to the iPad 3, with the exception of the screen which looks amazing. No more visible pixels. 🙂
Thanks.