Even by Apple’s impeccably-high standards, the launch of the new iPad over the past seven days has gone exceptionally well. The usual congregation of devotees could be found outside any given Apple Store last Friday morning, waiting to get their hands on the Retina-toting, 5 megapixel-snapping, LTE compliant device.
The Cupertino company’s tablet continues to go from strength to strength, and although it has been dogged by issues relating to overheating and, in particular, Wi-Fi trouble, Apple still had no problem in shifting 3 million units in the first weekend alone.
The device only launched in ten countries last Friday, with the US, Canada and UK among the first to get their greasy paws on it. Today is launch day mark II, though, as a further twenty-five countries begin selling the third iPad. Apple fans in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden will all be able to purchase from their local store as of today.
Sales begin at around 9AM local time – slightly later than the initial release, which saw many stores opening doors at 8AM. Online orders in the new regions appear to show a 1-2 week shipping estimate – just like the first wave, which suggest Apple is really in need of an injection of supplies for its online store.
Although the online store appears to be bereft, there doesn’t appear to be an in-store shortage just yet, and most buyers have managed to grab their new iPad either from an Apple Store or carrier partner’s retail outlet without so much as a hitch.
Analysts were initially rather skeptical as to whether Apple could stump up the numbers to meet demand, forecasting widespread shortages in the days and weeks leading up to last Friday’s release. The main cause for concern was the Retina Display, which some felt Apple would find great difficulty in sourcing for the new device. Thankfully, that doesn’t appear to have been the case, although it’s still early days.
In the meantime, let’s hope those Wi-Fi problems don’t lurk around for too long, and the situation is rectified with a simple software update.
Considering to buy the new iPad? You may want to check out our post where we have listed all the highlighting features and everything you need to know about the third tablet installment from the fruit company.
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