Once again, Apple’s retail stores will be the focus for the company’s latest technology gadget, the iPad (Wi-Fi) when it goes on sale for the first time April 3rd only at the stores. In a statement, Apple said customers can place on-line pre-orders starting March 12th for pick-up at the stores on debut Saturday. Apple used the pre-order sales technique previously, when the iPhone 3G-S first went on sale last summer. At that event, the waiting lines were divided into two lanes when the stores opened for the two types of iPhone buyers. In general, there seemed to be few attendees who showed up early for a pre-ordered purchase. Just last week, Apple COO Tim Cook told a technology conference that the iPad debut will be limited to the United States, “where we have sales people that can answer questions, and we feel good about the answers they’ll give.” Apple’s statement today said several other countries will begin selling both models of the iPad “in late April.” Not coincidentally, those countries coincide with the presence of Apple’s retail stores—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK—with the exception of China. Apple added that the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G can also be pre-ordered starting March 12th, but won’t be available until late April.
This promo appeared on the Retail Web page. The asterisk in the text refers to, "*Wi-Fi models only. Wi-Fi + 3G models available in late April."
E-mail this story
Related posts:
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The language is ambiguous:
The fact that “from the Apple Online Store” is tied to “pre-order” and not both leads me to wonder whether reservations will only be taken at the Apple stores. Will there be lines starting overnight on March 11th, waiting for the stores to open up so customers can reserve an iPad for pickup?
This baby will outsell the original iPhone…… nothing flat!!!!
{ 1 trackback }