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iPad EU News (Abandon all hope, ye who enter here..) ("Are you nuts?!" - Steve)

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Boblister said:
Has anyone seen any good iPad cases available in the UK. I wouldn't mind the Apple one. But I saw one on Ebay and it was already up to £62.
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Nope. I've been looking too and short of importing one (not again!) I think I'll just handle my iPad with kid gloves until I can pick up a case next month.

In the meantime I've ordered a cheap silicon case from eBay which should keep the back from getting scratched. We can always purchase the Apple case online from May 10th or pick one up from an Apple store.
 
seyre1972 said:
:(Checked with UPS again - not yet on their system. Got through to somebody @ parcelforce (general helpdesk) They said they were running a 5 day delay @ end of last week - however they did work teh weekend to clear some of this backlog.

Based on what I was told - I might get the IPAD @ the earliest Friday. Depending upon backlog/Customs etc etc.

One thing this has taught me is never to use USPS/Parcelforce for fugure deliveries. From now on I'm gogin down the Fedex route !!!

However this won;t stop me checking every 15 minutes to see whenther the parcelforce tracker has been updated for my package .........:D
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:DMiracle of Miracles - my parcel has just been released with charges. So only 2.5 days behind now ..........

28-04-2010 11:26 International Hub RELEASED WITH CHARGES
25-04-2010 19:28 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING
25-04-2010 19:28 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGES
25-04-2010 19:24 International Hub Arrived in destination country
16-04-2010 11:28 Delivery Agent - CHICAGO Left origin country
16-04-2010 08:12 Delivery Agent - CHICAGO Arrived at Outward OE
15-04-2010 10:42 Delivery Agent - UNITED STATES AMERICA Collected from customer

It's express 24 - so I have to wait for it to get to the depot before I can pay charges. Means I'll be popping down tomororw. Charges are £110 (which if you take off the Parceforce scamming charge sounds about right)

Can't wait to have it in my grubby paws now. Will have to fetch in my laptop to activate it via Itunes :p:p:p:p:p:p

So to all those waiting like me - looks like the backlog is going down !!
 
MikeWilson said:
I just got a call from an annoyed Customs agent working at the Parcelforce Int'l hub (she must have been annoyed after receiving my third fax in two days) and said that "Parcelforce don't use UPS" and that my particular parcel is probably still in a rollcage waiting to be booked in. (SINCE LAST FRIDAY!!).

Whatever the situation it's obvious that ParcelForce/UKBA/UPS have a massive logistical and communication problem and I hope that my iPad isn't going to be a casualty of it.

Date Time Location Tracking Event
23-04-2010 16:56 International Hub SENT TO STORE, AWAITING INFORMATION
23-04-2010 08:47 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING
23-04-2010 08:47 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGES
23-04-2010 08:37 International Hub Arrived in destination country
20-04-2010 14:04 Delivery Agent - NEW YORK -PTT Left origin country
20-04-2010 10:57 Delivery Agent - NEW YORK -PTT Arrived at Outward OE
19-04-2010 12:59 Delivery Agent - UNITED STATES AMERICA Collected from customer
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Mike - :( sorry to hear that. Mine's just been released having arrived Sunday night in the international HUB. UPS chap who I spoke with could see parcel - but his system seemed to be behind what was on the Parcelforce website.

Hang on in their - from what people are saying - it's worth the wait !! And as I said - the one lesson I've learnt from this is never ever to use USPS/Parcelforce again :cool:
 
seyre1972 said:
Mike - :( sorry to hear that. Mine's just been released having arrived Sunday night in the international HUB. UPS chap who I spoke with could see parcel - but his system seemed to be behind what was on the Parcelforce website.

Hang on in their - from what people are saying - it's worth the wait !! And as I said - the one lesson I've learnt from this is never ever to use USPS/Parcelforce again :cool:
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Thanks for your comments, it's given me some encouragement!

You're right about not using USPS/ParcelForce. FedEx or DHL seem to be the way to go as they get the parcel to you and invoice you for customs charges later. A much better approach since the parcels do nobody any good having them sitting around taking up space.

Anyhow, my package arrived last Friday and Parcelforce in their infinite wisdom decided to put it in a store and so it hasn't actually physically been received by Customs yet. It seems the tracking gets ahead of itself sometimes. I've even had a package arrive before now where the online tracking said it was at the International Hub!

Advice to others: If you're thinking of importing - use BundleBox or get it shipped via one of the (more expensive) couriers.
 
I am currently in Orlando and finally got the email to collect from the Apple store late yesterday after waiting 4 days. They check all the iPads they sell as some do not activate. They are in short supply. Harder to get hold of are the apple cases - there are loads of Belkin and Neoprene ones on the shelves, I got lucky and got the case early. I have not yet been able to get the camera kit but have seen one being picked up from the Shelf!
 
Boblister said:
Has anyone seen any good iPad cases available in the UK. I wouldn't mind the Apple one. But I saw one on Ebay and it was already up to £62.
Click to expand...

It depends what your idea of a good case is.

My idea of good is something to store my iPad in and protect it when I'm not using it. When I'm using it, I don't want any case getting in the way.

I bought an imitation Apple-style case from eBay (only £10 at the time) and I didn't like it at all. The quality was fine and it did exactly what the official case does, but my iPad felt entombed inside it. I like handling the iPad 'naked' with nothing between me and the device.

I found a lovely neoprene case on eBay for £5. It arrived yesterday and I'm delighted with it---it fits tightly around the iPad itself but leaves a loose 'ear' at the top. Getting the iPad in and out is simple, the work of a second either way. It's exactly what I was looking for. I've stuck one of the Apple stickers on the front of the case and it looks the business :)

There's quite a few on eBay, just search 'neoprene iPad case'.
 
I saw the neoprene cases. In fact have made a similar case from imitation leather. But I prefer a case that opens and can be used in situ as the iPad is still vulnerable out of the case. I have found one on Ebay similar to the Apple design for £10 free postage so will try that.
 
McMack said:
It depends what your idea of a good case is.

My idea of good is something to store my iPad in and protect it when I'm not using it. When I'm using it, I don't want any case getting in the way.

I bought an imitation Apple-style case from eBay (only £10 at the time) and I didn't like it at all. The quality was fine and it did exactly what the official case does, but my iPad felt entombed inside it. I like handling the iPad 'naked' with nothing between me and the device.

I found a lovely neoprene case on eBay for £5. It arrived yesterday and I'm delighted with it---it fits tightly around the iPad itself but leaves a loose 'ear' at the top. Getting the iPad in and out is simple, the work of a second either way. It's exactly what I was looking for. I've stuck one of the Apple stickers on the front of the case and it looks the business :)

There's quite a few on eBay, just search 'neoprene iPad case'.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your review! I was going to get an Apple 'style' case on eBay but they all appear to be rather fat and add too much bulk. The Apple case is very thin and doesn't fatten the iPad up to Netbook proportions :p

On your recommendation I've gone and bought one of those £4.90 Neoprene cases from eBay. It'll probably arrive before my iPad does....
 
Boblister said:
I prefer a case that opens and can be used in situ as the iPad is still vulnerable out of the case. I have found one on Ebay similar to the Apple design for £10 free postage so will try that.
Click to expand...

It's all a trade-off between risk, comfort, utility, and our own individual make-up of course. Personally I prefer to handle the iPad 'as-is' without anything in the way. I think you've got the same case I bought. If so, you'll be happy enough with it I think. When you first put your iPad inside it there's a roughly 1/8th of an inch that doesn't seem to fit as snugly as it should, but over a few days the iPad breaks it in. The case also does that fold-around thing very well and has a detachable prop for watching videos, turning it into a picture frame, etc. I still use the case for that purpose when watching a film.

MikeWilson said:
Thanks for your review! I was going to get an Apple 'style' case on eBay but they all appear to be rather fat and add too much bulk. The Apple case is very thin and doesn't fatten the iPad up to Netbook proportions :p

On your recommendation I've gone and bought one of those £4.90 Neoprene cases from eBay. It'll probably arrive before my iPad does....
Click to expand...

Sounds like you've also gone for the same case as mine! At that price it's not much of a risk and I'm very happy with mine, at least.

I'm pro-neoprene in general. If there was a Neoprene Party standing at the Election, I'd vote for them. IMO they're the most convenient types of case for a device that's intended to be handled directly. In and out with the absolute minimum of fuss. I loved the neoprenes that came with my PSP and Sony Reader and Asus EEE, and really they should be standard with the iPad too (along with a cleaning cloth).
 
I have ordered both cases as they are cheap enough. I can see me swapping around dependent on where I am and what I am doing. I am a big fan of neoplrene too. I have a zippable MBP case that superb. Just the back of the iPad looks like it would mark if you breathed on it. I didnt use the Sony reader case that came with it, I bought Sony's deluxe one. On balance I think the original was better.
 
Well. It was with a unhappy heart that I've had to sell my iPad on.

Basically the wife went a bit ape. Actually, it was worse then that as I got the immediate silent treatment which lasted a couple a days. She cracked first (makes a change) but basically, I've realised that home harmony is worth more then a iPad and what a selfish pig I've been :(

I've got away with a awful lot over the years (projectors, big screen TV's etc...) but this one crossed the line ;)

The odd couple of hours I did play with it has confirmed what an amazing device it was. I'll definitely get one when the UK ones come out. :D

EDIT: And I'm going to hang around until at least Mike get's his iPad. Good luck Mike.
 
cyberheater said:
Well. It was with a unhappy heart that I've had to sell my iPad on.

Basically the wife went a bit ape. Actually, it was worse then that as I got the immediate silent treatment which lasted a couple a days. She cracked first (makes a change) but basically, I've realised that home harmony is worth more then a iPad and what a selfish pig I've been :(

I've got away with a awful lot over the years (projectors, big screen TV's etc...) but this one crossed the line ;)

The odd couple of hours I did play with it has confirmed what an amazing device it was. I'll definitely get one when the UK ones come out. :D

EDIT: And I'm going to hang around until at least Mike get's his iPad. Good luck Mike.
Click to expand...

It's a sad day when a man cannot spend his hard earned money on himself... :(
 
cyberheater said:
Well. It was with a unhappy heart that I've had to sell my iPad on.

Basically the wife went a bit ape. Actually, it was worse then that as I got the immediate silent treatment which lasted a couple a days. She cracked first (makes a change) but basically, I've realised that home harmony is worth more then a iPad and what a selfish pig I've been :(

I've got away with a awful lot over the years (projectors, big screen TV's etc...) but this one crossed the line ;)

The odd couple of hours I did play with it has confirmed what an amazing device it was. I'll definitely get one when the UK ones come out. :D

EDIT: And I'm going to hang around until at least Mike get's his iPad. Good luck Mike.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear that, Cyberheater! But you have my empathies. Perhaps things would be different if the iPad was meant for her? :p

Regarding my iPad - I spoke to a really angry lady from customs this morning who was a bit upset that I'd been faxing them to chase my parcel (I sent three faxes over two days). I also called and spoke to a really nice guy at UPS who remembered our previous conversation (and faxes!) and told me that there was a two week backlog on customs clearances(!!). I asked how come some others managed to get through customs quicker and it turns out it's just luck of the draw (or not as my case may be). Customs pull a fraction of the incoming roll cages into a separate area (about 70,000 parcels/day) and mine is amongst them. And there's a two week backlog (if you didn't want to hang about, in light of temporarily losing your iPad, I'd understand!).

Regarding the missus, have you considered selling some of your other stuff in order to 'fund' the iPad? Or if it's really that good, getting one for her too?
 
Was this the Neoprene case that you ordered? (It's the one that I took a punt on for a fiver)

121019001ipadblack.jpg


Edit: I also went for one of these. It's a Case Logic E-Sling / Urban Pak / XNTM-1 (small). £25 from the CarphoneWarehouse (also available on Amazon for the same price).

 
MikeWilson said:
Regarding the missus, have you considered selling some of your other stuff in order to 'fund' the iPad? Or if it's really that good, getting one for her too?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your sympathy Mike. And yep. I'll be selling stuff on ebay to fund the purchase.
(We've just bought a new house so monies are a tad tight so I fully understand her point of view. The shinyness of the ipad blinded me :D)
 
cyberheater said:
Thanks for your sympathy Mike. And yep. I'll be selling stuff on ebay to fund the purchase.
(We've just bought a new house so monies are a tad tight so I fully understand her point of view. The shinyness of the ipad blinded me :D)
Click to expand...

Empathy. I've been there before too :)

You've got plenty of time to get another one in time. Or try the strategy of getting rid of your other stuff too (which may be only fair - and you might genuinely be able to get an iPad for free after selling something else, e.g. a projector).
 
Interesting. In our household all large purchases are joint decisions. I can only assume you bought it and didn't actually tell her until it arrived?
 
cyberheater said:
Well. It was with a unhappy heart that I've had to sell my iPad on.

Basically the wife went a bit ape. Actually, it was worse then that as I got the immediate silent treatment which lasted a couple a days. She cracked first (makes a change) but basically, I've realised that home harmony is worth more then a iPad and what a selfish pig I've been :(

I've got away with a awful lot over the years (projectors, big screen TV's etc...) but this one crossed the line ;)

The odd couple of hours I did play with it has confirmed what an amazing device it was. I'll definitely get one when the UK ones come out. :D

EDIT: And I'm going to hang around until at least Mike get's his iPad. Good luck Mike.
Click to expand...

Tough luck mate. The condition I got one was that she got one too. I have a 16GB one that will be hers when the 3G ones are launched here in the UK.

I have activated it but not registered it yet. I will let her do that. Trouble is it keeps nagging me to register it every time I sync it. Gives the choice register later (nag) or never. Worried if I choose never she wont be able to register it when I part with it.
 
Boblister said:
Tough luck mate. The condition I got one was that she got one too. I have a 16GB one that will be hers when the 3G ones are launched here in the UK.

I have activated it but not registered it yet. I will let her do that. Trouble is it keeps nagging me to register it every time I sync it. Gives the choice register later (nag) or never. Worried if I choose never she wont be able to register it when I part with it.
Click to expand...

There's a chance (depending on price) that the 16GB one that I'm still waiting for will be hers when the 3G ones are released. Whatever happens we will find out what the UK pricing is within a fortnight...

If not, she'll probably get this iPad when I upgrade it in the future.
 
Boblister said:
Tough luck mate. The condition I got one was that she got one too. I have a 16GB one that will be hers when the 3G ones are launched here in the UK.

I have activated it but not registered it yet. I will let her do that. Trouble is it keeps nagging me to register it every time I sync it. Gives the choice register later (nag) or never. Worried if I choose never she wont be able to register it when I part with it.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure you can change the details later. I did with my iPhone 3Gs (originally registered to my wife by accident and then to me).

A few months later I paid my dues and registered as an iPhone application developer and for some reason I'm still called "Vicky" on my profile!
 
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