As iPad ships, Apple ups productionMarch 29, 2010by Dave Parrack
The iPad is now shipping, and as the process begins, Apple is said to be upping production levels and estimates for how many of the tablet devices it expects to sell by the end of the year. Best Buy is also confirmed to be carrying the iPad from this Saturday.
The time for talking, at least on the part of Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs, is over. Now the test really begins, as the iPad starts shipping to those people who pre-ordered as soon as the Apple tablet went on presale.
According to Engadget, those very early adopters who placed their iPad orders in the first two days of the presale are now receiving shipping notices from Apple. While this doesnt mean theyre going to receive their iPads early theyre still expected to arrive on peoples doorsteps on this coming Saturday (April 3), it does signal the next stage of the iPad soap opera.
Hot on the heels of this news comes a client report from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.
She claims Apples suppliers are now upping production to cope with the better-than-expected demand for the tablet device. Overall, estimates for how many iPads will be sold by the end of 2010 have risen to between 8 million and 10 million units. Huberty herself thinks it will be closer to 6 million, while many analysts still insist Apple will be lucky to shift 4 million iPads.
What will do Apple no harm whatsoever is the fact that the iPad is now confirmed to be going on sale at best Buy stores around the U.S. from April 3. There were rumors concerning this over the weekend after an internal Best Buy memo was leaked, but TechCrunch has now confirmed the news.
The 675 Best Buy stores with Apple Solutions Consultants (ASC) and Apple Shops will each have a total of 15 Wi-Fi-only iPads in stock from 9am this Saturday. Meaning those who missed out on the presale and think theyve lost their chance to grab a launch day iPad need to start camping outside their local Best Buy on Friday night.
