Long Lines in Europe & Asia to Buy Apple's iPad

Technophiles mobbed Apple Stores in Europe and Asia on Friday in a quest to snatch up the hottest gadget of the moment — the Apple iPad.

Long lines snaked down streets in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo as eager buyers vied to wield their credit cards. Screams and cheers rose from the crowd in central London as students, professionals and self-proclaimed computer geeks clutched boxes containing the slim black device.

"If I was a music fan, it would be like the launch of a Lady GaGa album in the U.S.," said comedian Stephen Fry, known in Britain as a champion Tweeter.

Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, California, said earlier this month that it had sold 1 million of the devices in the United States in 28 days. The company started taking orders for the iPad abroad on May 10 after pushing back its international delivery target amid extreme demand at home.

In Britain, prices for the iPad range from 429 pounds to 699 pounds ($624 to $1,017).

But the rollout has not been without its problems. A string of suicides at a Chinese factory that churns out iPads and other high-tech items has raised concerns about conditions for workers who face tremendous time pressures and harsh discipline for mistakes.

In response, Apple issued a statement expressing commitment to ensuring that conditions "throughout our supply chain are safe and workers are treated with respect and dignity."

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Long Lines in Europe & Asia to Buy Apple's iPad

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The iPad and Velcro, a Match Made in Heaven

Two of mankind’s greatest inventions, together at last. Note: this is an exploration of what is possible, not necessarily what is practical. Tweet from the street at your own risk!

[via Jesse Rosten]

The iPad and Velcro, a Match Made in Heaven

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AT&T Wants to Know About Your iPad

About a month after the 3G iPad launched, it looks like AT&T wants to know how happy you are with your new purchase. AT&T began e-mailing surveys to select 3G customers late this afternoon, in order to "better understand your experience with the iPad." The surveys focus on the customer’s buying experience, their satisfaction with the iPad and how the device is used in daily life. Several of the survey questions focus on how customers are using their iPad’s built-in WiFi and AT&T’s 3G wireless service. The survey contains roughly 40+ questions, of which a third are WiFi and 3G wireless related.

AT&T has been dealing with large data consumption and growth on their network ever since Apple’s successful launch of the iPhone. In response, AT&T recently announced they would offer free WiFi to users in New York’s Times Square to help deal with increased congestion on their 3G network. The launch is part of a pilot program meant to help offload some of the data traffic when users surf the web or stream Internet media from sites such as YouTube. If successful, AT&T said they may expand the service to other cities experiencing high data usage.

AT&T is the exclusive carrier in the U.S. for the iPad and iPhone and is of course very interested in keeping this exclusivity intact with Apple. This results of this survey might help shape AT&T’s future WiFi plans, gauge how iPad usage will impact their network and determine how best to deal with the deluge of new customers surfing the web and using the Internet.

[via Pad Gadget]

AT&T Wants to Know About Your iPad

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